VOA常速英语2007-Sierra Leone Struggles to Rebuild Tourism after

By Kari Barber
Washington
01 October 2007
 

Sierra Leone's long civil war was especially brutal¹, with children serving as soldiers and rebels hacking² off the limbs of civilians³. When it ended, the country lay in ruin, a once thriving tourist industry among the things destroyed. Nearly six years later, long stretches of sandy beach are still mostly bare, and government officials say reviving this important source of revenue is a top concern.  Kari Barber reports for VOA from Freetown.

Major hotels in what was once the tourist area of Freetown are mostly empty.  The government has helped to reconstruct some, but without the tourists, the industry is at a standstill.

Tourism, along with diamond mining, were major sources of revenue before the war engulfed⁴ this African nation in the 1990s.

Jewelry⁵ seller Joseph Bangura says he waits on the beach, hoping tourists will return. "I am making nice necklaces for those people who are coming to know our culture and our land," he says. "At least they won't forget about us."

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest nations in the world.  The war destroyed much of the country's infrastructure⁶. Thousands of former combatants still struggle to survive.

Despite these problems, Director of Tourism Alfred Navo says he wants people to know that Sierra Leone is at peace now and there is no reason to be afraid.

"Sierra Leone is no longer at war.  We are now fighting against poverty, [for] poverty alleviation," he explains.  "We want people to come.  Sierra Leone for now is like a virgin⁷ land."

Navo says Sierra Leone is relying heavily on international aid to help revitalize the tourist industry. "We are handicapped financially in the process because for now we are more dependent on donor⁸ funds.  Of course they have also their own areas of priority."

Navo says funding hospitals and schools comes first for most donors⁹, before tourism. He says a number of smaller, independently owned guest houses are opening up.

Raymond Jones has just opened a guesthouse in the center of Freetown. Jones is from Sierra Leone, but has been living in London. He returned to start this business.  It is not quite finished, but he says he is confidant people will come. "It helps me; also it helps my country to have good revenue," he said.

The government hopes others will follow Jones' lead and invest in tourism.  For now, Sierra Leone will continue to prepare its beaches in hopes that one day they will be again be bustling¹⁰ with foreigners and their dispensable incomes.

1 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

2 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

8 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

9 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。