VOA常速英语2007年-Mask Festival Helps Unify Ivory Coast

By Phillip Wellman
Zahibo, Ivory Coast
18 November 2007

In Ivory Coast, a festival celebrating traditional african masks is being hailed as a tool to help unify¹ a region plagued by violence. Organizers of the three-day celebration that finished Saturday say the festival has proven that cultural ties can help bind² a population that has been divided by civil war since 2002. Phillip Wellman reports for VOA from the village of Zahibo in central-western Ivory Coast on how the local population is preserving the past and looking forward to the future.

A local villager dances to the beat of a hand made drum before a crowd of spectators. He wears nettings around his legs, a thick skirt of dried leaves around his waist and the symbol of the festival on his face: the mask.

In many areas of Ivory Coast masks are important emblems³ of local culture. During ceremonies like the one in Zahibo, mask wearers dance to ask the spirits of village ancestors for blessing⁴, assistance and protection.

But violence and political instability blocked the ceremonies from taking place until this year, when Ivorian lawmaker Nicolas Djetoa, helped organize the festival of masks titled Zombo 2007.

Unlike in the past where each village held their own event, Zombo 2007 brought mask wearers and spectators from 10 neighboring villages to Zahibo to jointly⁵ participate in the festivities.

Djetoa says the festival was aimed at reviving the mask tradition, which has been fading in recent years. He says festival organizers are fighting to maintain their culture no matter what the current political situation might be. He says they are doing this because culture helps a country to live and it brings national unity⁶.

Ivory Coast has been split between a rebel-held north and a government-controlled south since civil war broke out in 2002. An area known as the "confidence zone" existed at the boarder of the two sides until September. Despite its name, the area, which was heavily patrolled by the U.N., has seen some of the most violent activities in the county.

The village of Zahibo lies within the former confidence zone. But Djetoa says Ivorians from the north and the south attended the festival and everything was peaceful.

Djetoa says it is a real joy for him to see rebels from the north and southerners enjoy in the festivities. He says the festival is not about politics and was actually organized by people who supported several different political parties.

Organizer Mathias Doudou says the festival of masks makes people who used to fight with each other realize what they have in common.

This area has many different ethnic⁷ groups, but we have the same culture he says. Through this festival and through our culture we can unify the many social classes.

Doudou says that after seeing the success of this year's festival, organizers would like to invite every area that has a mask tradition to participate next year.

Organizers say they will be asking the government for financial assistance next year.

They say they will use the funds to help pay for transportation costs so that as many people can participate in the festival as possible.

They say this is the best way to ensure one of Ivory Coast's most unique traditions carries on into the future.

1 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

2 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

3 emblems   

n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His emblems are the spear and the burning torch. 他佩带的徽记是长矛和燃烧着的火炬。 来自辞典例句
• Crystal prize, Crystal gift, Crystal trophy, Champion cup, Emblems. 水晶奖牌、水晶礼品、水晶纪念品、奖杯、金属奖牌。 来自互联网

4 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

5 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

6 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。