美国国家公共电台 NPR--Cuban activists applaud U.S. decision to exclude Cuba from Summit of the Americas

Cuban activists² applaud U.S. decision to exclude Cuba from Summit of the Americas

Transcript³

The Biden administration declined to invite Cuba to this week's Summit of the Americas. Free speech advocates point to a crackdown in Cuba that heightens surveillance and stifles⁴ dissent⁵.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

World leaders have started to arrive in Los Angeles for the Summit of the Americas. The Biden administration, or rather the United States, is the host, and so the U.S. invites the participants. It chose this year to leave Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua off the list, saying that they do not respect democracy. In Cuba, free speech advocates applauded that snub because of a crackdown on dissent. NPR's Carrie Kahn is in Havana.

CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE⁷: Daniela Rojo says she didn't used to consider herself an activist¹. The 26-year-old single mother of two small kids said she tweeted and complained, like most Cubans, on Facebook. Then last July 11, when protests broke out around Cuba, she, too, took to the streets. And like hundreds that day, she was arrested.

DANIELA ROJO: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: "After my arrest on July 11 and spending 23 days in prison, that's when I got motivated to do more," she says. She joined attempts to organize another nationwide march last November, but it was shut down. I've only ever talked to Rojo by phone. In Havana, we agreed to meet in person.

We had scheduled a time to meet at a cafe in Havana Vieja, an Old Havana neighborhood cafe, but it doesn't look like she was able to get here. I've been waiting more than an hour.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: Outside the cafe, where ice cream vendors⁸ stroll down the narrow streets, I get a brief text. I've been told not to give interviews this week; thanks for understanding, she writes.

Independent journalist Cynthia de la Cantera is 32 years old and part of a new generation of journalists and activists. She says fear is real now in Cuba.

CYNTHIA DE LA CANTERA: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: "Especially when every day, someone is brought in for questioning or fines," she says. De la Cantera got a 3,000 peso fine - about $125 at the official rate - for posting subversive⁹ content on social media. She works for the investigative news blog YucaByte and has repeatedly been questioned by police.

DE LA CANTERA: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: "I just feel like I'm always being followed," she chuckles¹⁰ nervously¹¹. "The harassment¹² has caused me so much stress."

Following the unprecedented¹³ protests last July, the government rounded up hundreds and handed down long prison sentences. They also passed new laws against such things as provoking rebellion and insulting political leaders, says Ted⁶ Henken of Baruch College, who studies independent media in Cuba.

TED HENKEN: And those all are set up so that they can chill dissent, silence dissent, and either imprison¹⁴ or drive into exile the people who refuse to be quiet.

KAHN: Cuba's government says the new laws protect the social peace and stability of the nation. The government accuses the U.S. of financing and provoking protests. Last week, it released dozens of protesters and reduced sentences for others, especially teenagers and young adults. Meanwhile, some have found ways to continue working in Cuba.

(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "EL ENJAMBRE")

LUCIA MARCH: (Speaking Spanish).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LO MISMO ME DA")

RONKALUNGA: (Singing in Spanish).

KAHN: The creators of the weekly podcast "El Enjambre" don't shy away from criticism.

MARCH: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: "I believe that what is wrong is wrong, no matter where it occurs," says one of the hosts, Lucia March. But March and co-host Camilo Condis insist they're not journalists, and their podcast is not news.

CAMILO CONDIS: We're criticizing as any Cuban would do, as any Cuban would talk in their home, with their friends. That's what we're doing, you know?

KAHN: For others, though, the choice now is to be quiet. Cynthia de la Cantera of YucaByte says she's taking a break from journalism¹⁵. For some, the choice is more stark¹⁶.

ROJO: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: I finally heard from Daniela Rojo, the single-mom-turned-activist. She called from Germany, where she has asked for asylum¹⁷. She was facing five years in prison in Cuba - five years away from her children.

ROJO: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: And like most activists who have taken the same deal, she was told she could never return to Cuba.

Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Havana.

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 stifles   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的第三人称单数 )； 镇压，遏制

参考例句：

• This stifles the development of the financial sector. 这就遏制了金融部门的发展。
• The fruits of such a system are a glittering consumer society which stifles creativity and individuality. 这种制度的结果就是一个压制创造性和个性的闪光的消费者社会。

5 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

6 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 subversive   

adj.颠覆性的，破坏性的；n.破坏份子，危险份子

参考例句：

• She was seen as a potentially subversive within the party.她被看成党内潜在的颠覆分子。
• The police is investigating subversive group in the student organization.警方正调查学生组织中的搞颠覆阴谋的集团。

10 chuckles   

轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Father always chuckles when he reads the funny papers. 父亲在读幽默报纸时总是低声发笑。
• [Chuckles] You thought he was being poisoned by hemlock? 你觉得他中的会是芹叶钩吻毒吗？

11 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

12 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

13 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

14 imprison   

vt.监禁，关押，限制，束缚

参考例句：

• The effect of this one is going to imprison you for life.而这件事的影响力则会让你被终身监禁。
• Dutch colonial authorities imprisoned him for his part in the independence movement.荷兰殖民当局因他参加独立运动而把他关押了起来。

15 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

16 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

17 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。