美国国家公共电台 NPR--A song by reggae star Teddy Afro confronts Ethiopia's prime minister

A song by reggae star Teddy Afro confronts Ethiopia's prime minister

Transcript¹

Ethiopia's most popular musician Teddy Afro recently released a song criticizing the country's prime minister. And while the singer never mentions the prime minister by name, the implication is clear.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Ethiopians are experiencing a dire² moment. They face escalating³ violence and a worsening humanitarian⁴ crisis, and many live in fear of giving voice to their political thoughts. But the African country's most popular musician, a reggae star, has released a song that confronts the prime minister head-on. Here's NPR's Eyder Peralta.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE⁵: Just days after hundreds of civilians⁶ were slaughtered⁷ in western Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed didn't attend funerals. He didn't offer condolences. Instead, he plants trees, and that leads the evening newscast.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confidently heralds⁸ Ethiopia's Green Legacy⁹ implementation¹⁰.

PERALTA: The images show Abiy smiling as he digs into the earth to begin planting what he said were billions of trees. The country's elite¹¹ don't question the math or the ceremony. They just clap.

(SOUNDBITE OF TEDDY AFRO'S "NAIT")

PERALTA: For almost a year, Ethiopia's most popular singer had remained silent. But later that evening, he released "Nait," a song that never mentioned Prime Minister Abiy by name, but the implication is clear.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAIT")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: "Blinded by ethnic¹² hatred," he sings, "he forgot his promise. He plants trees today over tens of thousands of corpses¹³. I'm in pain," Teddy Afro sings, "yet he invites me to enjoy it."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAIT")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: Teddy Afro tends to write in metaphors¹⁴, using history, the Bible and the language of forgiveness to shame the ruthless leaders of this country. Back in 2005, another regime ruled Ethiopia. Meles Zenawi was the prime minister, and his brutality¹⁵ was legend.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JAH YASTESERYAL")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: At the peak of that brutality, Teddy Afro released "Jah Yasterseryal." It was a plea for forgiveness from God, but it was also another thinly veiled critique of the regime.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JAH YASTESERYAL")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: "We get a new king, but where is the change?" he sings. Shortly after the release, Teddy Afro was jailed on what many called trumped-up charges, and "Jah Yasteseryal" was banned from the airwaves.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JAH YASTESERYAL")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: Meles died in 2012. And as a popular rebellion toppled his regime in 2018, Teddy Afro once again chronicled the moment.

(SOUNDBITE OF TEDDY AFRO'S "ETHIOPIA")

PERALTA: He put out "Ethiopia." It's a triumphant¹⁶ song that captured the euphoria of a young generation who had finally found their voice. At the time, it seemed that every taxi in the city, every shop, every cell phone, every home was playing it all at once.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ETHIOPIA")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: This was a magical moment in Ethiopia. For the first time, it was possible to speak freely. Long-exiled opposition¹⁷ leaders were welcomed. Peace was made with rebel leaders, and the country welcomed Abiy Ahmed, a new young prime minister who would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ETHIOPIA")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: But that moment didn't last. Ethnic clashes erupted across the country. Abiy went to war with the former regime. And as that war dragged on, he went after his critics, throwing thousands in prison for opposing him. In his latest release, "Nait," Teddy Afro says he showed patience - that he stayed quiet for a long time. But, ultimately, the fever dream broke, and Teddy Afro lost hope.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAIT")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: In the highlands of Ethiopia, they call singers Azmaris. Back in the days of the monarchy¹⁸, they were often the only ones brave enough to speak truth - the only ones brave enough to stand up to the monarchs¹⁹ in the feudal²⁰ society. They did it in the middle of the night in bars, with verses that were cobbled together quickly. Teddy Afro did it in the middle of the night on YouTube.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAIT")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: "Get away from me, Cain," he sings. "When the chaos²¹ ends, the truth will remain." Without naming the Prime Minister, Teddy Afro comes to a haunting realization²² that the same Prime Minister who had brought so much hope has also shattered the Ethiopian dream - that Abiy Ahmed is no different from the cruel kings who came before him.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAIT")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: "It's all so painful," he mourns.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAIT")

TEDDY AFRO: (Singing in non-English language).

PERALTA: Eyder Peralta, NPR News, Addis Ababa.

1 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。

2 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 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。

6 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。

7 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 heralds   

n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The song of birds heralds the approach of spring. 百鸟齐鸣报春到。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountain. 山雨欲来风满楼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

10 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

11 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

12 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。

13 corpses   

n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

14 metaphors   

隐喻( metaphor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I can only represent it to you by metaphors. 我只能用隐喻来向你描述它。
• Thus, She's an angel and He's a lion in battle are metaphors. 因此她是天使，他是雄狮都是比喻说法。

15 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

16 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

17 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

18 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

19 monarchs   

君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
• Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务，也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分

20 feudal   

adj.封建的，封地的，领地的

参考例句：

• Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
• The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。

21 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

22 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。