【英语语言学习】说唱

Welcome to EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. I'm June Simms. Protest songs are part of the fuel of revolutions. Today, we talk to three rappers who played an active part in the Arab Spring revolutions and America's Occupy protests.

 

(MUSIC: "Rayes Lebled")

 

A new generation of musicians helped give voice to the popular uprisings in twenty-eleven that came to be called the Arab Spring.

 

In Tunisia, the rapper known as El General, Hamada Ben Amor, uploaded a song to YouTube in November of twenty-ten. He called it "Rayes Lebled," meaning "president of the country" or "head of state." It criticized the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali with lines like "Mister President, your people are dying" and "I see injustice¹ everywhere."

 

The song quickly became popular among Tunisians as they began to protest against high unemployment, rising food prices and corruption². El General's music helped express the demands of protesters following the death of Mohamed Bouazizi.

 

He was a twenty-six-year-old Tunisian who sold fruits and vegetables on the street in Sidi Bouzid. In December of twenty-ten he set himself on fire to protest police abuse. Tunisians rebelled, and the following month, their longtime president fled the country.

 

When the protests had spread, El General posted another song on YouTube, called "Tunisia Our Country" ("Tounis Bledna"). As a result, security forces detained him. But they freed him soon after Tunisians demanded his release.

 

(MUSIC: "Tounis Bledna")

 

Hamada Ben Amor has been singing about social and political issues and inequality since two thousand eight. VOA's Faiza El-Masry asked El General if he had expected "Rayes Lebled" to become so popular.

 

EL GENERAL (TRANSLATED): "No I didn't. I just wrote from my heart and just wanted to defend the Tunisian people and express how they feel. And with God's help we got rid of the president and the government and every single Tunisian citizen shared the same feeling I expressed in the song. We were living in horror, not only us, all other people, like Egyptians, Libyans. We were all afraid of the governments. We wouldn't dream that we would get rid of them."

 

Now, he worries about the future. He says he hopes the suffering and sacrifices of young people will not be worthless. He hopes that the people in Arab nations will be happy with the governments that come to power. But one thing El General says he does not wish for is to enter politics.

 

EL GENERAL (TRANSLATED): "I'm an artist. I would never be a politician. In politics you have to be maneuvering³ and I like to be straightforward⁴. That's why I prefer to be a singer, an artist."

 

The demonstrations⁵ in Tunisia helped create a new movement of Arab protests across North Africa and the Middle East. Egypt's longtime leader Hosni Mubarak and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi were also driven from power in twenty-eleven.

 

(SOUND: Protests in Yemen)

 

A yearlong uprising in Yemen forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave office early in twenty-twelve after thirty-three years in power.

 

El General is currently working with other musicians to denounce the violence in Syria.

 

(SOUND: Fighting in Syria)

 

Protests began there in March of twenty-eleven and grew into armed conflict as the government tried to crush the popular uprising.

 

In the early months of the Syrian protests, there were reports about a young man named Ibrahim Qashoush. At protests, he would sing a popular song among opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The song included lines like "It's time to leave, Bashar" and "Freedom is near."

 

Mr. Qashoush was found dead in the Orontes River in his hometown of Hama. His throat was cut and reports said his vocal⁶ cords were removed -- a message to anyone who might want to rebel or sing anti-government songs.

 

The Arab Spring movement spread with the help of social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

 

In Libya, activists⁸ used social media to report on the violence and protests that took place in the east. Khaled M is a rapper who was born in the United States to Libyan parents. He says the activists received training from a group of dissident Libyans living in the American state of Kentucky. He says they trained people in eastern Libya how to reach Western media through sites like YouTube and Google Voice.

 

Khaled M used some of those reports to later produce a video for his song "Can't Take Our Freedom." The song includes the British-based musician Lowkey, who was born to an Iraqi mother and British father.

 

"Can't Take Our Freedom" was released around two weeks after the protests in Libya began in February twenty-eleven. The song became popular among people in Libya.

 

In the darkest hours, when the world has turned away

 

And no one's watching, when the sky has turned to gray and

 

You have no options, when your voice is illegal

 

Only choice for the people

 

Is to stand up proudly in the face of death

 

It ain't a waste of breath when you speak up loudly

 

On behalf of the kids in the street with no pot to piss in

 

Living on their own 'cause their papa's missing

 

Don't know if his dead or he's locked in prison

 

Disappeared, they consider him the opposition⁹

 

And now have a vision of dreams I shouldn't see

 

And could it be this close? Nah it couldn't be

 

But if the people in Egypt and Tunis can do this

 

Decide their fate, then why wouldn't we

 

More than forty years we done rocked the nation

 

Under occupation we cannot be waiting

 

We can stop debating, when one of us dies

 

Ten jump in line ready to box the satan

 

You can't take our freedom or take our soul

 

Take our freedom or take our soul

 

You are not the one that's in control

 

You are not the one that's in control

 

La ilahe il Allah, no power's greater than God

 

Go ahead and divide your plans, at the end of the day

 

You are just a man

 

(More lyrics¹⁰, from rapgenius.com)

 

Khaled M told us that at first he did not want to speak up about the rebellion or urge people to protest. He did not want to speak for people in Libya since he was not living there, but he says Libyans asked him to be their voice.

 

So he wrote "Can't Take Our Freedom." The song mentions his father, who had escaped from jail as a Libyan dissident years earlier. It also mentions his uncles who were tortured or killed. He says the song is meant to urge people in oppressed societies to use their voice.

 

KHALED M: "Basically, it was just an encouraging song to let people in Libya know, and also other countries facing oppression, know that to use your voice and to just stand up and speak out is not a waste and it's not done in vain. You know, people were dying and being slaughtered¹¹ for just holding up signs. And we just wanted to let them know that we were with them and the struggles weren't for nothing, and not everybody realizes that. And also, this was at a time when media, foreign media, hadn't yet infiltrated¹² Libya, and the world wasn't yet in the know about what was going on. This was before NATO's involvement."

 

(SOUND: Protests in Tahrir Square)

 

In Egypt, protests began in Tahrir Square in Cairo in January of twenty-eleven. Less than a month later, President Hosni Mubarak resigned. The calls of the huge crowds of peaceful protesters were answered.

 

PROTESTER: "Welcome, welcome a new Egypt! Welcome a New Egypt!"

 

(SOUND: Occupy Wall Street)

 

The occupation of Tahrir Square gained the attention of the world. It also influenced the "Occupy Wall Street" protests that started in September of twenty-eleven in New York City. The Occupy movement spread across the country, and to other countries.

 

Demonstrators occupied parks and other public spaces. They called themselves "the 99 percent."

 

PROTESTER: "The fact is that we use social media, we use Twitter, we use Facebook, we e-mail, we text one another, and we can muster¹³ a couple of thousand people within an hour to gather at any spot that we ask them to gather at."

 

They said it was unfair for the richest one percent of the population to control much of the nation's wealth. Most of the occupiers said they were not against capitalism¹⁴, but against the growing divide between the rich and the poor.

 

M-1 is a rapper and activist⁷ in the United States. He and Stic.man perform as the hip-hop duo Dead Prez. M-1 joined the Occupy protests in several cities. He says that like the Arab Spring protests, many of the protesters were young and new to public resistance.

 

M-1: "Most of the people are new resisters. We aren't talking about old experienced, would-be revolutionaries, freedom fighters or people who go against the grain. No, most of them are new and are with a new kind of understanding of how we are going to express our angst against these problems."

 

M-1 says people in the Occupy movement were trying to call attention to high unemployment and other problems in society.

 

M-1: "Mainly the criticism is that there is obviously something wrong. You know, I think that's the thing. I think what we're looking at is this huge web of contradictions. And I think that is what the Occupy movement is on the top of, which I think makes the people brave and courageous¹⁵."

 

M-1 produced a song with the Italian musician Bonnot called "99 Percent." It also features rappers Talib Kweli and Militant¹⁶ A. In both Italian and English the song expresses anger against big companies and financial institutions.

 

(MUSIC: "99 Percent")

 

So what does M-1 think the answer is?

 

M-1: "I think the answer could and should be sharing the resources amongst the people who work who produce it, who make it happen around the world. But that would mean them sharing the power and empowering and disempowering the huge conglomerate¹⁷ imperialist structure of corporations that holds sway around the world. But that would make a few small people angry, but they are strong enough to have an army behind them. And we would have to figure how to wrestle¹⁸ the power out of the hands of those greedy few."

 

Kim Varzi wrote this week's program. You can read and listen to our shows, add comments and get podcasts at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm June Simms. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

1 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 maneuvering   

v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵

参考例句：

• This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。 来自辞典例句
• In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话，大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策，玩弄策略是不行的。 来自辞典例句

4 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 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。

8 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》

9 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。

10 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

11 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》

12 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。

14 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

15 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

16 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

17 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

18 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。