VOA慢速英语2015 黎巴嫩艺术家反击审查

AS IT IS 2015-03-02 Lebanese Artists Fight Back Against Censorship 黎巴嫩艺术家反击审查

Lebanon is a country where religious differences and a permissive culture can lead to conflict. The Lebanese government has long been active in guiding the country’s arts and culture. Now, some activists¹ and writers are taking the fight for free speech to the courts. They accuse the government of acting² without concern for what is right or fair.

A civil rights group called MARCH helps Lebanese playwrights³. MARCH says it provides support to writers whose works failed to survive the government’s required approval process.

The group sought approval of four plays that explore issues often barred from public discussion in Lebanon. Those issues are politics, the country’s civil war, religion and homosexuality.                                                       

Lea Baroudi of MARCH says Lebanese officials never gave approval to the four plays. Her group is now launching a court appeal. It wants any decision to restrict information based on rules, not some official’s personal opinion.

Ms. Baroudi told VOA that, “A lot of people think there is no censorship in Lebanon, or that the laws are pretty correct. What we wanted to show and prove is that the laws on censorship are completely arbitrary. All they do is oppress arts and culture in Lebanon -- as the only people who suffer are the artists and play directors.”

The deadly attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo fueled debate about the limits of free speech. More than 100 people gathered in the center in Beirut in a show of support for free speech. However, others defend the actions of the Lebanese government. They say free speech can go too far, given the country’s many religious groups. They note that it can be especially dangerous at a time of unrest in nearby countries.

Lea Baroudi says the very idea of censorship can be a misplaced one. She says the policy of limiting discussion on many issues, as a way to please every group, is not making things better. In her words, “It’s making them worse, and it’s building up the tensions.”

Lebanon’s general security department has the job of restricting information. In the past, the agency has said it was simply following the current laws on censorship.

But MARCH says these laws are both unclear and out of date. The group says the general security office now states it did not ask for a ban, but instead requested that parts of the plays be changed. MARCH says that decisions over censorship are often announced, but rarely given in writing. It says this makes the orders more difficult to fight. It also said the ban remains⁴ in place, and that such disorder⁵ demonstrates the need to reform the process.

Lebanon has at least four legal justifications⁷ for banning or restricting material. They include if it “is offensive to the sensitivities of the public,” “exposes the state to danger” and “is propaganda against state interests.” Another justification⁶ is being “disrespectful to public order, morals and good ethics⁸.”

The result is that a number of foreign works have been banned. They include American John Steinbeck’s famous work Of Mice and Men and writer Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code. Songs from Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra and other artists have also been banned in Lebanon.

Firas Talhouk studies government restrictions⁹ for the Lebanese group SKeyes Media. He says the laws are often decided¹⁰ according to the politics of the day. “It depends on the political and security situation in Lebanon and the region. It also depends on the political players and the personalities¹¹ of those in charge,” he says.

In addition, the pressure of censorship extends beyond the government. “There are some politicians you cannot talk about, but it’s not only because of censorship,” he says. “It is also because of social pressures and self-censorship by individuals.”

Writer and director Lucien Bourjelly confirms that artists now self-censor their work to make sure it gets approval from the government. Mr. Bourjelly wrote a theatrical¹² study of the censorship process. Lebanese officials banned it.

Lebanon’s artistic¹³ community is facing many tests. Yet the community promises it will continue to create and to push the limits on what the government considers taboo¹⁴.

In the words of Lucien Bourjelly, “Art is where we make a stand. If we don’t make it there, freedom of expression is lost for everyone – for artists, for journalists and for everyday people.”

Words in This Story

permissive - adj. giving people freedom to do what they want to do

process - n. an operation or series of changes leading to a desired result

homosexuality - n. the quality of having a sexual desire for someone of the same sex as oneself

censorship - n. the system of banning or restricting use of information

taboo – n., something considered unacceptable

1 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》

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

6 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

7 justifications   

正当的理由，辩解的理由( justification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If he a vulgar person, she does not have justifications for him. 如果他是个低级趣味的人，她早就不会理他了。
• It depends on their effect on competition and possible justifications. 这则取决于它们对于竞争的影响和可能存在的正当抗辩理由。

8 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

12 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

13 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

14 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？