VOA慢速英语--布基纳法索农民说唱歌手用音乐探讨气候变化

Burkina Faso Rapper, Farmer Talks of Climate Change

Africa's Sahel is seeing the worst effects of climate warming anywhere on the planet, says the United Nations, or U.N.

The Sahel is a region of western and north-central Africa that stretches from Senegal to Sudan.

Because 80 percent of the region's economy is from agriculture, farmers in the Sahel are suffering from the severity of climate change.

Art Melody² is a musician in the nation of Burkina Faso, which sits in the Sahel. By day, he is a farmer. By night, he raps³ in the local Djula and Moore languages. As a farmer, he knows from experience what is happening to the crops. His songs express the fear and emotion felt by millions of people across the region because of climate change.

Art Melody says his grandparents have told him the rainy season used to start in April. But now, it can start as late as July, so there is less rain and more heat.

The Sahel has been experiencing both desertification and drought. Desertification is a process by which dry land turns to desert as its quality declines⁴ over time. Drought is a long period of time during which there is little or no rain.

The U.N. says the effects of desertification and drought on farmers is partly to blame for the Sahel conflict, which involves the nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Combatants include terror groups linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaida.

More than two million people have been displaced⁶ because of the fighting. And more than 20,000 people have been killed since 2012. That information was gathered by a nonprofit group called the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

"When there's a drought, it's a disaster, it's hell," said Ibrahim Thiaw. He is executive⁷ secretary of the U.N. Convention⁸ to Combat⁵ Desertification. "When that situation happens, you have two options — flight or fight. Either you flee because there is no way you can produce anymore, or you fight with your neighbors for the limited resources that are still there."

Conflicts often arise between ethnic⁹ groups that traditionally grow crops and those that raise farm animals. That is because the land usually cannot be used for both purposes.

While that is a major barrier, new methods and technologies can help combine agricultural production with animal farming, says Marc Gansonre. He is a representative of a Burkinabe farmers' union.

As for Art Melody, his songs attempt to raise awareness¹⁰ of the difficulties the farmers are experiencing. He says if people's eyes are closed, they will always end up destroying everything, whether it is plants or human relationships.

Melody has been spreading his message around the world through his music since the early 2000s. He released his latest record last month. He has appeared at performances with world famous Benin-born singer Angelique Kidjo and Nigerian musician Seun Kuti, son of Fela Kuti.

Words in This Story

region – n. a part of a country or of the world that is different or separate from other parts in some way

rap¹ – v. to perform a spoken musical form that uses rhymed lyrics¹¹

grandparent – n. a parent of your father or mother

option – n. something that can be chosen

union - n. an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interests of its members

awareness - n. the act of knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists

1 rap   

n.轻敲，拍击，责骂，厉声说出，说唱音乐，谈话，最少量；vi.轻敲，敲门，表演说唱音乐，畅谈；vt.抓，抢，拍击

参考例句：

• I heard a rap on the door.我听到有轻轻的敲门声。
• Today we are going to rap about relationships.今天我们要聊聊关系的问题。

2 melody   

n.旋律，曲调，悦耳的音乐

参考例句：

• She struck up a folk melody on the piano.她开始用钢琴演奏那首民歌。
• After she wrote the melody,she asked us for criticisms.她做好曲之后，请我们提意见。

3 raps   

n.（轻快的）敲击（声）( rap的名词复数 )；说唱音乐；说唱歌；速度快的谈话v.突然说出( rap的第三人称单数 )；（公开地）严厉批评；突然大声说出；连续敲叩

参考例句：

• "Yes, I reckon we better. P'raps we better." “对，我也是这样想的，也许还是回去的好。” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• The chairman prefaced his remarks with some sharp raps on the table. 主席重重地敲了几下桌子，然后开始讲话。 来自辞典例句

4 declines   

辞谢，谢绝（邀请等）( decline的第三人称单数 )； （道路、物体等）下倾； （太阳）落下； （在品格、价值上）降低

参考例句：

• As one grows older one's memory declines. 一个人的记忆力随着年老而衰退。
• Hearing sensitivity declines with age. 听觉因年老而衰退。

5 combat   

n.战斗，斗争，格斗；vt.与...斗争，与...战斗

参考例句：

• The police are now using computers to help combat crime.警方现在使用电脑打击犯罪活动。
• A reporter interviewed the combat hero.记者访问了这位战斗英雄。

6 displaced   

移动( displace的过去式和过去分词 )； 替换； 移走； 撤职

参考例句：

• Gradually factory workers have been displaced by machines. 工厂的工人已逐渐被机器取代。
• He was displaced by another young man. 他已被另一个年轻人顶替。

7 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

8 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

9 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。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 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。