Zimbabwe Athletes Launch Human Rights Protest

Broadcast: Feb 10, 2003

 

Two of Zimbabwe's most prominent athletes have issued a strongly-worded condemnation¹ of the human rights situation in their country. They made their unexpected statement just before the start of the Zimbabwe team's first match in the Cricket World Cup tournament.

Zimbabwean cricketers Henry Olonga and Andy Flower issued their emotional, written protest just before the start of Zimbabwe's match against Namibia at the Harare Sports Club.

They said that while it is a great honor and privilege for them to play for their country, they could not in good conscience take to the field and ignore the fact that millions of their ¹⁾compatriots are starving, unemployed² and oppressed.

Olonga and Flower said it is impossible to ignore what is happening in Zimbabwe, and they are deeply distressed³ about the situation. Among other things, they said many people have been unjustly imprisoned⁴ and tortured simply for expressing their opinions.

Henry Olonga and Andy Flower are two of the most prominent members of the Zimbabwean cricket team. Flower is considered one of the best batsmen in the world. Olonga is a ²⁾formidable fast bowler⁵ and was the first black Zimbabwean to play cricket for his country.

The two players decided⁶ to wear black ³⁾armbands when they took to the field Monday, and say they will continue to do so for the duration of the World Cup. They said they are "mourning the death of democracy" in their beloved Zimbabwe.

When Andy Flower walked out to bat about halfway⁷ through the Zimbabwean innings, the narrow black armband was barely visible against the dark green sleeve of his uniform, but word of the statement had already spread to many spectators.

Flower and Olonga said they struggled to think of an appropriate action that would, in their words, not demean the game they love so much. They said if they remained silent, they believed it would be taken as a sign that they either condone⁸ or do not care about what is happening in Zimbabwe.

They also said they chose to act alone, without involving any other team members, because they did not want to use their senior status to influence more junior members of the squad⁹.

Controversy¹⁰ over the World Cup Cricket matches in Zimbabwe has made sporting headlines for weeks. When Olonga and Flower issued their protest statement, the English cricket players were still in the process of deciding whether they would play their match scheduled for Harare on Thursday. The players say they do not want to go to Zimbabwe because of security concerns.

There was no immediate¹¹ reaction to the Flower and Olonga statement from the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

Challiss McDonough VOA news, Harare.

1)    compatriot[kEm5pAtriEt]n.同国人, 同胞

2)    formidable[5fC:midEbl]adj. 强大的, 令人敬畏的, 可怕的, 艰难的

3)    armband[5B:mbAnd]n. 臂章

 

 

1 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

2 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

3 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

4 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

5 bowler   

n.打保龄球的人，（板球的）投（球）手

参考例句：

• The bowler judged it well,timing the ball to perfection.投球手判断准确，对球速的掌握恰到好处。
• The captain decided to take Snow off and try a slower bowler.队长决定把斯诺撤下，换一个动作慢一点的投球手试一试。

6 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。

7 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

8 condone   

v.宽恕；原谅

参考例句：

• I cannot condone the use of violence.我不能宽恕使用暴力的行为。
• I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.我绝不允许任何导致战争的行为。

9 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。