2006年VOA标准英语-Failed West African Migrants Vow to Try Again

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
28 November 2006

Tens of thousands of West Africans have been picked up on European islands, this year, and hundreds of others have died at sea.  They left on pirogues, trying to find better prospects¹ in Europe, but failed.  Many who were caught but survived vow² to try again, despite efforts to organize an intelligence crackdown.  VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Dakar in this the second report in a five-part series on migration-related issues.  

---

 
Modou Diop vows³ to return

Modou Diop has become somewhat of a celebrity⁴ in the fishing village, Thiaroye, not too far from the capital on the Atlantic Ocean coastline.  After scraping together enough money for a voyage on a pirogue, he says he tried - even if he failed.

"My experience was a bitter one," he said. "Even before leaving, my mother went through a lot just for me to go.  But, unfortunately, I never reached Spain as our boat had a problem and one of us died at sea.  I am now back;  but, if given another chance with a better facility, I will go again as we have nothing to do here. Look at all my friends. They are sitting doing nothing, only playing football. There is no work and nothing to help our parents with."

Many people sell family property, jewelry⁵, clothes - animals to pay for the voyage, which sometimes costs several thousand dollars.

 
Would-be immigrants arrive in the port of Los Cristianos on the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain, Sept. 8, 2006
They have no guarantees. They know many have failed. They know they can get caught as soon as they arrive.  But still they try.

Saidou Diallo is a farmer from the southern Casamance region.  He says his crops have been doing badly, so he figured he would try to make it to Europe, because he really had nothing to lose.

He says they made it to the Spanish Canary Islands on the ninth day of the trip. He was immediately caught by Spanish border police and put on a plane back to Senegal.

He says he has no formal education, but that he can cook and drive and also farm and that, if given a chance, he is sure he could succeed in Europe.

 
Many youth say staying in Africa leads to nowhere
He says his friends and family paid for his voyage and that they were disappointed to see him back, so soon.

He says when he finds money, he will try again.

Others who were sent back organized protests - holding up signs with misspelled words, pleading⁶ for government help.  Officials in the capital, Dakar, and nervous residents in affluent⁷ neighborhoods say some banded as petty⁸ thieves, causing a rise in criminality.

1 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

2 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

3 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

4 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

5 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

6 pleading   

n.恳求

参考例句：

• She went down on her knees, pleading for mercy. 她双膝跪下，乞求谅解。
• His pleading melted her. 他的乞求软化了她。

7 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

8 petty   

adj.小的，琐碎的，不重要的，心胸狭窄的

参考例句：

• The removal of petty restrictions has made life easier.对一些琐碎规定的取消使生活更自在了。
• It was petty of her not to accept the apology.她气量太小，连道歉也不接受。