2007年VOA标准英语-Ziggy Marley Hopes to Raise Awareness of Africa

By Larry London
Washington
03 September 2007
 

Ziggy Marley has followed his father, legendary¹ reggae star Bob Marley, in becoming an award-winning artist.  His hit album Love Is My Religion earned the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.  VOA's Larry London sat down for a conversation with Marley at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts just outside Washington, DC.

Ziggy Marley

A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Ziggy Marley first sat in on recording² sessions with his father's band, Bob Marley and The Wailers, when he was 10-years-old.  After performing with his own band The Melody Makers³, Ziggy Marley went solo and produced his first album, Dragonfly.  In 2006, Marley produced a second solo album, writing all the songs himself and playing most of the musical instruments.

"For years, I have been in music and I gained a lot of knowledge, so I had the confidence to pursue all the elements to make a record."

Marley says the title track for his second album came to him during a conversation with a friend.

"When we started making the album, Love Is My religion wasn't even written yet.  The title and the song came from a conversation I was having with a lady. It was just a simple question: 'What religion are you?'  She told me she was Catholic.  She asked me the same question.  I thought for a second, and said, Love is my religion. That's how the song came about ... the title and the whole concept. But I was always looking for the perfect answer to that question. 'Ziggy, what is your religion?'  I think I found the perfect answer: Love Is My Religion."

Most of Marley's songs tend to have a message.

"One main component⁴, of what we do - which may not have anything to do with the title 'reggae,' but it has more to do with who we are - is that our music continuously carries a message.  Reggae is known to carry a message. Not every reggae artists carries a message, so it's a generalization⁵ that is positive, but incorrect. But it's a common theme throughout from my father to me, to all of my siblings⁶, and other reggae musicians - the notion that reggae music is a music that carries a meaning to people."

After his tour of Africa in 2005, celebrating what would have been his father's 60th birthday, Marley made educating people about the continent one of his goals.

"Africa has a special place in my heart, because of what Africa has been through, the struggle of Africa, and also because Africa is the birthplace of mankind.  All of our ancestors are from Africa.  We are all related in that way.  But Africa, again for me, a person of African descent who understands history, is that my ancestors were brought to the West in a fashion that was inhumane and unjust.  The situation in Africa is the way it is, not because it has to be that way, but because of all the colonial powers have decided⁷ to divide it and use it as a kind of breadbasket.  The way to see it, Africa has the same levels [of complexity] as the rest of the world.  The way Africa is [right now] really hurts me.  Africa is the richest place on earth. Africa is diamonds, oil, gold, uranium, plutonium, natural resources, trees, animals.  Even the dirt has minerals that are put to use in computers and phones, yet Africa suffers so much.  It was a very special place, and [I have] a special need to focus some of my energy highlighting not the negative, but the positive of Africa."

1 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

2 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

5 generalization   

n.普遍性，一般性，概括

参考例句：

• This sweeping generalization is the law of conservation of energy.这一透彻的概括就是能量守恒定律。
• The evaluation of conduct involves some amount of generalization.对操行的评价会含有一些泛泛之论。

6 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

7 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。