VOA标准英语10月-Guinea Looks Back on 50 Years of Independence

The West African nation of Guinea marks the 50th anniversary of independence which it gained after breaking with other French-African colonies that accepted a power-sharing agreement with France, the colonial power. But the celebrations have been subdued¹ because Guinea, despite considerable mineral wealth, remains² one of the poorest countries in the world. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from our West Africa Bureau in Dakar.

The celebrations began at midnight with fireworks and a small parade in the capital, Conakry.
　

Lansana Conte (file photo)

President Lansana Conte told the nation that the time for promises had passed and it was time to take concrete steps toward economic development. But, in a reference to frequent anti-government protests, he said this would occur in an atmosphere of peace and liberty.

Guinea was the first African colony of France to gain independence after Guineans rejected, in a referendum, a proposal to join a French commonwealth³.

Guinea's independence leader and first president Ahmed Sekou Toure delivered the famous rejection⁴ to then-French President Charles de Gaulle in 1958. He said Guineans prefer poverty with dignity over wealth in slavery.

France's other African colonies accepted the commonwealth offer but they also gained independence a few years later in the continent-wide move against colonialism.

The reaction of the French government at the time, however, was harsh and Guinea was largely cut off from French foreign aid.

Mr. Sekou Toure became increasingly obsessed⁵ over plots, real and perceived, to overthrow⁶ him. And his security forces detained and tortured thousands of Guinean dissidents.

Human rights groups estimate more than 50,000 people were executed or died in prison during the government of Mr. Sekou Toure who died in 1984.

Boiro Camp, outside Conakry, was the most famous detention⁷ center. Families of the Camp's victims Thursday gathered at one of the few known mass graves near Conakry to remember their loved ones, many of whose bodies have never been recovered.

The head of the Association, Marega Fode, says all Guineans supported independence and the anniversary provides an opportunity to atone⁸ for the excesses that followed.

He says it is time to locate all the mass graves, return the victims' remains to their families and build a monument to their memory. He says only then can the process of reconciliation⁹ begin.

Guineans are proud of the historic defiance¹⁰ of their first president. But many criticize the government for failing to take advantage of the country's considerable mineral wealth.

Most Guineans live on less than one dollar per day and the country is ranked by the United Nations as one of the poorest in the world.

The discontent has led to protests in recent years including several weeks of rioting in which more than 100 people were shot to death by police.

1 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

2 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。

3 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

4 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

5 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

6 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

7 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

8 atone   

v.赎罪，补偿

参考例句：

• He promised to atone for his crime.他承诺要赎自己的罪。
• Blood must atone for blood.血债要用血来还。

9 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

10 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。