VOA标准英语2008年-Comedy Allows More Biting Expression In Senegal

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
20 May 2008

African countries like Senegal, where journalists regularly get sentenced to jail for what they say and write, or where the quality of reporting is not good, comedians² are playing an expanding role as government watchdogs in the media. VOA's Nico Colombant reports.

A medley³ of music and best of moments introduces the Senegalese comedian¹ known as Koutcha on his daily morning radio show.

In one of his bits, he does a parody⁴ of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade⁵, saying he would like to be a candidate to become the president of the United States of Africa.

He also does satirical comedy about a son wanting to succeed his father, and corruption⁶ scandals involving government ministers, cultural promoters and sports officials.

Koutcha says the trick is not too individualize too much, but to make allusions⁷ very telling, so that people know what he is talking about.

He says his material is daily news, and that there is no lack of material for comedians to make listeners laugh, sometimes in disbelief.

He says he feels he has much more freedom of expression than journalists who are afraid they will be sentenced to jail or made to pay hefty fines if their reporting is not substantiated⁸. He says this has never happened to comedians.

One theme he says he cannot touch is religion, as Muslim brotherhoods⁹ are very powerful, and can create problems he says.

Koutcha says famous people used to react negatively when he did sketches¹⁰ about them, but that would lead him to do more sketches about them, so they stopped.

He says, now, famous people ask that he make fun of them when they need to promote something.

His radio program director Antoine Diouf says comedy shows are very popular, and that he keeps adding them to his lineup.

He says comedians can talk about things journalists are too afraid to investigate, like corruption scandals, or conflicts between government officials.

Diouf says in Senegal there is a problem between the government and media, with too many journalists being arrested, and too many being afraid to do their jobs.

One satisfied listener is student Alioune Ba who listens to Koutcha every day. He says he learns more by listening to his program than any news bulletin.

Ba says behind the humor Koutcha can be very pertinent¹¹. He says when the comedian talks about difficult economic conditions and corruption, it seems like he is talking on behalf of all Senegalese.

Koutcha says his comedy is a gift from God. He says some people are born to become football players, mechanics or prison wardens¹², but that he has the gift of comedy, and that he intends to keep on using it.

1 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

2 comedians   

n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The voice was rich, lordly, Harvardish, like all the boring radio comedians'imitations. 声音浑厚、威严，俨然是哈佛出身的气派，就跟无线电里所有的滑稽演员叫人已经听腻的模仿完全一样。 来自辞典例句
• He distracted them by joking and imitating movie and radio comedians. 他用开玩笑的方法或者模仿电影及广播中的滑稽演员来对付他们。 来自辞典例句

3 medley   

n.混合

参考例句：

• Today's sports meeting doesn't seem to include medley relay swimming.现在的运动会好象还没有混合接力泳这个比赛项目。
• China won the Men's 200 metres Individual Medley.中国赢得了男子200米个人混合泳比赛。

4 parody   

n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文

参考例句：

• The parody was just a form of teasing.那个拙劣的模仿只是一种揶揄。
• North Korea looks like a grotesque parody of Mao's centrally controlled China,precisely the sort of system that Beijing has left behind.朝鲜看上去像是毛时代中央集权的中国的怪诞模仿，其体制恰恰是北京方面已经抛弃的。

5 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 allusions   

暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We should not use proverbs and allusions indiscriminately. 不要滥用成语典故。
• The background lent itself to allusions to European scenes. 眼前的情景容易使人联想到欧洲风光。

8 substantiated   

v.用事实支持（某主张、说法等），证明，证实( substantiate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The results of the tests substantiated his claims. 这些检验的结果证实了他的说法。
• The statement has never been substantiated. 这一陈述从未得到证实。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 brotherhoods   

兄弟关系( brotherhood的名词复数 )； （总称）同行； （宗教性的）兄弟会； 同业公会

参考例句：

• Clubs became more like brotherhoods for the jobless and fans would do anything for them. 俱乐部变得更像是失业者协会，球迷愿意为其做任何事情。

10 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

12 wardens   

n.看守人( warden的名词复数 )；管理员；监察员；监察官

参考例句：

• Air raid wardens in tin hats self-importantly stalked the streets. 空袭民防队员戴着钢盔神气活现地走在街上昂首阔步。 来自辞典例句
• The game wardens tranquillized the rhinoceros with a drugged dart. 猎物保护区管理员用麻醉射器让犀牛静了下来。 来自辞典例句