VOA标准英语2011--Refugee Girls' Chorus Sings Message of Hope

Refugee Girls' Chorus Sings Message of Hope

When the girls in the Pihcintu Multicultural¹ Children's Chorus sing about peace, the tunes² have special meaning for them. Many are refugees who fled their homes in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, seeking refuge from war, persecution³ and famine.

In their performances - and a new CD - they bring a message of hope to audiences in and around their adopted home of Portland, Maine.

Getting their voices back

At chorus practice this week, it's business as usual. That means goofing⁴ off, braiding each others' hair and playing with make-up.

But choral director Con⁵ Fullam snaps them to attention. "Let's make this a hot little rehearsal⁶ here. Make it happen."

The girls file into two rows and stare straight at him.

One song, "Bells of Freedom," was written by Fullam and Judith Abdalla, a founding member of the Pihcinto Multicultural Children's Chorus.

"We're singing about peace, about coming together, about stopping the wars back in our native lands, and singing about being able to go back and being able to hold on to our languages and our families," says Abdalla, who was born in Sudan and lived in Egypt before coming to the U.S.

At 18, she is a mentor⁷ of sorts, along with other young women who've been in the chorus for a few years.

Multicultural Understanding

Rita Achiro was born in Sudan, but was also raised in a refugee camp in Kenya.

"For somebody to hear me sing and be like 'Wow,' it makes me feel good but I also love having more than one person's voice," Achiro says. "Singing as a group it, like, sends a bigger message."

For chorus mate Ehklas Ahmed, getting out the message is cathartic⁸. "In my country, in Darfur, right now there is a genocide that is happening as I'm talking right now, and for me, I sing to feel better because I'm hopeless."

Director Fullam, who began recruiting singers from Portland schools more than six years ago, hopes the chorus will help these young people get their voices back.

"Knowing that, for me, music has always been a very powerful healing thing, I thought it'd be a good idea to invite as many different refugee communities as possible."

At any given time, there are as many as 30 members from 14 countries - from Iraq to Cambodia. Fullam says the chorus evolved into a girls' group when boys didn't show up for practice.

As to the name of the choir⁹, Pihcintu translates it as, "When she sings, her voice carries far" in Passamaquoddy, a language spoken by a Native American tribe in Maine.

Spreading the message

Performances might have been confined to Maine if not for Patrice Samara, a producer for Alphabet Kids, a line of children's books and CDs aimed at multicultural understanding.

A lawyer for the company suggested she fly to Maine to check out Pihcintu and she was smitten¹⁰.

In October, Alphabet Kids released a Pihcintu CD.

Samara has begun to book performances for the chorus outside of Maine. The first was in August in Washington, D.C.

She hopes other choruses, inspired by Pihcintu, will form.

"Many, many towns have immigrants. So we're hoping that this model will be embraced around the country."

Ehklas Ahmed is excited about the group's growing fame, but makes sure she stays connected to her native country through song.

"I sing with my cousins a lot at home, almost every Friday and Saturday night, we sing about Sudan, almost any songs that come up with in our head, we start singing right away."

A documentary about the chorus is scheduled for some time next year. Proceeds from the chorus will benefit charities in the girls' home countries.

1 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

2 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

4 goofing   

v.弄糟( goof的现在分词 )；混；打发时间；出大错

参考例句：

• He should have been studying instead of goofing around last night. 他昨晚应该念书，不应该混。 来自走遍美国快乐40招
• Why don't you just admit you're goofing off? 偷了懒就偷了赖，还不爽爽快快承认？ 来自辞典例句

5 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

6 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

7 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

8 cathartic   

adj.宣泄情绪的；n.泻剂

参考例句：

• His laughter was cathartic,an animal yelp that brought tears to his eyes.他哈哈大笑以宣泄情绪，声音如野兽般尖厉，眼泪都笑出来了。
• The drug had a cathartic effect.这药有导泻的作用。

9 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

10 smitten   

猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• From the moment they met, he was completely smitten by her. 从一见面的那一刻起，他就完全被她迷住了。
• It was easy to see why she was smitten with him. 她很容易看出为何她为他倾倒。