VOA标准英语2012--Malawi's Muslim Artists Experiment with New Sound

 

Malawi's Muslim Artists Experiment with New Sound

Among the artists who have taken the country’s Islamic song industry by storm are Ishmael Katawala, Ahmed Pilo and Ishmael Mtenje.

Mtenje’s popularity is owed to his hit R&B tune¹ ‘Ka Hijab’ – which is sung in the local language, Chichewa. The song depicts² a young man who wants a wife who will always wear the Islamic headscarf, the Hijab.

The singer fuses rap with his lyrics³, describing the beauty of his dream girl.

Malawi’s only Islamic radio station banned the song after it was played for a few days. It also excludes musical instruments such as guitars, piano, keyboards and drums.

Sheikh Zaid Abdul-Rasheed Bunaya is the head of the Dawa and Compliance⁴ department at Radio Islam.

He is responsible for assessing programs, announcements and songs before they go on air.

“We only allow songs [that are in line with the teachings of Islam], said Bunaya. "First, the content of a song should be in line with the teachings of Islam, secondly⁵, we look at the tune or tone that portrays⁶ picture of Islam. A musician cannot take for example reggae, or pop music and change other words and mention Islam or Allah. That is something totally not allowed.”

Radio Islam is still banning Mtenje’s single. The move attracted frustration⁷ from Muslim youths who have aired their concerns on the social networking site Facebook.

Some of them said the ban was unfortunate. But the radio station maintained that the artist should remove the section that includes rap if his song is to be given airplay.

Mtenje has not changed the tune. It continues to enjoy airplay on other radio stations like the privately⁸ owned Joy Radio and public broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation.

He says he will consider Radio Islam’s for his new tracks. He says it will be a challenge for him, because he is better at rapping than singing.

“The problem is that I really don’t know how to sing," he said. "I only know how to speak out you know as in poetry using some rhymes, I don’t have that melodious⁹ voice that I could go sing. So I will try as much as possible to make it not that violent.”

The ban has made artists like Ahmed Pilo produce two versions of his popular hit ‘I am a Muslim’ in which he had featured another upcoming Muslim artist Ishmael Katawala. 

Pilo sayshe wants to reach out to the widest audience possible regardless of their religious affiliation¹⁰.

“My target at first was Muslims," he said. "But when I started composing the songs I realized that no, I shouldn’t do it for just Muslims but I should do it for all of Malawi. So I did the songs so that they should attract each and every person. Take for example this song Moyo Ndi Samu Yochotsera (or Life is a Game of Subtraction). When it starts you cannot [determine the message of the song until the end] when you can know that it’s an Islamic song.”

However although Pilo’s new approach is paying off Radio Islam’s sheikh Bunaya is asking all Muslim artists to consult Muslim scholars when writing their songs to avoid being sanctioned by the radio station, like Mtenje.

1 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

3 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

4 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

5 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

6 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

8 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

9 melodious   

adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的

参考例句：

• She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.她说话轻声细语，嗓音甜美。
• Everybody was attracted by her melodious voice.大家都被她悦耳的声音吸引住了。

10 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。