环球英语 — 224：Ivory Coast

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In the year 2007, the leaders of Ivory² Coast burned hundreds of guns. President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Guillaume Soro hoped to show the world that the country’s five–year Civil War was over. Recently, the president and prime minister signed a peace deal. This has given hope to many people.
Voice 2
This symbol will not end the war. But the people of Ivory Coast hope that it is a first step towards reuniting the country.
Voice 1
Ivory Coast was not always divided. For almost forty [40] years, Ivory Coast was one of the most peaceful nations in Africa. Muslims and Christians³ lived near each other without trouble. People of all sorts respected one another.
Voice 2
Along with this peace, Ivory Coast also became wealthy. For many years, they grew more cocoa than any other country in the world. Soon, they became one of the wealthiest nations in Africa!
Voice 1
But the peace slowly began to disappear. Different groups of people began to argue with each other. Some supported the government. Others did not.
Voice 2
One group believed that the President did not give equal treatment to people from northern Ivory Coast. They decided⁴ to rebel.
Voice 1
In 2002, this rebel group took control of the north half of Ivory Coast. They began fighting against the government. Many people died in the fights.
Voice 2
Over the following years, the rebels and the government tried to agree peacefully many times. But each time, the violence began again. Soon, Ivory Coast was split⁵ in half. A Civil War began between the rebels in the north and the government in the south.
Voice 1
As the fighting continued, people on both sides attempted to bring peace. Many protested against the war. But nothing seemed to help.
Voice 2
People from different ethnic⁶ groups began to fight. People born in Ivory Coast did not trust “etrangers,” or foreigners. They treated the foreigners badly. Soon, it became difficult for people to find work unless they were born inside Ivory Coast.
Voice 1
Because of the war, many families were divided. People became separated from their homes and villages. Oliver Coulibaly, an English teacher from northern Ivory Coast, was one of these people.
Voice 3
“The war has been very bad for me. I lost my job because of it. And being separated from my village is horrible. It is like a part of me has been cut off; a part of my freedom has been denied.”
Voice 2
Experts estimate that more than one million people were separated from their homes by the war. Many people believe that this will have lasting⁷, negative effects on the country.
Voice 1
Another teacher has already seen the bad effects.
Voice 4
“The war has really lowered educational standards. Ivory Coast will suffer from this for years to come.”
Voice 2
Still, for five years, many people have hoped for peace. And there have been some signs of change.
Voice 1
For example, in 2006, the country stopped fighting for a short time. The Ivory Coast football team, with players from both the north and the south, played in the World Cup.
Voice 2
Football is very popular in Ivory Coast. So while the team played at the World Cup, both sides stopped fighting.
Voice 1
Many players on the team hoped that this would bring a lasting peace. They wanted to use their sport to stop the Civil War.
Voice 2
Before the World Cup began, the football team captain led the team in a prayer for their country. He began:
Voice 5
“Ivorians, we ask for your forgiveness. Let us come together and put this war behind us.”
Voice 1
The players also felt a responsibility to prove that peace is possible.
Voice 5
“We want to show that there is more to the Ivory Coast than fighting.”
Voice 2
But one protester did not believe that the peace would last.
Voice 6
“We stopped so we can watch Ivory Coast at the World Cup. When it is over, we will be on the streets again.”
Voice 1
Sadly, this protestor was right. Soon after the World Cup ended, the fighting began again. Neither side would get rid of their weapons. They could not agree with one another.
Voice 2
Then, late in 2006, another popular Ivorian asked the country to work for peace. Singer Onel Mala wrote a song, Pardonnez. He sings,
Voice 7
No paying back to anyone evil for evil
Let us forgive one another and shame the devil
As much as it depends on you
Holding your temper is worth the trouble.
Aiming at peace is worth the trouble,
We must pass on that lesson to our children
We want to revise our actions
We want to avoid destruction, but just how?
I tell you we must return to the peace
Forgive without a second thought.
I say let us all reconcile⁸
And avoid the shedding of blood
I tell you we must turn over the page
Forgive without a second thought
I say let us all reconcile
And avoid that shedding of blood
There are talks about darkness
They say the light is all gone
Yet it is only the flame of the torch
That is shaking, the fire is not lost
It is the fire of love burning inside me
We just have to keep it alive
Voice 1
Jesus Christ gave a similar message. In the Bible, in the book of Matthew, Jesus says:
Voice 2
“You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who hurt you.”
Voice 1
Christians believe that we must show love to all people, even those who we consider our enemies. It is easy to hate people who treat us badly. It is easy to hate someone who is very different from us. But Jesus tells us to love all people, even those who hurt us.
Voice 2
This is what Onel Mala wants for Ivory Coast. He hopes that both the north and the south can forgive each other. He hopes they will show love to their enemies. Burning weapons is a good first step. But the people of Ivory Coast must finally forgive each other before they will find true peace.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

3 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

4 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。

5 split   

n.劈开，裂片，裂口；adj.分散的；v.分离，分开，劈开

参考例句：

• Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了？
• The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 reconcile   

vt.使协调，使和解，使顺从（甘心）（于）

参考例句：

• Must they reconcile themselves to their fate?难道他们甘心忍受这种命运吗？
• He found it hard to reconcile himself to the disagreeable state.他发现难以忍受这种不愉快的状况。