环球英语 — 406：Living and Forgiving in Zimbabwe

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. 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
What can a person do when his home or land is suddenly taken away from him? It is happening in many countries. People are attacked violently and forced to leave the place they called home.
Voice 2
In Zimbabwe, this has been the experience of many people. Today, we tell some of their stories.
Voice 1
Nyasha* and her family are black farmers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. They live in a poor area, with little money. A few years ago, she watched government workers come and destroy her farm's crops. When she protested², a soldier beat her hard on the back. Nyasha and her family were left with nothing.
Voice 2
Many kilometres away to the north, a white farmer also talks with sadness. Mike Campbell and his family were not poor, but they too were beaten when invaders³ tried to seize their land. Now, they have to defend themselves in the place they called home.
Voice 1
Sadly, these two stories of suffering are among many. The complex issue of land ownership⁴ has caused much pain in Zimbabwe. The problems have their roots in history.
Voice 2
Britain ruled Zimbabwe for much of the 20th century. Several laws during that time gave white settlers the best farming land. This forced the African people to the poorer areas. They remained oppressed⁵.
Voice 1
Over 100 years have passed since British settlers started to govern in Zimbabwe. But many white farmers there today have bought their land fairly. They cared for it, fed their families from it. Their farms have made Zimbabwe a major African food exporter. By the end of the 20th century Zimbabwe had become an independent country. But there remained an unequal divide of land. New laws were supposed to make a fairer system. But the laws have given land mostly to rich black people. Poor black farmers continued to struggle.
Voice 2
The current president of Zimbabwe is Robert Mugabe. In the year 2000 he introduced a new land reform programme, called ‘fast track'. The stated aim was to take land from rich white Zimbabweans and give it to the poor black Zimbabweans. Many people strongly criticised the fast track programme. Here are some of their reasons:
Voice 1
Many white farmers said the land legally belonged to them. They had paid for it. Taking the land was stealing.
Voice 2
Black people working on this land lost their jobs and homes.
Voice 1
Poor black people did not receive any of the seized land. Instead, Mugabe's officials got the land.
Voice 2
Mugabe's officials did not take good care of the land they gained. In the years that followed, harvests were poor. Many people blamed Mugabe's programme for the resulting food shortages⁶.
Voice 1
To make up for the loss in food produce, poor black farmers were forced to grow crops for the government.
Voice 2
Mugabe's followers⁷ attacked and beat white land owners and their black employees.
Voice 1
Mike Campbell was one of these white land owners. Mike's story reached the international press. Mike is in his seventies. Yet he is one of the few people to stand and resist Mugabe. Also, Mike and his family behaved in an unusual way toward⁸ the people who beat them. Here is David Bast with more of Mike's story.
Voice 3
Mike Campbell bought his farm in 1974. It lies on Mount⁹ Carmel, west of Harare, Zimbabwe's capital city. He lived there with his wife Angela. Nearby, lived their daughter Laura and her husband, Ben Freeth. Under Mugabe's fast track programme, the family have suffered terribly. Invaders have beaten them, threatened them and tortured¹⁰ them. During the attacks, seven of Mike's bones were broken. Ben suffered a fractured¹¹ skull¹² - a broken head. The victims said the worst night of torturing¹³ lasted for nine hours. They thought they were going to die.
It was during this attack that something strange happened. Ben remembered his Christian¹⁴ faith in God. He said his fear of dying¹⁵ turned into a deep peace in his heart. Angela was lying on the ground outside. In the darkness, she looked up at the star-lit sky, and she praised God. Ben's hands were tied together. But he reached them out to the attackers. He was giving them a sign of love. It was sign that he forgave them for what they were doing.
The attackers understood what they were saying and stopped their violence. They put their victims into a vehicle. They took them to a town not far away. They threw them out, and then drove away.
Skilled¹⁶ doctors in Harare repaired the three victims' injuries. Later, they all returned to their farm. But they continued to receive threats of violence.
The Campbell family then won a legal battle in an African international court. The court told the Zimbabwean government to respect and defend the Campbells' rights to the land. But the Zimbabwean government has refused to obey the court. In April 2009, the Campbells had no choice. They had to leave their farm. Their son-in-law, Ben Freeth, continues the struggle to keep his farm.
Voice 2
And what about Nyasha? We told about her earlier in the programme. Nyasha is one of many black farmers who has suffered injuries. However, the international press did not tell many of these stories. Some people say this made it easier for people to think Zimbabwe's land issues were about race - not power.
Voice 1
Nyasha lives near the city of Bulawayo, south of Harare. Fertile¹⁷ land surrounds her small, poor house. She used to grow crops here to feed her family. But now only one plant grows here - maize¹⁸. Maize is Zimbabwe's main diet. Nyasha told how Mugabe's soldiers forced her to grow crops for the government:
Voice 4
‘They destroyed everything of ours. They ordered us to grow maize. They said they were going to take the maize themselves.'
Voice 2
Nyasha is not a young woman. But she still tried to defend her rights for her land. She said:
Voice 4
‘They beat me on my back and leg. We depended on our farm for everything. Now we have nothing.'
Voice 1
Early this year Zimbabwe had a new Prime¹⁹ Minister - Morgan Tsvangarai. He said that farm invasions²⁰ are only "isolated²¹ incidents". However, news reports say that that almost 80 farms were taken from white farmers, even since Tsvangarai became Prime Minister.
Voice 2
Many good people in Zimbabwe are suffering because of the weak economy. But, many Zimbabweans - both black and white - have faith in God - like the Campbell family. They look to God to find peace in their hearts now, even if peace and justice in their country has yet to return.
 

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 protested   

v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议，说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

4 ownership   

n.所有(权)，所有制

参考例句：

• The house is under new ownership.那栋房子已易新主。
• He claimed ownership of the house.他声称那幢房子归他所有。

5 oppressed   

adj. 被压迫的，郁闷的 动词oppress的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• It'seemed that the realisation of his life's dream oppressed him with overjoy. 夙愿得偿似乎使他欣喜若狂。
• The bad eggs wielded power, while the good people were oppressed. 坏人当道，好人受气

6 shortages   

n.不足( shortage的名词复数 )；缺少；缺少量；不足额

参考例句：

• Food shortages often occur in time of war. 在战争期间常常发生粮食短缺的情形。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• At the same time, worldwide food and fuel shortages eased. 同时，世界性粮食和石油短缺的现象终止了。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

8 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

9 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

10 tortured   

使痛苦( torture的过去式和过去分词 )； 使苦恼； 使焦急

参考例句：

• There were several problems which tortured the elderly man. 有几个问题折磨着那老人。
• They tortured the man to make him confess his crime. 他们拷打那个人，使他招认他的罪行。

11 fractured   

adj. 断裂的 动词fracture的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He died in the car collision with his skull fractured. 他在那次撞车事件中因头骨碎裂而死去。
• He fell from a tree and his leg fractured in three places. 他从树上掉下来，腿三处骨折。

12 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

13 torturing   

使痛苦( torture的现在分词 )； 使苦恼； 使焦急

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He saw himself as a possible second in such a torturing destiny. 他觉得他自己很有可能是第二个受那样残酷命运支配的人。

14 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

15 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

16 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

17 fertile   

adj.肥沃的，富饶的；多产的，丰产的

参考例句：

• The district is fertile of wheat.该地区盛产小麦。
• Plants grow well in fertile soil.植物在肥沃的土壤里长势良好。

18 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

19 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

20 invasions   

n.武装入侵( invasion的名词复数 )；（尤指烦扰的）涌入；侵犯；干预

参考例句：

• barbarian invasions of the fifth century 五世纪时野蛮人的入侵
• The result of these invasions was the near obliteration of ancient Egypt. 这几次入侵使古代埃及几遭毁灭。 来自辞典例句

21 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。