VOA慢速英语--塞尔维亚罗姆人乐队为妇女权利而歌唱

Serbian Roma Band Sings for Women’s Rights

In Serbia, a Roma singing group is using music to spread the message of women's empowerment in their community. The all-female group aims to urge people to resist centuries-old traditions, including male-only leadership.

The band formed in 2014 and goes by the name Pretty Loud. They sing about women chained to abuse that has continued through many generations. The group sings about teenage girls whose fathers force them into marriage. The songs urge women to seek love, fight back, and stand up for their right to be treated as equals to men.

Pretty Loud has gained popularity and international attention. The band performed last year in the British capital, London, at the Women of the Year Festival. The group spoke¹ to the Associated Press recently about its music and mission.

"We want to stop the early marriages ... we want the girls themselves, and not their parents, to decide whether they want to marry or not," said 24-year-old member Silvia Sinani.

"We want every woman to have the right to be heard, to have her dreams, and to be able to fulfill² them, to be equal," she added.

Sinani said the idea to form a girl band was born at education and artistic³ classes run for Roma, or Gypsies, by a private organization called Gypsy Roma Urban Balkan Beats, or GRUBB for short. At first, she explained, the women danced in GRUBB's boys' band and then decided⁴ they wanted one of their own.

"They named us ‘Pretty Loud' because they knew that women in Roma tradition are not really loud," she said.

The band's music is a mix of rap music and traditional Roma music. It targets a younger generation of girls who are yet to make their life choices. The band includes two 14-year-old sisters.

Their songs speak to the position of women in the Roma community. Pretty Loud hopes the musical messages will help to increase self-awareness⁵ among Roma females. That could be critical in a community where early marriage is widespread. A UNICEF study published last year showed that over one-third of girls aged⁶ 15-19 in Roma communities in Serbia are already married. And, 16 percent of that group were married before age 15.

Serbian officials have formed a government group to work toward ending the practice of early marriage.

Pretty Loud member Zlata Ristic said she is an example of early marriage. She is 27 years old and gave birth to a baby boy at age 16. She said, "Nobody forced me into it, but I have realized I should not have done it."

Her marriage ended. But, Ristic said she wants other women in similar situations to know that their lives are not over once they have children. They can still work toward their dreams.

"My biggest reward is when 14-year-old girls write to me and say they want to become one of us, that they now attend school thanks to us, that they have improved their grades," she said.

The Roma people are among the most underserved ethnic⁷ communities in Serbia and Europe. Roma mostly settle together, creating communities separate from the society that surrounds them. The people face poverty, joblessness and discrimination.

Activists⁸ have warned that the COVID-19 crisis has increased the social isolation⁹ of minority groups and made them poorer. COVID-linked restrictions¹⁰ on schools have made it even harder for Roma children to stay in the educational system.

The GRUBB center is in Belgrade's Zemun area. Pretty Loud members teach music and dance at the center.

Diana Ferhatovic arrived at GRUBB four years ago. At first, she was looking for help with school lessons. But then she joined the music program and found her way into Pretty Loud.

She was with the band in London last March, just as COVID was starting to spread widely.

Ferhatovic said all the group members were nervous before they got up before the crowd to perform. But then, she said, "we blew them off their feet."

The 18-year-old said the experience was unforgettable.

Words in This Story

mission -n. a task or job that someone is given to do

fulfil -v. to put into effect

self-awareness -n. knowledge and awareness of your own personality or character

reward -n. something that is given in return for good or evil done or received or that is offered or given for some service or attainment¹¹

isolation -n. the act of keeping apart from others : the condition of being kept apart from others

blew them off their feet – idiomatic¹² phrase to completely impress or excite someone. to overwhelm someone emotionally. to make a very positive impression

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

3 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

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 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

7 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。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

10 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

11 attainment   

n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣

参考例句：

• We congratulated her upon her attainment to so great an age.我们祝贺她高寿。
• The attainment of the success is not easy.成功的取得并不容易。

12 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。