VOA标准英语2013--隐藏的天赋:艺术家在摩加迪 沙再次出现

 

Hidden Talent: Artists Re-emerge in Mogadishu 隐藏的天赋:艺术家在摩加迪 沙再次出现

MOGADISHU — After years working in the shadow of war, Somalia’s  artists are stepping back out into public view and contributing to the  difficult discussions of a country struggling to find its identity. 

摩加迪沙,经过多年工作在战争的阴影,索马里的艺术家都退出公众的视野。

A garage in Mogadishu is a place of renewal¹ for Somalia’s art scene.  Known as the Center for Research and Dialogue, it attracts artists who  kept their talents hidden during more than two decades of war.

One of the most prolific² is Adan Farah Affey, who discovered painting  as a child in a Catholic orphanage³ in the city.

“The nuns⁴ admired my work and would bring me paintbrushes and tell me  to paint for them.  And when I had a better understanding of my skills,  I noticed I was better than the other kids,” recalls Affey.

Now, given a chance to express himself, there is no topic Affey is  afraid of. Affey takes his inspiration from the world around him -- a  country overcoming years of war. He blames many of Somalia’s troubles  on a broken political system.

“We don’t have any natural disasters, we don’t have tornadoes⁵,  tsunamis or Hurricane Katrina. Our disasters are all political,” notes  Affey.

The work of several artists is on display in an upstairs gallery --  much of it expressing the personal experiences of war and the struggle  of the working artist.

Project Manager Mohamed Yahye says the center is working to give the  artists wider exposure.

“Some of them are being taken to Europe, some of them are being taken  to America for showing the pieces as an exhibition.  So we’re hoping  to get New York or Los Angeles in the next stages to push these artists  to the next level,” said Yahye.

As the artists come out of the shadows of war, and into a new era of  hope, it is their dream to one day show the world a portrait of a new  Somalia. 

1 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

2 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

3 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

4 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

5 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网