VOA慢速英語：南非人紀念美國參議員羅伯特·肯尼迪

South Africans Remember US Senator Robert Kennedy

南非人紀念美國參議員羅伯特·肯尼迪

In June 1966, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy visited South Africa and made what some historians believe was his best speech ever.

1966年6月，美國參議員羅伯特·F·肯尼迪拜訪了南非，發(fā)表了一些歷史學家認為是他所有講話中最好的一篇。

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal‚ or acts to improve the lot of others‚ or strikes out against injustice‚ he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope‚ and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

“每次有一個人為一個理想而奮起，或是為了提高他人的地位而行動，或是抨擊不公，他都發(fā)出了一絲微弱的希望，從百萬個不同的角落里聚集起彼此的能量和膽量，這些微弱的希望匯成一股涌流，它能夠沖垮最強大的、壓制和阻力的圍墻。”

Fifty years later, his words are still remembered.

五十年后，他的話仍然被銘記著。

Recently, members of the Kennedy family traveled to South Africa to mark the anniversary of the speech.

最近，肯尼迪家族的成員去往南非以慶祝這次講話的周年紀念。

In 1966, the country was living under apartheid, a social system in which whites had more political and economic rights than other races. At the time, it seemed as if South Africa’s racial separation policies would never end.

在1966年，這個國家生活在種族隔離制度下，在這種制度下，白人比其他種族的人有更多政治和經濟上的權利。當時，南非的種族隔離政策看似永遠不會結束。

Robert Kennedy’s four-day visit raised hopes that apartheid might end someday.

羅伯特·肯尼迪的四日之行增加了種族隔離制度會在某天結束的希望。

Kennedy went to South Africa less than three years after the murder of his brother John F. Kennedy, the 35th president. In 1968, the senator hoped to become president. But he was shot and killed by a gunman after winning the Democratic Party’s presidential primary in California.

在他的哥哥約翰·F·肯尼迪——第35屆總統(tǒng)被刺殺之后不到三年，肯尼迪去了南非。在1968年，這位參議員希望成為總統(tǒng)。但在她贏得加利福尼亞州的民主黨總統(tǒng)初選后被一名搶手射殺了。

Kerry Kennedy is a human rights activist and Robert Kennedy’s daughter. She says that while race relations have improved in both the U.S. and in South Africa, changes took place because the two countries were forced to make them.

凱莉·肯尼迪是一名人權衛(wèi)士，也是羅伯特·肯尼迪的女兒。她說當種族關系在美國和南非升級后，兩國都被迫做出改變。

“All those changes took place not because governments wanted them to -- governments tried to stop them. And not because militaries wanted them to -- militaries tried to stop them. And not because huge multinational corporations wanted them to -- multinational corporations tried to stop them -- including South Africa.

“所有的改變都不是因為政府想要其發(fā)生而發(fā)生的——政府試圖阻止這些改變。不是因為軍隊而發(fā)生——軍隊試圖阻止其發(fā)生。不是因為巨型跨國集團想要其發(fā)生——巨型跨國集團試圖阻止其發(fā)生——包括南非。”

"All those changes took place because small groups of determined people harnessed the dream of freedom and made it come true. That’s what creates change.”

“所有這些改變的發(fā)生都是因為一小部分有志之士駕馭夢想而使之實現(xiàn)的。這才是創(chuàng)造改變的東西。”

Kennedy spoke to a gathering at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Many in the crowd were young South Africans who have expressed anger about corruption and their political leaders. Millions of South Africans say they have yet to experience the economic equality they were promised when apartheid ended 20 years ago.

肯尼迪在約翰尼斯堡的威特沃特斯蘭德大學的一次集會上發(fā)表了講話。許多參加集會的人都是南非的年輕人，他們表達了對沖突和自己的政治領導人的憤怒。幾百萬南非人說他們還沒有享受到20年前種族隔離制度結束時被承諾給予的經濟平等權。

Kerry Kennedy said that, when times are dark, one thing always shines through: hope.

凱莉·肯尼迪說，當處在黑暗的時代時，一樣東西總是透過“希望”發(fā)出光芒。

I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.

克里斯托佛·瓊斯·克魯斯報道。