VOA慢速英语:African Film Shows Tensions Between Banana Growers, Villagers

A movie from Cameroon called "The Big Banana" has come to the United States. It looks at issues with the banana industry like disputed land rights, food insecurity and pollution.
一部来自喀麦隆名为“大香蕉”的影片已经到达美国。该影片着眼于香蕉产业一些问题，例如有争议的土地所有权，粮食不安全和污染问题。

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This woman in Cameroon says the land belongs to local villagers and they are asking operators of banana plantations to give it back.
这位喀麦隆这名妇女说，土地属于当地村民，他们要求香蕉种植园的经营者将土地归还。

Franck Hameni Bieleu directed the documentary film. He says officials prevented a showing in Yaounde, the capital. He says making the movie was difficult, and even led to his brief detention.
Franck Hameni Bieleu执导这部纪录片。他说，官员们阻止该影片在首都雅温得上映。他说，制作这部影片非常困难，甚至导致他被短暂拘留。

FRANCK BIELEU: "I got arrested because the chief of that part of the village did not want me to film because he is being paid by the banana company. You understand, the thing is, everything around that area is controlled by the company. If you look at the congressman of the region, he is also the director of public relations of the company. The minister of trade of Cameroon is also president of the board of directors of the company."
Franck Hameni Bieleu：“我被逮捕是因为村庄的领导人不希望我拍摄影片，因为他收了香蕉公司的钱。你明白的，该地区周围的一切都由香蕉公司控制的。如果你看一下该地区的议员，他也是这些香蕉公司的公关总监。喀麦隆商务部长也是该公司董事会主席。”

The company, Plantations du Haut Penja, is French and American owned. Representatives would not talk to the filmmakers. The company and Cameroonian officials did not answer a request for a VOA interview.
Plantations du Haut Penja公司由法国和美国拥有。代表们不能与电影制片人谈话。该公司和喀麦隆官员都没有接受VOA的采访请求。

Mr. Bieleu says large parts of fertile land in Cameroon are being used for banana exports. As a result, local residents have more and more difficulty growing their own food or finding food to buy.
Bieleu先生称，喀麦隆大部分肥沃的土地被用作香蕉出口。因此，当地居民种植自己的作物或者购买食品越来越困难。

Also, the use of pesticide chemicals is blamed for polluting water and causing health problems. Villagers accuse the company of destroying their fields to expand the banana plantations after getting land leases from the government.
此外，居民们指责化学农药的使用造成了水污染，导致健康问题。村民们指责该公司从政府租到土地之后将他们的农田毁坏，扩建香蕉种植园。

Mr. Bieleu says the problem exists across Africa as foreigners increasingly invest in agricultural land. He says government corruption is stronger than the people's traditional rights to the land.
Bieleu先生说由于越来越多的外国人投资于农业土地，这是整个非洲普遍存在的问题。他说，政府的腐败比人民对土地的传统权利更加强势。

FRANCK BIELEU: "When a company arrives and just shows the money, the big cash, what happens is the government just gives them the land that they want, and these people cannot defend themselves because they do not have any rights on that land."
Franck Hameni Bieleu：“当一个公司来到这里并给他们大量的现金，接着政府一定会把他们想要的土地租给他们，而被征地的人是无法为自己辩护的，因为他们没有土地的所有权。”

Emira Woods with the American-based Institute for Policy Studies helped organize showing the film in the United States. In her opinion the biggest issue facing Africa this century is what many activists call the "land grab."
来自美国的政策研究所工作人员Emira Woods协助组织了该影片在美国的放映。在她看来，非洲面临的最大的问题是许多积极分子所谓的“抢地”。

EMIRA WOODS: "The structure of the problem has to be changed so that more and particularly small- and medium-sized farmers have the opportunities to remain on their land. And at the moment, because of threats from multinational corporations, from sovereign wealth funds, whether it is Saudi Arabia or Iran, the list is actually growing of countries that are looking to Africa as a source of access to land when arable land is becoming much more scarce on this planet."
Emira Woods：“必须改变问题的结构，特别是更多中小户型农民有机会留在他们自己的土地上。而此刻，由于跨国公司和至主权财富基金的威胁，无论是沙特阿拉伯还是伊朗，在地球上可耕种土地越来越稀缺的时候，越来越多的国家把非洲看作土地的来源。”

The organizers said they hoped Washington policy makers would watch the film to better understand the need to protect local food production around the world.
组织者们称，他们希望华盛顿的决策者能够观看这部影片，以便更好地了解保护世界各地地方粮食生产的必要性。