Now to be sure, progress is not apparent everywhere on the continent. Even with the accelerated growth of recent years, the economies of many countries have slowed or stagnated under the weight of the global recession. Others face looming crises when their young people who constitute half the population in some countries reach adulthood and need jobs. And we cannot ignore the fact that there are still African nations where some workers earn less than a dollar a day, where mothers and fathers die of preventable diseases, where children are too often schooled with guns instead of books, and where women and girls are mistreated, even raped as a tactic of war, and greed and graft are the dominant currency.
毫无疑问,非洲大陆并非到处都可以明显地看到进步。即便近年来经济加速增长,但在全球经济衰退的影响下,很多国家的经济发展已经放缓或停滞。另一些国家面临着日益逼近的危机:占人口半数的年轻人即将长大成人,需要就业。我们也不能忽略这样的事实:仍然有一些非洲国家,某些工人一天的收入还不到一美元,父母双双死于可预防的疾病,儿童经常受到枪支教育而非书本教育,妇女和女孩受到虐待,甚至被当作一种战争手段而遭受强暴,贪得无厌与行贿受贿盛行。
But the story we also need to tell, and tell it over and over again, is that many parts of Africa are rising to 21st century challenges and following a road map that will turn Africa into a regional and global hub for progress and prosperity. We have seen the changes, and we know what is happening right now.
然而,我们还必须说明的是,而且还要再三说明,非洲许多地区正在迎接21世纪的挑战,正沿着一个将使非洲成为地区和全球进步和繁荣中心的“路线图”向前迈进。我们已看到变化,我们清楚正在发生的一切。
I will visit six other countries on this trip, and I will see the results of the research of African scientists who are modernizing agricultural tools, and I will meet those who are devising new models for development assistance. I’ll meet the young entrepreneurs and professionals who are helping to build open markets, and the civil servants who are working hand-in-hand with them. There is so much that is going on that needs to be lifted up and spotlighted.
我此行还将访问另外六个国家,我将考察非洲科学家们为实现农业现代化而取得的科研成果,我将会见那些正在为发展援助设计新模式的人员。我将会见正在帮助建立开放型市场的青年企业家和专业人员以及那些与他们合作的公务员。有许多新生事物值得鼓励和赞扬。
Today, we look to nearby Rwanda. Progress sometimes comes so slowly. But in a country that had been ravaged by genocidal conflict, the progress is amazing. It has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, even in the midst of the global recession. Health indicators are improving. The Rwandan people believed in themselves. And their leaders, led by President Kagame, believed in policies based on evidence and measurable results, including a nationwide emphasis on family planning, cross-cutting partnerships with donors and NGOs, a greater premium on professionalism in the government and the health sector.
今天,我们不妨看看邻近的卢旺达。有时,进步姗姗来迟。但是,在这样一个曾受到种族灭绝冲突蹂躏的国家,进展却令人惊奇。即便是在全球陷入大萧条之际,该国依然是非洲增长最快的经济体之一。卫生健康状况也在改善。卢旺达人民充满自信。以卡加梅(Kagame)总统为首的该国领导层奉行实事求是和追求实效的政策,其中包括在全国强调家庭计划、与捐助方和非政府组织进行交叉式合作、更多地鼓励政府部门的敬业精神以及加强卫生健康领域。