環(huán)球英語—1031:Team Rwanda: Riding for Hope

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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Robin Basselin.
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And I’m Ryan Geerstma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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It is August of 2009. Hundreds of expert bicycle riders are racing in the Tour of Ireland. Adrien Niyonshuti is pushing his legs as fast as he can. He is pedalling his two wheeled bicycle quickly. Adrien rides toward a hill. He stands up to pedal even faster. He climbs the hill and passes many of the riders around him. Adrien is riding well. On this day, he will not win the Tour of Ireland. However, he has achieved a major record just by making it to the race!
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Adrien Niyonshuti was the first black African to ever compete in a professional European cycling race! Adrien is from the African country of Rwandan. Riding a bicycle is his job. He is part of Rwanda’s first ever expert cycling team - Team Rwanda. The members of Team Rwanda have survived great personal and social tragedy. But their struggles have not kept them from success. Together, the members of Team Rwanda ride to win. And their example shows the amazing power of the human spirit! Today’s Spotlight is on Team Rwanda.
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In 1994, the country of Rwanda experienced an unthinkable tragedy. For years, there had been political disputes between Rwanda’s two major tribes - the Hutu and the Tutsi. Sometimes there was violence. But starting in April, members of the Hutu tribe began killing Tutsis. Their goal was to kill all the Tutsis in Rwandans. It was genocide. The killing lasted 100 days. In this short time, over 800,000 Rwandans died.
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Twenty percent of the Rwandan population died during this genocide. Every Rwandan knew someone that died. Many people lost their whole families and communities. This is exactly what happened to Team Rwanda rider Adrien Niyonshuti. Adrien was only seven when the genocide happened. He told the news organization Sports Illustrated,
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“I lost my family. I lost my grandmother. I lost six of my brothers.”
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Another member of Team Rwanda lost family in the genocide - but in a different way. This member is Rafiki Jean de Dieu Uwimana. At the age of 6, he escaped from his town during the genocide. He left to live with his grandmother. He was safe, but he was separated from the rest of his family. He did not see his parents, brothers or sisters again for five years!
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The genocide destroyed many families and communities. It also had other terrible effects. It damaged Rwanda’s growing economy. After the genocide, it was difficult for many families to earn money. Some of the Team Rwanda riders, like Gasore Hategeka, lived as street children. They had no homes.
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Many of the Team Rwanda riders first began riding bicycles to earn money. Rafiki used his bicycle to carry bottles of water around the village. He told the news organization Global Post,
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“I started this when I was 13...The business was not bad but I never thought I would become a professional rider.”
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Gasore also started bicycling for work. At first, he worked for a potato farmer. He moved potatoes from place to place using a simple wood bicycle. As Gasore grew older, he saved his money. He used his money to learn how to ride a professional bicycle. Gasore told The New Yorker magazine,
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“There were men who had bicycles you could rent by the hour. This way, you could learn to ride. When I had a little money, I went, and the man who owned the bicycle would run behind and push me.”
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Over time, Gasore became a very good rider. And when he saved enough money, he bought his own bicycle. He joined a bicycle taxi group. He began to use his own bicycle to pull people or goods from village to village.
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In 2006, a man named Jock Boyer came to Rwanda for the first time. Jock is a famous bicycle rider from the United States of America. He came to Rwanda to help organize a bicycle race. Jock had an idea to build Rwanda’s first professional bicycling team. From that first race, Jock identified five riders for the team - including both Rafiki and Adrien.
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Over the years, the team has grown. There are now 9 riders. And Jock is always looking for new skilled riders. For example, in December of 2009, Jock was riding a motorbike on a Rwandan street. As he rode up a long hill, he passed a young man pedalling a bicycle. Jock noticed that the man was riding with great power and speed. So, he stopped the young man. Jock asked the young man if he had ever thought about riding professionally. The young man’s name was Innocent “Rocky” Uwamugu. After completing many riding tests, Rocky also became a member of Team Rwanda.
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Training for Team Rwanda is not easy. Together, the team rides many kilometres to prepare for local and international races. The riders are getting better and better.
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For many of the riders, bicycling is a way to forget the past. It is a way to move forward in life. Adrien told the London Evening Standard newspaper,
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“Cycling is my job and I have to give it all of my concentration. It is the thing that helps me forget my problems. In my case, the problem is genocide and it helps me forget what happened.”
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Other professional teams have begun inviting Team Rwanada members to ride with them. For example, Adrien Niyonshuti also rides for South Africa’s MTN–Energade. This is the best professional bicycling team in Africa. And through his training and racing, Adrien has had great success. Adrien did not only compete in the Tour of Ireland. He will now also compete in the 2012 Olympics in London.
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The success of Team Rwanda has been quick. However, they are still a very young team. It can take years to build a strong and skilful team. But Jock Boyer sees even more success in Team Rwanda’s future. It is this positive thinking that began Team Rwanda. But it is the spirit, hope and hard work of the Rwandan riders that keeps the team growing. And the Team Rwanda riders give hope to everyone who hears their story! As Adrien Niyonshuti told the London Evening Standard,
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“I lost my family...There is nothing I can do about it now. I have to survive this life I have been given. I have to thank God for what I have and try to believe that anything can now happen in my life.”
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The writer of this program was Robin Basselin. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to and read this program again on the internet at https://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called “Team Rwanda: Riding for Hope.”
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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!