| There's been much talk recently among leaders of western governments (as they look ahead to the G8 summit in Scotland in July) about what can be done to help Africa. 最近有很多关于欧洲国家领导人将如何帮助非洲国家的言论（八国首脑会议即将在七月份于苏格兰召开）。 There's been discussion about increasing aid, cancelling debt and providing fairer trading conditions. Meanwhile, fifteen of Africa's former heads of state have been meeting in Mali to consider what THEY can do to assist political and economic development. 有人说会增加援助，取消债务以及给非洲国家更公平的贸易条件。同时，十五名非洲国家前领导人在马里开会，讨论他们如何帮助非洲国家政治和经济的发展。 But as Elizabeth Blunt's been learning, many of the former leaders have already been putting their skills to good use. 但是据伊丽莎白·布朗特的了解，很多领导人只是摆摆样子罢了。 African presidents used to be notorious for only leaving State House feet first. Some were murdered by the men who took over from them in a coup d'etat; Those who survived clung on grimly to power, for ten, twenty, thirty years. 非洲国家总统一向以执政不正常而声名狼藉。有的总统直接被政变者杀掉；那些幸存下来的总统则是握权不放，一执政就是十年，二十年甚至三十年。 The late president of Togo was a man in that tradition. He murdered his predecessor, and then held on tight to power and ruled for thirty eight years until he finally succombed to a heart attack. Ex-presidents used to be rare as hen's teeth. 多哥前总统就是一个这样的人。他暗杀了他的前任，然后紧紧掌权，执政长达三十八年之久，直到最终死于心脏病。这在以前的总统中是很少见的。 The main exception was Nigeria where military leaders were quite prepared to overthrow each other but then on the whole treated their fellow predecessors as fellow officers and gentlemen -- presumably because they had all been to staff college together. 有一个国家比较特殊，这就是尼日利亚。他们的军方领导人总是互相争夺，但是总体上他们还是把他们的前任当作是长官或者是同事的——这可能是因为他们都是一丘之貉。 And President Nyerere of Tanzania did famously go into voluntary retirement (although only it has to be said after a pretty long innings). 坦桑尼亚总统尼雷尔则是因为主动辞职而出名的（尽管已经不是最好的辞职时机了）。 In Bamako last week much was made of the fact that things have now changed enough in Africa for a meeting of ex-presidents to be possible -- and ex-presidents who have stood down or accepted defeat in elections, and who are able to live in retirement in their own countries, as would be considered perfectly normal elsewhere in the world. The organisers sent out twenty five invitations and fifteen were able to attend. 上星期，巴马科的情况发生了很大的变化，这使得前总统会议的举行成为可能，包括一些下台的前总统，一些竞选中失败的总统。他们本可以在他们自己的国家里用国家给予的养老金安静地生活，这在其他国家也是十分正常的情况。会议的组织者发出了二十五张请贴，其中十五个人可以到场。 As old boys clubs go, this one was pretty good. There were delighted reunions with former colleagues not seen for years, and the ex-leaders were treated with full honours and always scrupulously addressed as Mr President. 这个老年俱乐部举行得还不错。很多多年不见的老朋友或者以前的同事在这里相聚，而且这些前首脑也被给予了很高的荣誉，总是被小心地称作总统先生。 But under it all lay a serious issue -- how to find a role after retirement, and how to make a success of what can be a tricky relationship with those who come after. 但是总得面临一个严峻的问题——在退休之后如何找到自己的位置，如何成功和他们的继任者相处。 Having your predecessor around can be a bit of an embarrassment for anyone. No one who is new in a job likes to have the person who did it before, hanging about and criticising what he is doing -- especially if that person never really wanted to leave. 如果你的前任在你的身边，这总会让人有一点点尴尬。新接手一份工作的人都不愿意看见他们的前任者在他们身边徘徊并对他们的工作评头论足——尤其是当他们发现他们的前任者根本没有打算要离开。 And Presidents are no exception.So those ex-heads of state who live harmoniously with their successors are usually very careful not to interfere, and to choose their activities wisely. 总统们也不例外。所以，这几位前总统能够与他们的继任者相处得很和谐，就是因为他们言行都非常小心，不去干涉继任者的工作。 |
