Jarreth Merz: Filming democracy in Ghana

Translator: Víctor Blanes Picó Reviewer: Noemi Casadesus Viola

I was born in Switzerland

Vaig nàixer a Suïssa

and raised in Ghana, West Africa.

i vaig créixer a Ghana, a l'Àfrica Occidental.

Ghana felt safe to me as a child.

Quan era petit, Ghana era segura per mi.

I was free, I was happy.

Era lliure i feliç.

The early 70s

A principis dels 70

marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.

Ghana vivia un gran moment artístic i musical.

But then by the end of the decade,

Però a finals de la dècada

the country had fallen back into political instability

el país entrava en un període d'inestabilitat política

and mismanagement.

i tenia una administració dolenta.

In 1979,

En 1979

I witnessed my first military coup.

vaig viure el meu primer cop d'estat.

We the children had gathered at a friend's house.

Els nens ens vam reunir a casa d'un amic.

It was a dimly lit shack.

Era un casinyot poc iluminat.

There was a beaten up black and white television

Hi havia una vella televisió en blanc i negre

flickering in the background,

parpellejant al fons

and a former head of state and general

on es veia com li embenaven els ulls

was being blindfolded

i nuaven a un pal

and tied to the pole.

a l'antic president i general.

The firing squad aimed, fired --

L'escamot d'execució apuntà, disparà

the general was dead.

i matà el general.

Now this was being broadcast live.

Estava emitint-se en directe.

And shortly after, we left the country,

Poc després, se n'anarem del país

and we returned to Switzerland.

i tornàrem a Suïssa.

Now Europe came as a shock to me,

Ara Europa era un xoc per a mi,

and I think I started feeling the need

i vaig començar a sentir la necessitat

to shed my skin in order to fit in.

de mudar la pell per poder emmotllar-m'hi.

I wanted to blend in like a chameleon.

Volia mesclar-m'hi com si fos un camaleó.

I think it was a tactic of survival.

Crec que era una tàctica de supervivència.

And it worked, or so I believed.

I funcionà, o això pensava jo.

So here I was in 2008

I així vaig arribar fins al 2008

wondering where I was in my life.

preguntant-me en quin punt de la meva vida era.

And I felt I was being typecast as an actor.

I em sentia encasillat com a actor.

I was always playing the exotic African.

Feia el paper de l'africà exòtic,

I was playing the violent African,

de l'africà violent

the African terrorist.

i de l'africà terrorista.

And I was thinking,

I em preguntava:

how many terrorists could I possibly play

quants terroristes més hauria de fer

before turning into one myself?

abans de ser-ne un jo mateix?

And I had become ashamed of the other,

I estava avergonyit de l'altre,

the African in me.

de l'africà que hi havia en mi.

And fortunately I decided in 2008

Afortunadament, el 2008 decidí

to return to Ghana,

tornar a Ghana

after 28 years of absence.

després de 28 anys.

I wanted to document on film

Volia documentar

the 2008 presidential elections.

les eleccions presidencials.

And there, I started by searching

Allí començà a buscar

for the footprints in my childhood.

les petjades de la meva infància.

And before I even knew it,

I abans d'adonar-me'n,

I was suddenly on a stage

estava de repent a un escenari

surrounded by thousands of cheering people

rodejat de milers de persones agitades

during a political rally.

durant un mitín polític.

And I realized that, when I'd left the country,

I me n'adonà que, quan me'n vaig anar del país,

free and fair elections in a democratic environment

unes elecciones lliures, justes i democràtiques

were a dream.

eren un somni.

And now that I'd returned, that dream had become reality,

I ara que havia tornat, el somni s'havia fet realitat,

though a fragile reality.

malgrat que fóra molt fràgil

And I was thinking,

I pensava:

was Ghana searching for its identity

busca Ghana la seva identitat

like I was looking for my identity?

igual que jo busque la meva?

Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor

El que estava passant a Ghana

for what was happening in me?

era una metàfora del que em passava a mi?

And it was as if through the standards of my Western life,

Era com si a causa de les comoditats de la meva vida occidental

I hadn't lived up to my full potential.

no hagués viscut al màxim del meu potencial.

I mean, nor had Ghana,

Tampoc ho havia fet Ghana, però,

even though we had been trying very hard.

malgrat que ho havien intentat.

Now in 1957,

L'any 1957

Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country

Ghana va ser el primer país subsahrià

to gain its independence.

en conseguir la independència.

In the late 50s,

A finals dels 50

Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP.

Ghana i Singapur tenien el mateix PIB.

I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country

Però avui Singapur es un país del primer món

and Ghana is not.

i Ghana no ho és.

But maybe it was time to prove to myself,

Però potser era el moment de demostrar-me

yes, it's important to understand the past,

que realment és important entendre el passat, sí,

it is important to look at it in a different light,

és important mirar-lo des d'una altra perspectiva,

but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture

pero potser hauríem de mirar les virtuts de la nostra cultura

and build on those foundations in the present.

i construir en elles els fonaments del present.

So here I was, December 7th, 2008.

I allà era jo, el 7 de desembre de 2008.

The polling stations opened to the voters at 7:00 AM,

Els col·legis electorals obriren a les 7 del matí,

but voters, eager to take their own political fate into their hands,

pero els votants, ansiosos de tenir el futur polític a les seves mans,

were starting to line up at 4:00 AM in the morning.

feien cua des de les 4 de la matinada.

And they had traveled from near, they had traveled from far,

I havien vingut de lluny i de prop,

because they wanted to make their voices heard.

perquè el que volien era que se sentiren les seves veus.

And I asked one of the voters, I said, "Whom are you going to vote for?"

I vaig preguntar a un votant: "Perdoni, a qui votarà?"

And he said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."

I em digué: "Ho sento, pero no puc dir-li-ho".

He said that his vote was in his heart.

Em digué que el seu vot era al seu cor.

And I understood, this was their election,

I vaig entendre que aquesta era la seva elecció

and they weren't going to let anyone

i que no deixarien

take it away from them.

que ningú se la furtès.

Now the first round of the voting didn't bring forth a clear winner --

La primera volta de les eleccions no va tenir cap guanyador;

so nobody had achieved the absolute majority --

és a dir, ningú obtingué majoria absoluta.

so voting went into a second round three weeks later.

Així que hi hagué una segona volta tres setmanes després.

The candidates were back on the road; they were campaigning.

Els candidats tornaren a fer campanya pertot arreu.

The rhetoric of the candidates, of course, changed.

I, per suposat, la retòrica canvià.

The heat was on.

Començava a posar-se interessant.

And then the cliche came to haunt us.

I aleshores el tòpic ens va caçar.

There were claims of intimidation

Se'n deia que hi havien hagut intimidacions

at the polling stations,

als col·legis electorals,

of ballot boxes being stolen.

que algunes urnes s'havien robat.

Inflated results started coming in

Alguns resultats abombats començaren a aparèixer

and the mob was starting to get out of control.

i la gent començava a tornar-se boja.

We witnessed the eruption of violence in the streets.

Vam veure com la violència s'obria pas als carrers.

People were being beaten brutally.

Hi havien baralles molt violentes.

The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.

L'exèrcit començà a disparar. La gent corria descontroladament.

It was complete chaos.

Era un caos enorme.

And my heart sank,

I el meu cor tremolava,

because I thought, here we are again.

perquè pensava que ja hi erem un altre cop.

Here is another proof

Seria una altra prova

that the African is not capable of governing himself.

que els africans no es poden governar per ells mateixos.

And not only that, I am documenting it --

I no només això: jo estava documentant-ho;

documenting my own cultural shortcomings.

documentava els defectes la meva cultura.

So when the echo of the gunshots

I quan encara se sentia

had lingered,

l'eco dels dispars,

it was soon drowned by the chanting of the mob,

els crits ensordidors de la multitud els van apagar

and I didn't believe what I was hearing.

i no creia el que estava sentint.

They were chanting, "We want peace.

Cridaven: "Volem pau.

We want peace."

Volem pau".

And I realized it had to come from the people.

I me n'adonà que només podia venir del poble.

After all, they decide,

Al fi i al cap, ells decidien,

and they did.

i així ho van fer.

So the sounds that were before distorted and loud,

I els sons distorsionats i forts d'abans,

were suddenly a melody.

eren de sobte una melodia.

The sounds of the voices were harmonious.

El sons de les veus eren harmoniosos.

So it could happen.

I podia passar.

A democracy could be upheld peacefully.

Podíem conservar la democràcia de manera pacífica.

It could be, by the will of the masses

I podia ser per la voluntat de les mases

who were now urgently pressing

que presionaven ara fortament

with all their heart and all their will

amb tot el seu cor i ànima

for peace.

per la pau.

Now here's an interesting comparison.

Farem ara un comparació interessant.

We in the West,

A occident

we preach the values,

prediquem els valors

the golden light of democracy,

de la daurada democràcia

that we are the shining example of how it's done.

i ens creiem un exemple de com es fan les coses.

But when it comes down to it,

Però al cap i a la fi,

Ghana found itself in the same place

Ghana es trobà al mateix lloc

in which the U.S. election stalled

en què els Estats Units arribaren el 2000

in the 2000 presidential elections --

quan s'estancaren les eleccions presidencials:

Bush versus Gore.

Bush contra Gore.

But instead of the unwillingness of the candidates

Però a pesar del rebuig dels candidats

to allow the system to proceed and the people to decide,

a que el sistema continuara i que el poble decidira,

Ghana honored democracy

Ghana honorà la democràcia

and its people.

i el seu poble.

It didn't leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide;

No va deixar que el Tribunal Suprem decidira;

the people did.

el poble ho va fer.

Now the second round of voting

La segona volta de les eleccions

did not bring forth a clear winner either.

tampoc deixà un clar guanyador.

I mean, it was so incredibly close.

La diferència entre els candidats era mínima.

The electoral commissioner declared,

El comisari electoral declarà,

with the consent of the parties,

amb el consentiment dels partits,

to run an unprecedented

dur a terme de nou

second re-run.

la segona volta.

So the people went back to the polls

I la gent tornà als col·legis electorals

to determine their own president,

per a decidir el seu president,

not the legal system.

i no va ser el sistema legal qui va decidir.

And guess what, it worked.

I supose que funcionà.

The defeated candidate

El candidat vençut

gave up power

va abandonar el poder

and made way for Ghana to move into a new democratic cycle.

i deixà que Ghana es dirigira cap a un nou cicle democràtic.

I mean, at the absolute time

En el moment precís

for the absolute need of democracy,

en què es necessitava urgentment la democràcia,

they did not abuse their power.

no abusaren del seu poder.

The belief in true democracy and in the people runs deep,

La creença en la vertadera democràcia i en el poble està ben arrelada,

proving that the African is capable of governing himself.

i això és una prova que els africans es poden governar ells sols.

Now the uphill battle for Ghana and for Africa

La costosa batalla per Ghana i per Àfrica

is not over,

encara no ha acabat,

but I have proof that the other side of democracy exists,

però tinc la prova que l'altra cara de la democràcia existeix,

and that we must not take it for granted.

i que no debem donar-ho tot per fet.

Now I have learned

Ara he aprés

that my place is not just in the West or in Africa,

que el meu lloc no és només a occident o a l'Àfrica,

and I'm still searching

i que encara estic buscant

for my identity,

la meva identitat,

but I saw Ghana

però he vist com Ghana

create democracy better.

creava una democràcia millor.

Ghana taught me

Ghana em va enseñar

to look at people differently

a mirar la gent de manera diferent

and to look at myself differently.

i també a mirar-me a mi mateix de manera diferent.

And yes,

I sí,

we Africans can.

els africans podem.

Thank you.

Gràcies.

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)