TEDGlobal 2011
Jarreth Merz: Filming democracy in Ghana
Jarreth Merz: Filmar a democracia no Gana
Filmed:
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Jarreth Merz, um cineasta suíço-ganês, visitou o Gana em 2008 para filmar as eleições nacionais. O que viu ensinou-lhe novas lições sobre democracia - e sobre si mesmo.
Jarreth Merz - Filmmaker
Jarreth Merz' new film, "An African Election," follows the 2008 presidential elections in Ghana from start to finish. Full bio
Jarreth Merz' new film, "An African Election," follows the 2008 presidential elections in Ghana from start to finish. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
I was born in Switzerland
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Nasci na Suiça
00:19
and raised in Ghana, West Africa.
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e cresci no Gana, África Ocidental.
00:22
Ghana felt safe to me as a child.
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Sentia-me seguro no Gana enquanto criança.
00:24
I was free, I was happy.
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Era livre, era feliz.
00:28
The early 70s
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O início dos anos 70
00:30
marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.
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marcou um tempo de excelência musical e artística no Gana.
00:33
But then by the end of the decade,
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Mas depois, no fim da década,
00:35
the country had fallen back into political instability
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o país caiu de novo em instabilidade política
00:38
and mismanagement.
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e desgoverno.
00:42
In 1979,
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Em 1979,
00:44
I witnessed my first military coup.
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testemunhei o meu primeiro golpe militar.
00:48
We the children had gathered at a friend's house.
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Nós, as crianças, tínhamo-nos reunido em casa de um amigo.
00:51
It was a dimly lit shack.
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Era um barracão mal iluminado.
00:53
There was a beaten up black and white television
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Havia lá uma televisão a preto e branco velha
00:55
flickering in the background,
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cintilando no fundo,
00:58
and a former head of state and general
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e um antigo chefe de Estado e general
01:00
was being blindfolded
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estava a ser vendado
01:02
and tied to the pole.
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e amarrado a um poste.
01:04
The firing squad aimed, fired --
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O pelotão de fuzilamento apontou, disparou.
01:07
the general was dead.
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O general estava morto.
01:09
Now this was being broadcast live.
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Isto estava a ser transmitido em directo.
01:12
And shortly after, we left the country,
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Pouco tempo depois deixámos o país
01:15
and we returned to Switzerland.
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e voltámos para a Suíça.
01:17
Now Europe came as a shock to me,
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A Europa foi um choque para mim
01:20
and I think I started feeling the need
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e acho que comecei a sentir a necessidade
01:23
to shed my skin in order to fit in.
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de mudar a minha pele para me ambientar.
01:26
I wanted to blend in like a chameleon.
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Queria camuflar-me como um camaleão.
01:28
I think it was a tactic of survival.
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Penso que era uma táctica de sobrevivência.
01:31
And it worked, or so I believed.
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E funcionava, ou pelo menos eu achava que sim.
01:34
So here I was in 2008
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Então cá estava eu em 2008,
01:39
wondering where I was in my life.
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a pensar onde estava na minha vida,
01:42
And I felt I was being typecast as an actor.
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e senti que estava a ser estereotipado como actor.
01:45
I was always playing the exotic African.
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Estava sempre a representar o africano exótico.
01:48
I was playing the violent African,
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Era o africano violento,
01:50
the African terrorist.
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o africano terrorista.
01:52
And I was thinking,
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Então comecei a pensar,
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how many terrorists could I possibly play
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quantos terroristas poderia representar
01:56
before turning into one myself?
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antes de me transformar mesmo num?
01:59
And I had become ashamed of the other,
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E comecei a ficar com vergonha do outro,
02:02
the African in me.
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o africano em mim.
02:05
And fortunately I decided in 2008
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Felizmente em 2008 decidi
02:08
to return to Ghana,
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voltar ao Gana,
02:10
after 28 years of absence.
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depois de 28 anos de ausência.
02:13
I wanted to document on film
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Queria documentar em filme
02:15
the 2008 presidential elections.
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as eleições presidenciais de 2008.
02:18
And there, I started by searching
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E comecei por procurar lá
02:21
for the footprints in my childhood.
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as pegadas da minha infância.
02:23
And before I even knew it,
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Antes mesmo de me aperceber,
02:25
I was suddenly on a stage
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estava de repente num palco
02:27
surrounded by thousands of cheering people
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rodeado por milhares de pessoas que aplaudiam
02:29
during a political rally.
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durante um comício político.
02:31
And I realized that, when I'd left the country,
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Apercebi-me de que, quando deixei o país,
02:34
free and fair elections in a democratic environment
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eleições livres e justas num ambiente democrático
02:37
were a dream.
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eram um sonho.
02:39
And now that I'd returned, that dream had become reality,
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Agora que tinha voltado, o sonho tinha-se tornado realidade,
02:42
though a fragile reality.
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embora uma realidade frágil.
02:44
And I was thinking,
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Fiquei a pensar:
02:46
was Ghana searching for its identity
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estava o Gana à procura da sua identidade,
02:48
like I was looking for my identity?
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como eu estava à procura da minha?
02:50
Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor
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Seria o que estava a acontecer no Gana uma metáfora
02:52
for what was happening in me?
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para o que estava a acontecer comigo?
02:56
And it was as if through the standards of my Western life,
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Era como se, pelos padrões da minha vida no Ocidente,
03:02
I hadn't lived up to my full potential.
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não tivesse vivido ao meu potencial máximo.
03:05
I mean, nor had Ghana,
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E nem o Gana o tinha feito,
03:07
even though we had been trying very hard.
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ainda que estivéssemos a tentar arduamente.
03:09
Now in 1957,
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Em 1957,
03:11
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country
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o Gana foi o primeiro país subsariano
03:13
to gain its independence.
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a ganhar a sua independência.
03:15
In the late 50s,
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No final dos anos 50
03:17
Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP.
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o Gana e Singapura tinham o mesmo PIB.
03:20
I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country
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Quero dizer, Singapura é hoje um país do Primeiro Mundo
03:23
and Ghana is not.
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e o Gana não é.
03:26
But maybe it was time to prove to myself,
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Mas talvez fosse tempo de provar a mim mesmo
03:29
yes, it's important to understand the past,
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que sim, é importante compreender o passado,
03:31
it is important to look at it in a different light,
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é importante vê-lo numa perspectiva diferente,
03:35
but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture
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mas talvez devêssemos olhar para os pontos fortes na nossa cultura
03:39
and build on those foundations in the present.
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e construir a partir desses alicerces no presente.
03:43
So here I was, December 7th, 2008.
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Então cá estava eu, 7 de Dezembro de 2008.
03:48
The polling stations opened to the voters at 7:00 AM,
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As mesas de voto abriram às 7h da manhã,
03:53
but voters, eager to take their own political fate into their hands,
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mas os eleitores, ansiosos por assumir o seu próprio destino político,
03:57
were starting to line up at 4:00 AM in the morning.
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começaram a fazer fila às 4h da manhã.
04:00
And they had traveled from near, they had traveled from far,
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Tinham viajado de perto e de longe
04:03
because they wanted to make their voices heard.
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porque queriam fazer ouvir as suas vozes.
04:05
And I asked one of the voters, I said, "Whom are you going to vote for?"
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Perguntei a um dos eleitores: "Em quem vai votar?",
04:08
And he said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."
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e ele respondeu: "Desculpe, não lhe posso dizer".
04:11
He said that his vote was in his heart.
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Disse-me que o seu voto estava no seu coração.
04:14
And I understood, this was their election,
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E eu percebi, esta era a eleição deles
04:17
and they weren't going to let anyone
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e não iam deixar ninguém
04:19
take it away from them.
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tirar-lhes isso.
04:21
Now the first round of the voting didn't bring forth a clear winner --
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A primeira volta não apurou um vencedor claro -
04:24
so nobody had achieved the absolute majority --
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ninguém tinha alcançado a maioria absoluta -
04:28
so voting went into a second round three weeks later.
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por isso agendou-se uma segunda volta para três semanas depois.
04:31
The candidates were back on the road; they were campaigning.
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Os candidatos estavam de novo na estrada a fazer a sua campanha.
04:34
The rhetoric of the candidates, of course, changed.
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O discurso dos candidatos mudou, claro.
04:36
The heat was on.
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A luta estava acesa.
04:38
And then the cliche came to haunt us.
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E depois lá voltou o cliché para nos assombrar.
04:43
There were claims of intimidation
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Houve alegações de intimidação
04:45
at the polling stations,
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nas mesas de voto,
04:47
of ballot boxes being stolen.
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de urnas de voto serem roubadas.
04:51
Inflated results started coming in
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Resultados inflacionados começaram a aparecer
04:54
and the mob was starting to get out of control.
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e a multidão estava a ficar fora do controlo.
04:57
We witnessed the eruption of violence in the streets.
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Testemunhámos a explosão da violência nas ruas.
05:01
People were being beaten brutally.
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Algumas pessoas estavam a ser violentamente agredidas.
05:04
The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.
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O exército começou a disparar. As pessoas estavam a correr.
05:07
It was complete chaos.
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Foi um caos total.
05:09
And my heart sank,
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O meu coração partiu-se
05:11
because I thought, here we are again.
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porque pensei que aqui estávamos nós outra vez.
05:13
Here is another proof
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Aqui está outra prova
05:15
that the African is not capable of governing himself.
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que o africano não é capaz de se governar a si mesmo.
05:18
And not only that, I am documenting it --
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E para além disso, estou a documentá-lo -
05:21
documenting my own cultural shortcomings.
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estou a documentar as minhas próprias lacunas culturais.
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So when the echo of the gunshots
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Quando o eco dos disparos
05:28
had lingered,
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se prolongava,
05:30
it was soon drowned by the chanting of the mob,
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foi logo abafado pelos cânticos da multidão,
05:32
and I didn't believe what I was hearing.
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e eu não acreditava no que estava a ouvir.
05:34
They were chanting, "We want peace.
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Estavam a entoar: "Queremos paz".
05:36
We want peace."
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"Queremos paz".
05:39
And I realized it had to come from the people.
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Assim apercebi-me que tudo tinha de partir das pessoas.
05:42
After all, they decide,
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Afinal de contas elas é que decidem,
05:44
and they did.
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e decidiram mesmo.
05:46
So the sounds that were before distorted and loud,
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Os sons que eram antes distorcidos e estrondosos
05:50
were suddenly a melody.
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eram agora de repente uma melodia.
05:53
The sounds of the voices were harmonious.
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Os sons das vozes eram harmoniosos.
05:56
So it could happen.
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Então era possível.
05:59
A democracy could be upheld peacefully.
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Uma democracia podia ser mantida pacificamente.
06:02
It could be, by the will of the masses
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Podia sê-lo por vontade das massas
06:05
who were now urgently pressing
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que estavam agora a pressionar urgentemente
06:07
with all their heart and all their will
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com todo o seu coração e vontade
06:09
for peace.
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pela paz.
06:11
Now here's an interesting comparison.
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Aqui está uma comparação interessante.
06:14
We in the West,
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Nós no Ocidente
06:16
we preach the values,
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pregamos os valores,
06:18
the golden light of democracy,
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a essência da democracia,
06:21
that we are the shining example of how it's done.
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que somos o exemplo perfeito do como se faz.
06:24
But when it comes down to it,
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Mas afinal de contas,
06:27
Ghana found itself in the same place
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o Gana deparou-se com a mesma situação
06:31
in which the U.S. election stalled
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em que a eleição nos Estados Unidos estagnou
06:33
in the 2000 presidential elections --
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na eleições presidenciais de 2000 -
06:35
Bush versus Gore.
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Bush contra Gore.
06:38
But instead of the unwillingness of the candidates
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Mas em vez da falta de vontade dos candidatos
06:41
to allow the system to proceed and the people to decide,
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de deixarem o sistema prosseguir e as pessoas decidir,
06:44
Ghana honored democracy
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o Gana honrou a democracia
06:47
and its people.
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e o seu povo.
06:49
It didn't leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide;
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Não deixou que fosse o Supremo Tribunal a decidir;
06:52
the people did.
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foram as pessoas.
06:55
Now the second round of voting
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A segunda ronda de votos
06:58
did not bring forth a clear winner either.
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também não apurou um vencedor claro.
07:00
I mean, it was so incredibly close.
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Foi incrivelmente renhido.
07:02
The electoral commissioner declared,
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O comissário eleitoral declarou,
07:05
with the consent of the parties,
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com o consentimento dos partidos,
07:07
to run an unprecedented
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realizar uma repetição de eleição
07:09
second re-run.
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sem precedentes.
07:11
So the people went back to the polls
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As pessoas é que voltaram às mesas de voto
07:15
to determine their own president,
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para escolherem o seu próprio presidente,
07:17
not the legal system.
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não o sistema legal.
07:19
And guess what, it worked.
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E vejam só, resultou.
07:23
The defeated candidate
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O candidato derrotado
07:25
gave up power
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renunciou ao poder
07:27
and made way for Ghana to move into a new democratic cycle.
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e abriu caminho para que o Gana entrasse num novo ciclo democrático.
07:30
I mean, at the absolute time
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No momento exacto
07:32
for the absolute need of democracy,
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de necessidade absoluta de democracia,
07:34
they did not abuse their power.
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não abusaram do seu poder.
07:39
The belief in true democracy and in the people runs deep,
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A crença na democracia autêntica e nas pessoas é profunda,
07:43
proving that the African is capable of governing himself.
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provando que o africano é capaz de se governar a si mesmo.
07:48
Now the uphill battle for Ghana and for Africa
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A batalha árdua pelo Gana e por África
07:51
is not over,
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não está concluída,
07:53
but I have proof that the other side of democracy exists,
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mas tenho provas que o outro lado da democracia existe
07:57
and that we must not take it for granted.
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e isso não devemos tomar por garantido.
08:00
Now I have learned
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Aprendi
08:02
that my place is not just in the West or in Africa,
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que o meu lugar não é só no Ocidente ou em África
08:06
and I'm still searching
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e que ainda estou à procura
08:08
for my identity,
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da minha identidade,
08:10
but I saw Ghana
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mas vi o Gana
08:13
create democracy better.
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criar uma melhor democracia.
08:15
Ghana taught me
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O Gana ensinou-me
08:17
to look at people differently
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a olhar para as pessoas de maneira diferente
08:19
and to look at myself differently.
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e a olhar para mim de maneira diferente.
08:22
And yes,
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E sim,
08:24
we Africans can.
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nós, africanos, conseguimos.
08:26
Thank you.
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Muito obrigado.
08:28
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jarreth Merz - FilmmakerJarreth Merz' new film, "An African Election," follows the 2008 presidential elections in Ghana from start to finish.
Why you should listen
Raised in Ghana, Switzerland and Germany, Jarreth Merz is a filmmaker and actor (you may remember him in the role of Simon of Cyrene in The Passion of the Christ). As a director, his work is rooted in observing life as it presents itself in all its complexities -- as shown in his latest documentary, An African Election, which follows the 2008 presidential elections in Ghana, West Africa.
Merz's stepfather, a political player on Ghana, helped him get access behind the scenes; then Jarreth and his cameraman brother Kevin followed the presidential candidates in the unpredictable months leading up to the final night. In chronicling the rough-and-tumble process of a democratic election, the documentary becomes a meditation on the dream of democracy itself. The film screened in the World Documentary competition at Sundance earlier this year. Merz is now working on a “political safari” in Africa.
He says: "An African Election challenges the preconceived notion we have about politics in Ghana or Africa without hiding the brutal realities."
Jarreth Merz | Speaker | TED.com