TEDGlobal 2011
Jarreth Merz: Filming democracy in Ghana
Jarreth Merz: Filmând democraţia în Ghana
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Jarreth Merz, un regizor elveţiano-ghanez, a venit în Ghana în 2008 pentru a filma alegerile naţionale. Ceea ce a văzut acolo, l-a învăţat lecţii noi despre democraţie - şi despre el însuşi.
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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M-am născut în Elveţia
00:19
and raised in Ghana, West Africa.
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şi am crescut în Ghana, Africa de vest.
00:22
Ghana felt safe to me as a child.
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Ghana mi s-a părut un loc sigur în copilărie.
00:24
I was free, I was happy.
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Eram liber, eram fericit.
00:28
The early 70s
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Începutul anilor 70
00:30
marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.
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a marcat o perioadă de înflorire muzicală şi artistică în Ghana.
00:33
But then by the end of the decade,
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Dar apoi, până la sfârşitul decadei,
00:35
the country had fallen back into political instability
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ţara a recăzut în instabilitate politică
00:38
and mismanagement.
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şi management defectuos.
00:42
In 1979,
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În 1979,
00:44
I witnessed my first military coup.
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am asistat la prima lovitură de stat militară.
00:48
We the children had gathered at a friend's house.
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Noi, copiii, ne-am adunat în casa unui prieten.
00:51
It was a dimly lit shack.
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Era o baracă slab luminată.
00:53
There was a beaten up black and white television
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Înăuntru era un televizor alb negru
00:55
flickering in the background,
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pâlpâind în fundal,
00:58
and a former head of state and general
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iar un fost şef de stat şi general
01:00
was being blindfolded
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era legat la ochi
01:02
and tied to the pole.
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şi înlănţuit de stâlp.
01:04
The firing squad aimed, fired --
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Echipa de intervenţie a ţintit, a tras -
01:07
the general was dead.
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generalul murise.
01:09
Now this was being broadcast live.
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Acest eveniment era transmis în direct.
01:12
And shortly after, we left the country,
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Şi la scurt timp după, am părăsit ţara
01:15
and we returned to Switzerland.
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şi ne-am întors în Elveţia.
01:17
Now Europe came as a shock to me,
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Am fost şocat de Europa,
01:20
and I think I started feeling the need
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şi se pare că am început să simt nevoia
01:23
to shed my skin in order to fit in.
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să-mi schimb pielea pentru a mă integra.
01:26
I wanted to blend in like a chameleon.
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Vroiam să mă adaptez, ca un cameleon.
01:28
I think it was a tactic of survival.
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Cred că a fost o tactică de supravieţuire.
01:31
And it worked, or so I believed.
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Şi a avut rezultat, sau asta am crezut eu.
01:34
So here I was in 2008
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Deci, în 2008, am fost în situaţia
01:39
wondering where I was in my life.
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de a mă întreba în ce punct ajunsesem din viaţa mea.
01:42
And I felt I was being typecast as an actor.
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Şi am simţit că primeam aceleaşi roluri ca actor.
01:45
I was always playing the exotic African.
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Jucam mereu rolul africanului exotic.
01:48
I was playing the violent African,
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Jucam rolul africanului violent,
01:50
the African terrorist.
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africanului terorist.
01:52
And I was thinking,
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Şi mă gândeam,
01:54
how many terrorists could I possibly play
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câţi terorişti aş mai putea să interpretez
01:56
before turning into one myself?
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până să mă transform într-unul?
01:59
And I had become ashamed of the other,
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Şi a început să-mi fie ruşine de celălalt,
02:02
the African in me.
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de africanul din mine.
02:05
And fortunately I decided in 2008
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Din fericire, am decis în 2008
02:08
to return to Ghana,
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să mă întorc în Ghana,
02:10
after 28 years of absence.
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după 28 de ani de absenţă.
02:13
I wanted to document on film
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Am vrut să fac un documentar
02:15
the 2008 presidential elections.
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al alegerilor prezidenţiale din 2008.
02:18
And there, I started by searching
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Şi acolo, am început prin a căuta
02:21
for the footprints in my childhood.
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urmele copilăriei mele.
02:23
And before I even knew it,
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Şi, înainte de a realiza ce se petrece
02:25
I was suddenly on a stage
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m-am regăsit, dintr-o dată pe scenă
02:27
surrounded by thousands of cheering people
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înconjurat de mii de oameni entuziaşti
02:29
during a political rally.
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în timpul unei reuniuni politice.
02:31
And I realized that, when I'd left the country,
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Şi mi-am dat seama că, atunci când părăsiem ţara,
02:34
free and fair elections in a democratic environment
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alegerile corecte şi libere într-un mediu democratic
02:37
were a dream.
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erau un vis.
02:39
And now that I'd returned, that dream had become reality,
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Iar acum când m-am întors, visul acela devenise realitate,
02:42
though a fragile reality.
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deşi o realitate fragilă.
02:44
And I was thinking,
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Şi mă gândeam,
02:46
was Ghana searching for its identity
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îşi căuta Ghana identitatea
02:48
like I was looking for my identity?
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la fel cum mi-o căutam şi eu?
02:50
Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor
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Era ceea ce se întâmpla în Ghana o metaforă
02:52
for what was happening in me?
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pentru ceea ce mi se întâmpla mie?
02:56
And it was as if through the standards of my Western life,
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Şi simţeam că respectând standardele vieţii mele occidentale
03:02
I hadn't lived up to my full potential.
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nu îmi atinsesem potenţialul maxim.
03:05
I mean, nor had Ghana,
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De altfel, nici Ghana,
03:07
even though we had been trying very hard.
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deşi încercasem din răsputeri.
03:09
Now in 1957,
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În 1957,
03:11
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country
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Ghana a fost prima ţară sub-sahariană
03:13
to gain its independence.
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care şi-a câştigat independenţa.
03:15
In the late 50s,
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La sfârşitul anilor 50,
03:17
Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP.
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Ghana şi Singapore aveau acelaşi PIB.
03:20
I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country
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Actualmente, Singapore este unul dintre statele cele mai dezvoltate din lume
03:23
and Ghana is not.
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iar Ghana nu.
03:26
But maybe it was time to prove to myself,
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Dar poate venise timpul să-mi dovedesc că
03:29
yes, it's important to understand the past,
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da, e important să înţelegem trecutul,
03:31
it is important to look at it in a different light,
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este important să-l privim dintr-o perspectivă diferită,
03:35
but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture
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dar poate ar trebui să privim punctele forte ale culturii noastre
03:39
and build on those foundations in the present.
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şi pe acestea să punem bazele prezentului.
03:43
So here I was, December 7th, 2008.
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Deci, iată-mă, la 7 decembrie 2008.
03:48
The polling stations opened to the voters at 7:00 AM,
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Secţiile de votare s-au deschis votanţilor la 7 dimineaţa,
03:53
but voters, eager to take their own political fate into their hands,
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dar votanţii, nerăbdători să-şi ia în mâini soarta politică,
03:57
were starting to line up at 4:00 AM in the morning.
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au început să sosească la 4 dimineaţa.
04:00
And they had traveled from near, they had traveled from far,
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Şi veniseră din apropiere, veniseră de departe,
04:03
because they wanted to make their voices heard.
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pentru că au dorit să-şi facă vocea auzită.
04:05
And I asked one of the voters, I said, "Whom are you going to vote for?"
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Şi l-am întrebat pe unul din votanţi, i-am spus: "Pentru cine veţi vota?"
04:08
And he said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."
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Iar el mi-a spus, "Regret, dar nu pot să vă spun."
04:11
He said that his vote was in his heart.
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Mi-a spus că votul se afla în inima sa.
04:14
And I understood, this was their election,
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Şi am înţeles că acestea erau alegerile lor,
04:17
and they weren't going to let anyone
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şi nu vor lăsa pe nimeni
04:19
take it away from them.
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să le fure.
04:21
Now the first round of the voting didn't bring forth a clear winner --
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Primul tur nu a oferit nimănui o victorie clară -
04:24
so nobody had achieved the absolute majority --
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aşadar, nimeni nu a obţinut majoritatea absolută -
04:28
so voting went into a second round three weeks later.
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deci alegerile au intrat în al doilea tur, trei săptămâni mai târziu.
04:31
The candidates were back on the road; they were campaigning.
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Candidaţii erau din nou pe drumuri; erau în campanie electorală.
04:34
The rhetoric of the candidates, of course, changed.
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Discursul candidaţilor desigur că s-a schimbat.
04:36
The heat was on.
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Tensiunea a crescut.
04:38
And then the cliche came to haunt us.
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Iar apoi clişeul a început să ne bântuie.
04:43
There were claims of intimidation
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Existau plângeri de intimidare
04:45
at the polling stations,
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la secţiile de votare,
04:47
of ballot boxes being stolen.
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de furt a urnelor de vot.
04:51
Inflated results started coming in
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Au început să apară exagerări ale rezultatelor
04:54
and the mob was starting to get out of control.
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şi populaţia a început să-şi piardă controlul.
04:57
We witnessed the eruption of violence in the streets.
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Am fost martorii dezlănţuirii violenţei pe străzi.
05:01
People were being beaten brutally.
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Oamenii erau bătuţi cu brutalitate.
05:04
The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.
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Armata a deschis focul. Oamenii fugeau dintr-o parte în alta.
05:07
It was complete chaos.
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A fost un haos total.
05:09
And my heart sank,
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Şi inima mea s-a întristat,
05:11
because I thought, here we are again.
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pentru că, m-am gândit, am revenit.
05:13
Here is another proof
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Iată o altă dovadă
05:15
that the African is not capable of governing himself.
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că poporul african este incapabil de autoguvernare.
05:18
And not only that, I am documenting it --
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Şi nu doar atât, fac şi un documentar pe tema asta -
05:21
documenting my own cultural shortcomings.
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fac un documentar despre propriile mele defecte culturale.
05:25
So when the echo of the gunshots
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Aşa că, atunci când ecoul armelor
05:28
had lingered,
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mai persista,
05:30
it was soon drowned by the chanting of the mob,
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a fost curând acoperit de zgomotele mulţimii,
05:32
and I didn't believe what I was hearing.
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şi nu-mi venea să cred ce auzeam.
05:34
They were chanting, "We want peace.
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Oamenii strigau, "Vrem pace.
05:36
We want peace."
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Vrem pace."
05:39
And I realized it had to come from the people.
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Şi mi-am dat seama că depindea de oameni.
05:42
After all, they decide,
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La urma urmei, ei decideau,
05:44
and they did.
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şi asta au făcut.
05:46
So the sounds that were before distorted and loud,
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Aşa că, sunetele care înainte fuseseră confuze şi zgomotoase,
05:50
were suddenly a melody.
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au devenit dintr-o dată melodioase.
05:53
The sounds of the voices were harmonious.
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Sunetele vocilor erau armonioase.
05:56
So it could happen.
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Deci, era posibil.
05:59
A democracy could be upheld peacefully.
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O democraţie poate fi susţinută în mod paşnic.
06:02
It could be, by the will of the masses
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Este posibil prin voinţa maselor
06:05
who were now urgently pressing
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care acum făceau presiuni imediate
06:07
with all their heart and all their will
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cu tot sufletul şi toată dorinţa lor
06:09
for peace.
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pentru pace.
06:11
Now here's an interesting comparison.
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Iată acum o comparaţie interesantă.
06:14
We in the West,
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Noi occidentalii,
06:16
we preach the values,
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predicăm valorile,
06:18
the golden light of democracy,
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esenţa democraţiei,
06:21
that we are the shining example of how it's done.
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aceea că suntem exemplele sclipitoare a cum ar trebui ea să fie.
06:24
But when it comes down to it,
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Dar, în final,
06:27
Ghana found itself in the same place
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Ghana s-a găsit în aceeaşi situaţie
06:31
in which the U.S. election stalled
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în care s-au blocat şi scrutinurile din S.U.A.
06:33
in the 2000 presidential elections --
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la alegerile prezidenţiale din 2000 -
06:35
Bush versus Gore.
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Bush versus Gore.
06:38
But instead of the unwillingness of the candidates
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Dar, în loc de refuzul candidaţilor
06:41
to allow the system to proceed and the people to decide,
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de a permite sistemului să acţioneze şi oamenilor să decidă,
06:44
Ghana honored democracy
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Ghana a adus un omagiu democraţiei
06:47
and its people.
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şi cetăţenilor ei.
06:49
It didn't leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide;
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Nu a lăsat decizia la latitudinea Curţii Supreme;
06:52
the people did.
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poporul a decis.
06:55
Now the second round of voting
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Nici în al doilea tur de scrutin
06:58
did not bring forth a clear winner either.
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nu s-a conturat o victorie clară a unuia dintre candidaţi.
07:00
I mean, it was so incredibly close.
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Adică, finalul fusese aproape.
07:02
The electoral commissioner declared,
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Comisarul electoral a declarat,
07:05
with the consent of the parties,
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cu consimţământul partidelor,
07:07
to run an unprecedented
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să organizeze, fără precedent,
07:09
second re-run.
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o a doua repetare.
07:11
So the people went back to the polls
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Astfel oamenii s-au întors la secţiile de votare
07:15
to determine their own president,
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pentru a-şi alege preşedintele,
07:17
not the legal system.
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nu cadrul legal.
07:19
And guess what, it worked.
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Şi, ghiciţi ce s-a întâmplat, a mers.
07:23
The defeated candidate
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Candidatul înfrânt
07:25
gave up power
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a renunţat la putere
07:27
and made way for Ghana to move into a new democratic cycle.
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permiţându-i Ghanei să se îndrepte spre un nou ciclu democratic.
07:30
I mean, at the absolute time
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Adică, în momentul crucial,
07:32
for the absolute need of democracy,
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pentru nevoia crucială de democraţie,
07:34
they did not abuse their power.
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nu au abuzat de puterea lor.
07:39
The belief in true democracy and in the people runs deep,
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Încrederea în adevărata democraţie şi în oameni este profundă,
07:43
proving that the African is capable of governing himself.
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dovedind că poporul african este capabil de autoguvernare.
07:48
Now the uphill battle for Ghana and for Africa
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Lupta pentru dezvoltare a Ghanei şi a Africii
07:51
is not over,
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nu a luat sfârşit,
07:53
but I have proof that the other side of democracy exists,
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dar am dovada că cealaltă latură a democraţiei există,
07:57
and that we must not take it for granted.
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şi că nu trebuie să o minimalizăm.
08:00
Now I have learned
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Am învăţat
08:02
that my place is not just in the West or in Africa,
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că locul meu nu este numai în Africa de Vest,
08:06
and I'm still searching
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şi îmi caut încă
08:08
for my identity,
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identitatea,
08:10
but I saw Ghana
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dar am văzut Ghana
08:13
create democracy better.
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creând democraţia mai bine.
08:15
Ghana taught me
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Ghana m-a învăţat
08:17
to look at people differently
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să privesc altfel oamenii
08:19
and to look at myself differently.
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şi să mă privesc altfel.
08:22
And yes,
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Şi da,
08:24
we Africans can.
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noi africanii putem.
08:26
Thank you.
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Vă mulţumesc.
08:28
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
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