TEDGlobal 2011
Jarreth Merz: Filming democracy in Ghana
杰瑞斯･梅尔茨：影片纪录加纳民主进程
Filmed:
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杰瑞斯･梅尔茨是一位瑞士加纳裔制片人，2008年他去加纳录制总统选举。他在那里的所见所闻让他对民主和他自身有了全新的认识。
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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我出生在瑞士
00:19
and raised in Ghana, West Africa.
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在西非的加纳长大
00:22
Ghana felt safe to me as a child.
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加纳对儿时的我是安全的家
00:24
I was free, I was happy.
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我很自由快乐
00:28
The early 70s
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70年代早期
00:30
marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.
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是加纳的音乐和艺术的辉煌时期
00:33
But then by the end of the decade,
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但是70年代末
00:35
the country had fallen back into political instability
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加纳陷入政治动荡
00:38
and mismanagement.
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和政策混乱
00:42
In 1979,
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1979年
00:44
I witnessed my first military coup.
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我目睹了军事政变
00:48
We the children had gathered at a friend's house.
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我们一群孩子聚集在一个朋友家里
00:51
It was a dimly lit shack.
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是个破烂昏暗的棚子
00:53
There was a beaten up black and white television
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有台破旧的黑白电视机
00:55
flickering in the background,
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在背景处一直闪动着
00:58
and a former head of state and general
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放的是前总统和将军
01:00
was being blindfolded
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被蒙住眼睛
01:02
and tied to the pole.
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绑在柱子上
01:04
The firing squad aimed, fired --
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行刑的队伍来了，枪决了他们
01:07
the general was dead.
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将军死了
01:09
Now this was being broadcast live.
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这个场景在电视上直播
01:12
And shortly after, we left the country,
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不久后，我们离开了加纳
01:15
and we returned to Switzerland.
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回到了瑞士
01:17
Now Europe came as a shock to me,
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然后欧洲对我来说是个冲击
01:20
and I think I started feeling the need
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我开始觉得有必要
01:23
to shed my skin in order to fit in.
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掩盖自己的肤色以融入这个社会
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I wanted to blend in like a chameleon.
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我想如变色龙一样
01:28
I think it was a tactic of survival.
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我觉得这是生存的技巧
01:31
And it worked, or so I believed.
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这个方法成功了，至少我觉得是这样的
01:34
So here I was in 2008
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2008年的时候
01:39
wondering where I was in my life.
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我开始思考我的人生定位
01:42
And I felt I was being typecast as an actor.
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我觉得我被定型为一个演员
01:45
I was always playing the exotic African.
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总是演异国风情的非洲人
01:48
I was playing the violent African,
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或是暴力的非洲人
01:50
the African terrorist.
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非洲恐怖分子
01:52
And I was thinking,
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我琢磨
01:54
how many terrorists could I possibly play
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在做回我自己之前
01:56
before turning into one myself?
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我得演多少恐怖分子？
01:59
And I had become ashamed of the other,
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我开始以我的一部分
02:02
the African in me.
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以我的非洲血统为耻
02:05
And fortunately I decided in 2008
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幸运的是2008年的时候
02:08
to return to Ghana,
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在阔别了28年之后
02:10
after 28 years of absence.
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我决定回到加纳
02:13
I wanted to document on film
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我打算拍一部
02:15
the 2008 presidential elections.
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2008年总统大选的纪录片
02:18
And there, I started by searching
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在那儿，我以搜寻
02:21
for the footprints in my childhood.
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我儿时的印迹作为开始
02:23
And before I even knew it,
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但是我都没有意识到
02:25
I was suddenly on a stage
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我突然身处
02:27
surrounded by thousands of cheering people
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政治示威的队伍里
02:29
during a political rally.
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周围围绕着成千上万高声呼喊人
02:31
And I realized that, when I'd left the country,
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我意识到，当年离开这个国家的时候
02:34
free and fair elections in a democratic environment
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在民主环境下的自由公平选举
02:37
were a dream.
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只不过是个梦想
02:39
And now that I'd returned, that dream had become reality,
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如今我回来的时候，梦想已经实现了
02:42
though a fragile reality.
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尽管它很脆弱
02:44
And I was thinking,
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我想，
02:46
was Ghana searching for its identity
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是不是像我在寻找自身定位一样
02:48
like I was looking for my identity?
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加纳也在探索它的定位？
02:50
Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor
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发生在加纳的一切就像
02:52
for what was happening in me?
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发生在我身上一切的隐喻？
02:56
And it was as if through the standards of my Western life,
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就好像在西方式的标准下
03:02
I hadn't lived up to my full potential.
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我并没有完全挖掘我的潜能
03:05
I mean, nor had Ghana,
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加纳也是
03:07
even though we had been trying very hard.
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虽然我们都很努力的尝试过
03:09
Now in 1957,
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1957年
03:11
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country
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加纳是撒哈拉以南非洲国家中
03:13
to gain its independence.
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第一个取得独立的国家
03:15
In the late 50s,
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50年代末期
03:17
Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP.
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加纳和新加坡的GDP一样
03:20
I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country
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现在新加坡是个发达国家
03:23
and Ghana is not.
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而加纳不是
03:26
But maybe it was time to prove to myself,
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但这也许正是证明我们自己的时候
03:29
yes, it's important to understand the past,
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是的，认识历史非常重要
03:31
it is important to look at it in a different light,
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要从另一个角度去解读它非常重要
03:35
but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture
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但是也许我们应该重视自身文化中的力量
03:39
and build on those foundations in the present.
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并以现在的文化作为基石
03:43
So here I was, December 7th, 2008.
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2008年12月7日，我在现场
03:48
The polling stations opened to the voters at 7:00 AM,
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早晨7点投票站向选民开放
03:53
but voters, eager to take their own political fate into their hands,
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但选民想要掌握他们政治命运的愿望是如此急切
03:57
were starting to line up at 4:00 AM in the morning.
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他们凌晨4点就开始排队
04:00
And they had traveled from near, they had traveled from far,
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有些住在附近，有些远道而来
04:03
because they wanted to make their voices heard.
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但他们都想表达自己的声音
04:05
And I asked one of the voters, I said, "Whom are you going to vote for?"
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我问一个选民：“你打算投谁的票？”
04:08
And he said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."
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他说：“不好意思不能告诉你。”
04:11
He said that his vote was in his heart.
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他说他心中有打算
04:14
And I understood, this was their election,
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我非常理解，这是他们的选举
04:17
and they weren't going to let anyone
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他们不会让任何人
04:19
take it away from them.
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夺走这个权利
04:21
Now the first round of the voting didn't bring forth a clear winner --
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第一轮选举没有诞生一个明晰的获选人－
04:24
so nobody had achieved the absolute majority --
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还没有人完全占上风－
04:28
so voting went into a second round three weeks later.
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所以3周后进行第二轮选举
04:31
The candidates were back on the road; they were campaigning.
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候选人重新开始竞选活动
04:34
The rhetoric of the candidates, of course, changed.
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他们收起了文绉绉的措辞
04:36
The heat was on.
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气氛变得激烈
04:38
And then the cliche came to haunt us.
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然后就出现了意料之中的状况
04:43
There were claims of intimidation
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投票站收到
04:45
at the polling stations,
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举报
04:47
of ballot boxes being stolen.
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声称投票箱被窃取
04:51
Inflated results started coming in
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随之而来一系列的麻烦
04:54
and the mob was starting to get out of control.
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人群开始失去控制
04:57
We witnessed the eruption of violence in the streets.
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我们目睹了大街上大量的暴力事件
05:01
People were being beaten brutally.
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很多人惨遭毒打
05:04
The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.
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军队开始开火 人群混乱不堪
05:07
It was complete chaos.
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完全一片混乱
05:09
And my heart sank,
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我的心渐渐往下沉
05:11
because I thought, here we are again.
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因为我想，再一次
05:13
Here is another proof
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非洲再一次证明
05:15
that the African is not capable of governing himself.
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我们非洲人没有能力自治
05:18
And not only that, I am documenting it --
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不仅如此，我正在记录着－
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documenting my own cultural shortcomings.
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记录着我自己的文化的短处
05:25
So when the echo of the gunshots
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然而当枪声
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had lingered,
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逐渐散去
05:30
it was soon drowned by the chanting of the mob,
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人群开始呼喊
05:32
and I didn't believe what I was hearing.
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我无法相信我所听到的
05:34
They were chanting, "We want peace.
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他们在呼喊“我们渴望和平”
05:36
We want peace."
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“我们渴望和平”
05:39
And I realized it had to come from the people.
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我意识到和平必然来自人民
05:42
After all, they decide,
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毕竟是他们的抉择
05:44
and they did.
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而他们这样做了
05:46
So the sounds that were before distorted and loud,
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于是之前嘈杂混乱的声音
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were suddenly a melody.
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变成和谐的乐章
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The sounds of the voices were harmonious.
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人民和谐地表达想法
05:56
So it could happen.
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这是可能的
05:59
A democracy could be upheld peacefully.
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民主可以以和平手段来实现
06:02
It could be, by the will of the masses
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它可以通过人民的意愿实现
06:05
who were now urgently pressing
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他们正为之急切地努力着
06:07
with all their heart and all their will
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并全心全意地努力着
06:09
for peace.
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来实现和平的
06:11
Now here's an interesting comparison.
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现在有个有趣的对比
06:14
We in the West,
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在西方
06:16
we preach the values,
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我们宣扬
06:18
the golden light of democracy,
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民主的力量
06:21
that we are the shining example of how it's done.
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我们是其完美模范
06:24
But when it comes down to it,
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但实际上
06:27
Ghana found itself in the same place
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当加纳处在
06:31
in which the U.S. election stalled
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和2000年美国大选的
06:33
in the 2000 presidential elections --
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相同处境时－
06:35
Bush versus Gore.
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布什对戈尔那样的处境时
06:38
But instead of the unwillingness of the candidates
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候选人没有表现出任何不情愿
06:41
to allow the system to proceed and the people to decide,
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去让体制和人民做抉择
06:44
Ghana honored democracy
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加纳尊重了民主
06:47
and its people.
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和它的人民
06:49
It didn't leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide;
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它没有把选举带到最高法庭上
06:52
the people did.
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而是让人民决定
06:55
Now the second round of voting
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然而第二轮选举
06:58
did not bring forth a clear winner either.
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也没有诞生获选者
07:00
I mean, it was so incredibly close.
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我说，票数非常接近
07:02
The electoral commissioner declared,
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选举委员会
07:05
with the consent of the parties,
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在各党派的同意下决定
07:07
to run an unprecedented
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进行前所未有的
07:09
second re-run.
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第二轮复选
07:11
So the people went back to the polls
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人们回到选举站
07:15
to determine their own president,
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去决定谁做他们的总统
07:17
not the legal system.
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而不是让司法系统来做
07:19
And guess what, it worked.
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结果如何？成功了
07:23
The defeated candidate
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失败的候选人
07:25
gave up power
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放弃职权
07:27
and made way for Ghana to move into a new democratic cycle.
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加纳踏入新的民主进程
07:30
I mean, at the absolute time
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在民主需要的
07:32
for the absolute need of democracy,
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时候
07:34
they did not abuse their power.
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他们没有滥用职权
07:39
The belief in true democracy and in the people runs deep,
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人们深深坚信真正的民主
07:43
proving that the African is capable of governing himself.
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这证明了非洲人民有能力自治
07:48
Now the uphill battle for Ghana and for Africa
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现在加纳和非洲艰难的(民主)斗争
07:51
is not over,
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还没有结束
07:53
but I have proof that the other side of democracy exists,
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但我有证据，民主的另一面是存在的
07:57
and that we must not take it for granted.
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我们不应该视而不见
08:00
Now I have learned
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现在我意识到
08:02
that my place is not just in the West or in Africa,
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我的定位不仅是在西方或是非洲
08:06
and I'm still searching
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我仍在寻找
08:08
for my identity,
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我的定位
08:10
but I saw Ghana
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但我目睹加纳
08:13
create democracy better.
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开创了更好的民主
08:15
Ghana taught me
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加纳告诉了我
08:17
to look at people differently
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用不一样的视角看人
08:19
and to look at myself differently.
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看自己
08:22
And yes,
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是的
08:24
we Africans can.
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我们非洲人能行
08:26
Thank you.
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谢谢
08:28
(Applause)
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（掌声）
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