TEDGlobal 2011
Jarreth Merz: Filming democracy in Ghana
Jarreth Merz: Filmando la democracia en Ghana
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Jarreth Merz, un director de cine suizo-ghanés, viajó a Ghana en 2008 para filmar las elecciones nacionales. Lo que allí presenció, le dejó nuevas enseñazas acerca de la democracia y acerca de sí mismo.
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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Nací en Suiza
00:19
and raised in Ghana, West Africa.
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y crecí en Ghana, África Occidental.
00:22
Ghana felt safe to me as a child.
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De niño, Ghana me resultaba un lugar seguro.
00:24
I was free, I was happy.
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Era libre, era feliz.
00:28
The early 70s
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El comienzo de los años 70
00:30
marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.
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marcó un momento de excelencia artística y musical en Ghana.
00:33
But then by the end of the decade,
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Pero a fines de la década,
00:35
the country had fallen back into political instability
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el país había recaído en una inestabilidad política
00:38
and mismanagement.
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y mala administración.
00:42
In 1979,
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En 1979,
00:44
I witnessed my first military coup.
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fui testigo de mi primer golpe militar.
00:48
We the children had gathered at a friend's house.
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Los niños nos habíamos reunido en la casa de un amigo.
00:51
It was a dimly lit shack.
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Era una choza iluminada de forma tenue.
00:53
There was a beaten up black and white television
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Había un televisor blanco y negro estropeado
00:55
flickering in the background,
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parpadeando en el fondo,
00:58
and a former head of state and general
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y el ex jefe de estado y general
01:00
was being blindfolded
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tenía lo ojos vendados
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and tied to the pole.
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y estaba siendo atado a un poste.
01:04
The firing squad aimed, fired --
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El pelotón de fusilamiento apuntó, disparó;
01:07
the general was dead.
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el general murió.
01:09
Now this was being broadcast live.
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Esto estaba siendo transmitido en vivo.
01:12
And shortly after, we left the country,
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Y, poco después, nos fuimos del país
01:15
and we returned to Switzerland.
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y regresamos a Suiza.
01:17
Now Europe came as a shock to me,
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Europa fue una sorpresa para mí
01:20
and I think I started feeling the need
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y creo que comencé a sentir la necesidad
01:23
to shed my skin in order to fit in.
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de cambiar mi piel para encajar.
01:26
I wanted to blend in like a chameleon.
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Quería mimetizarme como un camaleón.
01:28
I think it was a tactic of survival.
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Creo que fue una táctica de supervivencia.
01:31
And it worked, or so I believed.
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Y funcionó, o eso creí.
01:34
So here I was in 2008
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Allí estaba, en 2008
01:39
wondering where I was in my life.
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preguntándome dónde estaba situado en la vida.
01:42
And I felt I was being typecast as an actor.
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Y sentía que estaba siendo encasillado como actor.
01:45
I was always playing the exotic African.
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Siempre estaba interpretando al africano exótico.
01:48
I was playing the violent African,
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Interpretaba al africano violento,
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the African terrorist.
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al terrorista africano.
01:52
And I was thinking,
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Y pensaba:
01:54
how many terrorists could I possibly play
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¿a cuántos terroristas podría interpretar
01:56
before turning into one myself?
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antes de convertirme yo mismo en uno?
01:59
And I had become ashamed of the other,
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Y me había avergonzado del otro,
02:02
the African in me.
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del africano en mí.
02:05
And fortunately I decided in 2008
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Y afortunadamente en 2008 decidí
02:08
to return to Ghana,
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volver a Ghana,
02:10
after 28 years of absence.
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luego de 28 años de ausencia.
02:13
I wanted to document on film
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Quería documentar en una película
02:15
the 2008 presidential elections.
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las elecciones presidenciales de 2008.
02:18
And there, I started by searching
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Y, allí, comencé por buscar
02:21
for the footprints in my childhood.
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las huellas de mi niñez.
02:23
And before I even knew it,
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Y, antes de darme cuenta,
02:25
I was suddenly on a stage
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de pronto estaba en un escenario
02:27
surrounded by thousands of cheering people
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rodeado por miles de personas que vitoreaban
02:29
during a political rally.
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durante una congregación política.
02:31
And I realized that, when I'd left the country,
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Y me dí cuenta de que, cuando abandoné el país,
02:34
free and fair elections in a democratic environment
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las elecciones libres y justas en un ambiente democrático
02:37
were a dream.
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eran tan sólo un sueño.
02:39
And now that I'd returned, that dream had become reality,
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Y ahora que regresé, ese sueño se había vuelto realidad,
02:42
though a fragile reality.
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aunque una realidad frágil.
02:44
And I was thinking,
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Y pensé:
02:46
was Ghana searching for its identity
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¿Ghana buscaba su identidad,
02:48
like I was looking for my identity?
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como yo buscaba la mía?
02:50
Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor
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¿Acaso lo que sucedía en Ghana era una metáfora
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for what was happening in me?
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de lo que me sucedía a mí?
02:56
And it was as if through the standards of my Western life,
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Y fue como si a través de las normas de mi vida occidental
03:02
I hadn't lived up to my full potential.
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no hubiese desarrollado todo mi potencial.
03:05
I mean, nor had Ghana,
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Y Ghana tampoco,
03:07
even though we had been trying very hard.
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aunque lo habíamos estado intentando mucho.
03:09
Now in 1957,
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En 1957,
03:11
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country
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Ghana fue la primera nación subsahariana
03:13
to gain its independence.
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en obtener su independencia.
03:15
In the late 50s,
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Al final de la década del 50
03:17
Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP.
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Ghana y Singapur tenían el mismo PBI.
03:20
I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country
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Y digo, actualmente, Singapur es un país del primer mundo
03:23
and Ghana is not.
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y Ghana no lo es.
03:26
But maybe it was time to prove to myself,
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Pero quizá era momento de probarme a mí mismo
03:29
yes, it's important to understand the past,
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que sí, es importante entender el pasado,
03:31
it is important to look at it in a different light,
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es importante verlo bajo una perspectiva diferente,
03:35
but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture
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pero quizás deberíamos ver las fortalezas de nuestra propia cultura
03:39
and build on those foundations in the present.
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y construir a partir de esas bases en el presente.
03:43
So here I was, December 7th, 2008.
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Allí estaba, el 7 de diciembre de 2008.
03:48
The polling stations opened to the voters at 7:00 AM,
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Las urnas se abrieron para los votantes a las 7 AM,
03:53
but voters, eager to take their own political fate into their hands,
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pero los votantes, ansiosos de tomar el destino político en sus propias manos
03:57
were starting to line up at 4:00 AM in the morning.
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comenzaron a hacer la cola a las 4 de la mañana.
04:00
And they had traveled from near, they had traveled from far,
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Y venían de cerca y de lejos,
04:03
because they wanted to make their voices heard.
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porque querían hacer oír sus voces.
04:05
And I asked one of the voters, I said, "Whom are you going to vote for?"
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Y le pregunté a uno de los votantes: "¿Por quién va a votar?"
04:08
And he said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."
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Y me contestó: "Lo siento, no puedo decírselo".
04:11
He said that his vote was in his heart.
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Dijo que su voto estaba en su corazón.
04:14
And I understood, this was their election,
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Y comprendí que esta era su elección,
04:17
and they weren't going to let anyone
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y que no iban a dejar que nadie
04:19
take it away from them.
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se las arrebatara.
04:21
Now the first round of the voting didn't bring forth a clear winner --
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La primera vuelta no produjo un ganador definitivo,
04:24
so nobody had achieved the absolute majority --
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nadie logró la mayoría absoluta,
04:28
so voting went into a second round three weeks later.
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así que hubo segunda vuelta 3 semanas más tarde.
04:31
The candidates were back on the road; they were campaigning.
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Los candidatos estaban de nuevo en carrera haciendo campaña.
04:34
The rhetoric of the candidates, of course, changed.
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La retórica de los candidatos, por supuesto, cambió.
04:36
The heat was on.
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Se acaloró.
04:38
And then the cliche came to haunt us.
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Y luego vino el lugar común.
04:43
There were claims of intimidation
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Había acusaciones de intimidación
04:45
at the polling stations,
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en las mesas de votación,
04:47
of ballot boxes being stolen.
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de robo de urnas.
04:51
Inflated results started coming in
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Empezaron a llegar resultados inflados
04:54
and the mob was starting to get out of control.
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y la muchedumbre comenzaba a salirse de control.
04:57
We witnessed the eruption of violence in the streets.
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Fuimos testigos de un estallido de violencia en las calles.
05:01
People were being beaten brutally.
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Golpeaban a las personas de manera brutal.
05:04
The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.
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El ejército comenzó a hacer uso de las armas. La gente estaba descontrolada.
05:07
It was complete chaos.
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Era un caos total.
05:09
And my heart sank,
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Y se me cayó el alma a los pies
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because I thought, here we are again.
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porque pensé, aquí estamos nuevamente.
05:13
Here is another proof
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He aquí otra prueba
05:15
that the African is not capable of governing himself.
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de que los africanos son incapaces de gobernarse a así mismos.
05:18
And not only that, I am documenting it --
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Y no solo eso, lo estoy documentando,
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documenting my own cultural shortcomings.
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documentando las flaquezas de mi propia cultura.
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So when the echo of the gunshots
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Y mientras el eco de los disparos
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had lingered,
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toddavía resonaba,
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it was soon drowned by the chanting of the mob,
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pronto fue opacado por el canto de la multitud,
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and I didn't believe what I was hearing.
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y no podía creer lo que estaba oyendo.
05:34
They were chanting, "We want peace.
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Cantaban: "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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Y me dí cuenta de que eso tenía que venir del pueblo.
05:42
After all, they decide,
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Después de todo, ellos son quienes deciden,
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and they did.
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y así fue.
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So the sounds that were before distorted and loud,
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Entonces el sonido que antes era confuso y enérgico,
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were suddenly a melody.
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de pronto se convirtió en una melodía.
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The sounds of the voices were harmonious.
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El sonido de sus voces era armonioso.
05:56
So it could happen.
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Entonces era posible.
05:59
A democracy could be upheld peacefully.
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Una democracia podía sostenerse en paz.
06:02
It could be, by the will of the masses
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Era posible, por la voluntad de las masas,
06:05
who were now urgently pressing
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que ahora presionaba apremiante
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with all their heart and all their will
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con todo su corazón y su afán
06:09
for peace.
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por la paz.
06:11
Now here's an interesting comparison.
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Aquí hay una comparación interesante.
06:14
We in the West,
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En Occidente
06:16
we preach the values,
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predicamos los valores,
06:18
the golden light of democracy,
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la luz dorada de la democracia,
06:21
that we are the shining example of how it's done.
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que somos el claro ejemplo de cómo debe ser.
06:24
But when it comes down to it,
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Pero al ponerlo en práctica
06:27
Ghana found itself in the same place
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Ghana se encontró en la misma situación
06:31
in which the U.S. election stalled
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que cuando en Estados Unidos se estancaron
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in the 2000 presidential elections --
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las elecciones presidenciales del 2000:
06:35
Bush versus Gore.
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Bush vs. Gore.
06:38
But instead of the unwillingness of the candidates
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Pero en lugar de la falta de voluntad de los candidatos
06:41
to allow the system to proceed and the people to decide,
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para permitir que el sistema continúe y que el pueblo decida,
06:44
Ghana honored democracy
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Ghana honró la democracia
06:47
and its people.
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y a su pueblo.
06:49
It didn't leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide;
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No dejó que fuera una decisión de la Suprema Corte,
06:52
the people did.
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sino del pueblo.
06:55
Now the second round of voting
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La segunda vuelta
06:58
did not bring forth a clear winner either.
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tampoco reveló un ganador definitivo.
07:00
I mean, it was so incredibly close.
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Quiero decir, estuvo muy reñida.
07:02
The electoral commissioner declared,
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El comisionado electoral declaró,
07:05
with the consent of the parties,
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con el consentimiento de los partidos,
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to run an unprecedented
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llevar a cabo un segundo ballotage
07:09
second re-run.
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sin precedentes.
07:11
So the people went back to the polls
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Entonces las personas acudieron nuevamente a las urnas
07:15
to determine their own president,
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para definir su presidente ellos mismos,
07:17
not the legal system.
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no el sistema legal.
07:19
And guess what, it worked.
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¿Y qué creen? Funcionó.
07:23
The defeated candidate
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El candidato derrotado
07:25
gave up power
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abandonó el poder
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and made way for Ghana to move into a new democratic cycle.
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y cedió el lugar para que Ghana ingresara en un nuevo ciclo democrático.
07:30
I mean, at the absolute time
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Y, quiero decir, en el momento justo
07:32
for the absolute need of democracy,
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de una necesidad absoluta de democracia,
07:34
they did not abuse their power.
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no abusaron de su poder.
07:39
The belief in true democracy and in the people runs deep,
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La fe en la verdadera democracia y en el pueblo es muy profunda,
07:43
proving that the African is capable of governing himself.
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demostrando que los africanos son capaces de gobernarse a sí mismos.
07:48
Now the uphill battle for Ghana and for Africa
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Pero la cuesta arriba para Ghana y para África
07:51
is not over,
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aún no termina,
07:53
but I have proof that the other side of democracy exists,
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pero tengo pruebas de que existe el otro lado de la democracia,
07:57
and that we must not take it for granted.
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y que no debemos tomarlo a la ligera.
08:00
Now I have learned
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Aprendí
08:02
that my place is not just in the West or in Africa,
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que mi lugar no es sólo en Occidente o en África,
08:06
and I'm still searching
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aún sigo buscando
08:08
for my identity,
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mi identidad,
08:10
but I saw Ghana
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pero ví a Ghana
08:13
create democracy better.
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crear una mejor democracia.
08:15
Ghana taught me
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Ghana me enseñó
08:17
to look at people differently
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a mirar a las personas de una manera diferente;
08:19
and to look at myself differently.
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a mirarme a mí mismo de una manera diferente.
08:22
And yes,
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Y sí,
08:24
we Africans can.
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nosotros, los africanos, podemos.
08:26
Thank you.
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Gracias.
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