TEDGlobal 2011
Jarreth Merz: Filming democracy in Ghana
Jarreth Merz: Memfilmkan demokrasi di Ghana
Filmed:
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Jarreth Merz, seorang Swiss-Ghana pembuat film, datang ke Ghana tahun 2008 untuk memfilmkan pemilihan umum. Yang dia lihat di sana memberikan pelajaran baru tentang demokrasi -- dan tentang dirinya sendiri.
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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Saya dilahirkan di Swiss
00:19
and raised in Ghana, West Africa.
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dan dibesarkan di Ghana, Afrika Barat.
00:22
Ghana felt safe to me as a child.
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Bagi saya yang seorang anak, Ghana terasa aman.
00:24
I was free, I was happy.
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Saya bebas, saya bahagia.
00:28
The early 70s
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Awal tahun 70-an
00:30
marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.
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menandai era kesempurnaan musik dan artistik di Ghana.
00:33
But then by the end of the decade,
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Tapi pada akhir dekade itu,
00:35
the country had fallen back into political instability
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negara ini telah jatuh kembali ke ketidakstabilan politik
00:38
and mismanagement.
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dan kesalahan pengelolaan.
00:42
In 1979,
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Pada tahun 1979,
00:44
I witnessed my first military coup.
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saya menyaksikan kudeta militer pertama saya.
00:48
We the children had gathered at a friend's house.
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Kami anak-anak berkumpul di rumah teman.
00:51
It was a dimly lit shack.
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Itu gubuk dengan sedikit penerangan.
00:53
There was a beaten up black and white television
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Ada sebuah televisi hitam putih yang sudah usang
00:55
flickering in the background,
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menyala di ruangan itu,
00:58
and a former head of state and general
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dan mantan kepala negara dan jenderal
01:00
was being blindfolded
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yang ditutup matanya
01:02
and tied to the pole.
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dan diikat di tiang.
01:04
The firing squad aimed, fired --
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Regu menembak membidik, menembak -
01:07
the general was dead.
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jenderal itu tewas.
01:09
Now this was being broadcast live.
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Ini disiarkan secara langsung.
01:12
And shortly after, we left the country,
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Setelah itu, kami meninggalkan negara itu.
01:15
and we returned to Switzerland.
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dan kembali ke Swiss.
01:17
Now Europe came as a shock to me,
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Ternyata Eropa sangat mengejutkan bagi saya,
01:20
and I think I started feeling the need
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dan saya mulai merasa perlu
01:23
to shed my skin in order to fit in.
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berganti kulit agar bisa membaur.
01:26
I wanted to blend in like a chameleon.
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Saya ingin membaur seperti bunglon.
01:28
I think it was a tactic of survival.
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Itu semacam taktik untuk bertahan hidup.
01:31
And it worked, or so I believed.
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Dan itu berhasil, atau setidaknya menurut saya.
01:34
So here I was in 2008
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Jadi di sinilah saya tahun 2008
01:39
wondering where I was in my life.
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bertanya-tanya di mana tempat saya.
01:42
And I felt I was being typecast as an actor.
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Saya seperti aktor yang hanya bermain peran khusus.
01:45
I was always playing the exotic African.
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Saya selalu berperan sebagai orang Afrika.
01:48
I was playing the violent African,
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Saya berperan sebagai orang Afrika yang liar,
01:50
the African terrorist.
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teroris Afrika.
01:52
And I was thinking,
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Dan saya berpikir,
01:54
how many terrorists could I possibly play
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berapa banyak peran teroris harus saya mainkan
01:56
before turning into one myself?
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sebelum saya benar berubah menjadi teroris?
01:59
And I had become ashamed of the other,
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Saya menjadi malu dengan sebagian diri saya,
02:02
the African in me.
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diri Afrika.
02:05
And fortunately I decided in 2008
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Untungnya tahun 2008, saya memutuskan
02:08
to return to Ghana,
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untuk kembali ke Ghana,
02:10
after 28 years of absence.
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setelah pergi 28 tahun.
02:13
I wanted to document on film
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Saya ingin membuat film dokumenter
02:15
the 2008 presidential elections.
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pemilihan presiden tahun 2008.
02:18
And there, I started by searching
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Di sana saya mulai dengan mencari
02:21
for the footprints in my childhood.
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jejak kaki masa kecil saya.
02:23
And before I even knew it,
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Sebelum saya sadar,
02:25
I was suddenly on a stage
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tiba-tiba saya berada di panggung
02:27
surrounded by thousands of cheering people
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dikelilingi oleh ribuan orang bersorak-sorai
02:29
during a political rally.
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dalam pawai politik.
02:31
And I realized that, when I'd left the country,
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Saya ingat bahwa, saat saya pergi dari negara itu,
02:34
free and fair elections in a democratic environment
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pemilihan yang bebas dan adil di lingkungan yang demokratis
02:37
were a dream.
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hanyalah mimpi bagi kami.
02:39
And now that I'd returned, that dream had become reality,
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Sekarang saat saya kembali, mimpi itu telah menjadi nyata,
02:42
though a fragile reality.
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meski pun kenyataan yang masih rentan.
02:44
And I was thinking,
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Saya berpikir,
02:46
was Ghana searching for its identity
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Apakah Ghana mencari identitasnya
02:48
like I was looking for my identity?
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seperti saya mencari identitas saya?
02:50
Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor
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Apakah yang terjadi di Ghana adalah metafora
02:52
for what was happening in me?
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untuk apa yang terjadi pada diri saya?
02:56
And it was as if through the standards of my Western life,
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Seakan-akan, dilihat dari standar hidup Barat saya,
03:02
I hadn't lived up to my full potential.
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saya belum hidup secara maksimal.
03:05
I mean, nor had Ghana,
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Maksud saya, begitu pula Ghana,
03:07
even though we had been trying very hard.
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meskipun kami sudah berusaha keras.
03:09
Now in 1957,
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Di tahun 1957,
03:11
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country
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Ghana adalah negara sub-Sahara pertama
03:13
to gain its independence.
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yang merdeka.
03:15
In the late 50s,
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Di akhir tahun 50-an,
03:17
Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP.
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Ghana dan Singapura punya GDP yang sama.
03:20
I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country
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Sekarang, Singapura adalah negara Dunia Pertama
03:23
and Ghana is not.
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dan Ghana bukan.
03:26
But maybe it was time to prove to myself,
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Tapi mungkin ini saatnya membuktikan diri saya,
03:29
yes, it's important to understand the past,
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ya, memang penting memahami masa lalu,
03:31
it is important to look at it in a different light,
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penting untuk melihatnya dari sisi yang berbeda,
03:35
but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture
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tapi mungkin kita harus melihat keunggulan budaya kita sendiri
03:39
and build on those foundations in the present.
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dan membangun di atasnya di masa ini.
03:43
So here I was, December 7th, 2008.
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Jadi di sini saya, 7 Desember 2008.
03:48
The polling stations opened to the voters at 7:00 AM,
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Tempat pemungutan suara buka pukul 7 pagi,
03:53
but voters, eager to take their own political fate into their hands,
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tapi pemilih yang bersemangat menentukan nasib politik negara,
03:57
were starting to line up at 4:00 AM in the morning.
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sudah mulai mengantre dari pukul 4 pagi.
04:00
And they had traveled from near, they had traveled from far,
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Mereka datang dari sekitar, datang dari jauh,
04:03
because they wanted to make their voices heard.
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karena ingin suara mereka didengar.
04:05
And I asked one of the voters, I said, "Whom are you going to vote for?"
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Saya bertanya kepada salah satu pemilih, "Siapa yang akan Anda pilih?"
04:08
And he said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."
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Dia bilang, "Maaf, saya tidak bisa bilang."
04:11
He said that his vote was in his heart.
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Dia bilang suaranya rahasia.
04:14
And I understood, this was their election,
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Saya mengerti, ini pemilihan mereka,
04:17
and they weren't going to let anyone
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dan mereka tidak ingin orang lain
04:19
take it away from them.
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mengambilnya dari mereka.
04:21
Now the first round of the voting didn't bring forth a clear winner --
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Putaran pertama pemilu itu tidak menghasilkan pemenang --
04:24
so nobody had achieved the absolute majority --
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tidak ada yang mencapai hasil mayoritas --
04:28
so voting went into a second round three weeks later.
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jadi pemilihan diteruskan ke putaran kedua tiga minggu kemudian.
04:31
The candidates were back on the road; they were campaigning.
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Para calon kembali turun ke jalan, berkampanye.
04:34
The rhetoric of the candidates, of course, changed.
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Tentu saja, retorika para calon berubah.
04:36
The heat was on.
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Suasana semakin panas.
04:38
And then the cliche came to haunt us.
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Kemudian kenangan buruk menghantui.
04:43
There were claims of intimidation
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Banyak klaim adanya intimidasi
04:45
at the polling stations,
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di tempat pemungutan suara,
04:47
of ballot boxes being stolen.
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kotak suara dicuri.
04:51
Inflated results started coming in
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Kabar hasil perhitungan yang dicurangi mulai muncul
04:54
and the mob was starting to get out of control.
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dan massa semakin tidak terkendali.
04:57
We witnessed the eruption of violence in the streets.
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Kami menyaksikan pecahnya kekerasan di jalanan.
05:01
People were being beaten brutally.
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Orang-orang dipukuli secara brutal.
05:04
The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.
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Tentara mulai menembakkan senjata. Orang-orang berlarian.
05:07
It was complete chaos.
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Sangat kacau.
05:09
And my heart sank,
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Hati saya sesak,
05:11
because I thought, here we are again.
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karena saya pikir, kita mulai lagi.
05:13
Here is another proof
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Inilah bukti lainnya
05:15
that the African is not capable of governing himself.
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bahwa orang Afrika tidak mampu mengelola dirinya sendiri.
05:18
And not only that, I am documenting it --
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Tidak hanya itu, saya mendokumentasikannya --
05:21
documenting my own cultural shortcomings.
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mendokumentasikan kegagalan budaya kami.
05:25
So when the echo of the gunshots
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Jadi ketika dentum suara tembakan
05:28
had lingered,
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perlahan hilang,
05:30
it was soon drowned by the chanting of the mob,
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suaranya semakin tenggelam oleh teriakan massa,
05:32
and I didn't believe what I was hearing.
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dan saya tidak percaya apa yang saya dengar.
05:34
They were chanting, "We want peace.
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Mereka berteriak, "Kami ingin damai.
05:36
We want peace."
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Kami ingin damai."
05:39
And I realized it had to come from the people.
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Saya sadar semua ini harus berasal dari rakyat.
05:42
After all, they decide,
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Lagi pula, mereka yang memutuskan,
05:44
and they did.
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dan mereka pun melakukannya.
05:46
So the sounds that were before distorted and loud,
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Jadi teriakan yang sebelumnya sumbang dan keras,
05:50
were suddenly a melody.
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tiba-tiba menjadi melodi.
05:53
The sounds of the voices were harmonious.
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Suara teriakan itu menjadi harmoni.
05:56
So it could happen.
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Jadi memang dapat terjadi.
05:59
A democracy could be upheld peacefully.
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Demokrasi dapat ditegakkan dengan cara damai.
06:02
It could be, by the will of the masses
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Dapat, dengan keinginan massa
06:05
who were now urgently pressing
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yang sekarang menuntut
06:07
with all their heart and all their will
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dengan segenap hati dan pikiran mereka
06:09
for peace.
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perdamaian.
06:11
Now here's an interesting comparison.
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Inilah perbandingan yang menarik.
06:14
We in the West,
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Kita di Barat
06:16
we preach the values,
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kita mengajarkan nilai-nilai,
06:18
the golden light of democracy,
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sinar keemasan demokrasi,
06:21
that we are the shining example of how it's done.
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bahwa kitalah contoh sempurna praktik demokrasi.
06:24
But when it comes down to it,
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Tapi bicara tentang demokrasi,
06:27
Ghana found itself in the same place
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Ghana berada di posisi yang sama
06:31
in which the U.S. election stalled
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dengan Amerika ketika pemilihan
06:33
in the 2000 presidential elections --
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presiden tahun 2000 berhenti --
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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Tapi alih-alih keengganan para calon untuk
06:41
to allow the system to proceed and the people to decide,
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mengizinkan sistem dilanjutkan dan rakyat menentukan,
06:44
Ghana honored democracy
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Ghana menghormati demokrasi
06:47
and its people.
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dan rakyatnya.
06:49
It didn't leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide;
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Ghana tidak membiarkan Mahkamah Agung memutuskan;
06:52
the people did.
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rakyatlah yang melakukannya.
06:55
Now the second round of voting
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Putaran kedua pemilihan
06:58
did not bring forth a clear winner either.
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juga tidak menghasilkan pemenang.
07:00
I mean, it was so incredibly close.
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Jumlahnya sangatlah dekat.
07:02
The electoral commissioner declared,
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Komisi pemilihan umum mengumumkan,
07:05
with the consent of the parties,
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dengan izin dari partai-partai,
07:07
to run an unprecedented
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untuk mengulang
07:09
second re-run.
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putaran kedua.
07:11
So the people went back to the polls
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Jadi orang-orang kembali ke tempat pemungutan
07:15
to determine their own president,
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untuk menentukan sendiri presiden mereka,
07:17
not the legal system.
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dan bukan ditentukan oleh sistem hukum.
07:19
And guess what, it worked.
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Coba tebak, itu berhasil.
07:23
The defeated candidate
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Calon yang kalah
07:25
gave up power
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menyerahkan kekuasaannya
07:27
and made way for Ghana to move into a new democratic cycle.
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dan memberi jalan kepada Ghana menuju siklus demokrasi yang baru.
07:30
I mean, at the absolute time
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Maksud saya, pada waktu yang absolut
07:32
for the absolute need of democracy,
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untuk tujuan demokrasi yang absolut,
07:34
they did not abuse their power.
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mereka tidak menyalahgunakan kekuasaan mereka.
07:39
The belief in true democracy and in the people runs deep,
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Kepercayaan akan demokrasi sejati dan akan rakyat memang ada,
07:43
proving that the African is capable of governing himself.
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membuktikan orang Afrika mampu mengatur diri mereka sendiri.
07:48
Now the uphill battle for Ghana and for Africa
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Perjuangan Ghana dan Afrika
07:51
is not over,
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belum selesai,
07:53
but I have proof that the other side of democracy exists,
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tapi saya punya bukti bahwa ada sisi lain demokrasi,
07:57
and that we must not take it for granted.
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dan kita tidak boleh menerimanya begitu saya.
08:00
Now I have learned
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Saya belajar
08:02
that my place is not just in the West or in Africa,
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bahwa tempat saya bukan hanya di Barat atau di Afrika,
08:06
and I'm still searching
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dan saya masih mencari
08:08
for my identity,
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identitas saya,
08:10
but I saw Ghana
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tapi saat saya melihat Ghana
08:13
create democracy better.
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membuat demokrasi menjadi lebih baik.
08:15
Ghana taught me
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Ghana mengajarkan saya
08:17
to look at people differently
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untuk melihat orang dengan cara berbeda
08:19
and to look at myself differently.
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dan melihat diri saya dengan cara berbeda.
08:22
And yes,
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Dan ya,
08:24
we Africans can.
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kami orang Afrika mampu.
08:26
Thank you.
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Terima kasih.
08:28
(Applause)
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(Tepuk tangan)
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