AN AFRICAN ELECTION {MOTION PICTURE}
Summary
A documentary about Ghana’s 2008 presidential election. The film also includes “Thembi’s AIDS Diary,” a short animated film set to the audio diary of a young African girl with AIDS. Thembi, 19, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 HIV, meaning she has AIDS. She recounts accidentally receiving the disease from her ex-boyfriend, as well as accidentally giving it to her current boyfriend. Despite her condition, she seems at ease with herself. The epilogue notes that her diary was broadcast on NPR and she toured the United States. Thembi passed away on June 5th, 2009. Ghana’s 2008 presidential election attracts a great deal of fervor and enthusiasm from both the Ghanaian people and from the international community. Ghana is often cited as one of the more successful implementations of democracy in Africa. In 2008, the race is between two candidates: Professor John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, and Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party. Both sides make similar campaign promises to bring an end to poverty and social injustice in Ghana. In the Ghanaian political scene, the NPP is viewed as being more conservative, while the NDC is viewed as more progressive. Atta Mills believes that Akufo-Addo represents a more “traditional” view of politics as being a delineation of property rather than a concern for the governed people. Akufo-Addo, for his part, does not approve of the NDC, as they originally came into power by way of violence. In 1957, Ghana became the first African nation to gain political independence. Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, had a vision of a free and politically conscious nation. However, many believe that the problems of Nkrumah’s presidency were that he failed to dismantle many of the systems put in place by British colonist rule of Ghana, creating societal friction. He also prevented opposition to his party from forming. This led to his overthrow by the National Liberation Council in 1966. The political structure of Ghana has shifted immensely since then, and continues to do so in present day. Meanwhile, poor people of Ghana issue complaints about poverty and economic inequalities. The NPP and NDC hold their final rallies in preparation for the coming election. The NDC and Atta Mills are supported by former president Jerry Rawlings, once a member of the military who led a violent coup against the Ghanaian government in 1979. He espoused his philosophy that government officials in Ghana inevitably become corrupt, necessitating his takeover. Despite the violent nature of his assumption of leadership, Rawlings paved the way for free modern elections in Ghana. His term expired in the year 1992; Atta Mills was his vice-president and was selected to run in Rawlings’ party. The NDC fears dissolution if it loses the 2008 election. Officials of the African Union Observers meet with Rawlings to discuss the upcoming election. There are concerns that the vote may be tampered with or disrupted, but hopes remain high. Ghana is called a “trailblazer” for democracy in Africa. Election day arrives and hosts a huge turnout. Police are on hand to assist with the proceedings. Tensions increase when it becomes clear that the polling stations are not equipped to handle so many people, some of whom have been waiting for ten or more hours. Some potential voters become angry at being denied their chance to vote. The military is called in to provide support and lighting for the voters. The polling stations close and voters watch as the votes are counted at each station before being sent to a collation center for aggregation. Since neutral polling officials are not necessarily feasible, there are efforts made to “work integrity into the system.” The day after voting the results are faxed to the “Strong Room,” where officials from both parties are to sort out the total votes and determine the winner before the announcement is made to the public. The atmosphere in the Strong Room is chaotic and arguments break out over the skewing of some figures. Both parties claim victory, but neither one has any significant lead in the voting results. Two days later the electoral commission reveals that since no one candidate scored more than fifty percent of the vote, in accordance with Ghanaian law there will be a run-off election to determine the winner. Both parties campaign for the second election. African Union Observers meet with Rawlings again to discuss how to conduct the run-off election without an “explosion.” The run-off commences, but soon problems arise: there are reports of “macho men” loitering around polling stations and intimidating voters away. There are also accusations of foul play leveled at both parties, including allegations that ballot boxes are being stolen so as to manipulate the results. The police and military do their best to keep angry mobs under control. The police report that, despite the allegations, no ballot boxes are missing. The results of the run-off election arrive in the Strong Room, but there is some question as to the nature of the voting figures. Heated arguments break out among some of the voting analysts in the Strong Room and Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, head of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, is called in to resolve it. Tensions are high and people are gathering in the streets; there are fears that violence could break out if the situation goes unresolved. However, no violence erupts and the next day Dr. Afari-Gyan announces that the election results are too close to call. One of Ghana’s 28 constituencies, Tain, did not send votes due to some polling difficulty; it is announced that Tain will hold its election to decide the outcome of the run-off. The polling station in Tain opens, receiving a low turnout. Finally Professor Atta Mills is declared the winner of the election and Ghana’s new president. Akufo-Addo seems disappointed with the results, but content that his nation did not, like other African nations, descend into civil war as a result of the democratic process. Atta Mills is inaugurated days later, and Dr. Afari-Gyan expresses his belief in the “power of the vote.”
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 0200
- RUNNING TIME: 1:33:24
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 106047
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Thembi's AIDS Diary"
- Joe Richman … Producer
- Anayansi Diaz-Cortez … Producer
- Jisoo Kim … Animation
- Andy Studer … Music by
- For "An African Election"
- Franco Agustoni … Executive Producer
- Brigitte Agustoni … Executive Producer
- Jarreth Merz … Producer, Director
- Luisella Rialini … Co-Producer
- Silvana Bezzola Rigolini … Co-Producer
- Tiziana Soudani … Co-Producer
- Kevin Merz … Director
- Erika Tasini … Writer
- Shari Yantra Marcacci … Writer
- Patrick Kirst … Music by
- Ghanaba (See also: Guy Warren) … Music by
- John Atta Mills … Cast
- Kwadwo Afari-Gyan … Cast
- Nana Akufo-Addo … Cast
- Jerry Rawlings … Cast
- Baffour Agyeman-Duah … Cast
- Nicholas Westcott … Cast
- John Kufuor … Cast
- Kwesi Pratt … Cast
- Paa Kwesi Nduom … Cast
- Kwasi Amoafo-Yeboah … Cast
- Edward Mahama … Cast
- Sekou Nkrumah … Cast
- Hannah Tettah … Cast
- Kwaku Sintim-Misa … Cast
- Moses Imoro … Cast
- Nich Adi-Dako … Cast
- Mahamudu Bawumia … Cast
- Nana Kowadu Rawlings … Cast
- Amos Sawyer … Cast
- E. K. Asare … Cast
- Kobby Acheampong … Cast
- Kwabena Agyepong … Cast
- Rojo Mettle … Cast
- Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey … Cast
- Kwabena Adjei … Cast
- Peter Mac Manu … Cast
- Nikolai Mladenov … Cast
- Sylvester A. Mensah … Cast
- Francis Ameyibor … Cast
- Tony Aidoo … Cast
- Kwame Nkrumah