FACE TO FACE

86 OPENSPACE NOVEMBER 2014

Face to Face

An African Election Political Safari“democracy (is) a learning process, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of the people it (is) supposed to protect…”

Jarreth Merz

Jarreth Merz is a Swiss-Ghanaian filmmaker, actor and producer who made his film “An African

Election” with OSIWA’s support. The documentary took two years to make and premiered at

the Sundance Film Festival. It later went on to win several awards, including at the Sundance

Film Festival and the AMA Awards in Nigeria. The film project also included a mobile cinema

outreach campaign in West Africa and was dubbed into five local languages – reaching more

than 25,000 people in first its first six weeks.

OSIWA: Tell us what prompted you to make a

film on elections in Africa? And why on Ghana

specifically, (aside from it being a country

where you spent your childhood)?

Jarreth: Africa is mostly depicted as a develop-

ing continent in the media, trying to catch up

to its Western counterparts. Spending most of

my adulthood in Europe and the United States

my memories of the Africa of my childhood

had began being blurred and mixed with the

images I was being fed by the Western media.

The image of Africa was always that of a

continent in despair, fueled by armed conflicts,

hunger and corruption. The exception to that

was of course the rich animal world, usually

portrayed in beautiful high definition images

and highly appreciated by viewers around the

world as a form of meditational distraction. I

was ready to reexamine culture and people,

to create my own images of the Africa I knew

best, Ghana. Together with my brother, Kevin

Merz, we decided to continue our adventure

of making films in and about Africa, documen-

taries to be more precise, that would serve as

contemporary examples to a broad audience,

produced with narrative depth, entertaining

and powerful images. Little did I know at the

time it was going to be a film about the 2008

presidential elections in Ghana. Together with

our father we were brainstorming on what

could be a unique angle of telling an African

story. After many discussions we decided to

make a film about the presidential elections,

something we found hadn’t been done in the

way we attempted to. The goal was to tell the

story from the inside, which we anticipated

was going to be the greatest challenge. But in

effect it ended up being one of the many chal-

lenges we were going to face. I remember clearly

a day when we had ran out of funds, the film

was funded by ourselves and through Tiziana

Soudani, a visionary and risk it all producer, who

managed to get the Swiss TV RSI on board. At

some point though we were out of cash and

the presidential campaign was in full swing.

This meant chasing all the candidates around

the country and needing a lot of fuel to do so.

With our pockets empty our project once again

seemed doomed, but we came across a system

that would allow for us to maintain our neutral-

ity, we made sure each political party would take

turns in sponsoring a full tank!

OSIWA: Who was the audience you had in mind

while making the film? How did you manage to

tailor the film to meet the specific sensibilities

of both an African and a Western audience?

Jarreth: First and foremost we were looking at

telling a story we ourselves were interested in,

which explains why the film is not narrated or

commented on, but unfolds through the eyes

We were hoping to give Western audiences a slice of an African political reality with all its challenges and frailties and how Ghanaians dealt with the obstacles they encountered. For Ghanaians and other African viewers we were hoping to give them a unique insight into their political processes, allowing them to eavesdrop onto what is otherwise hidden from them.

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of an observer as the action unfolds. The topic

itself lends itself to engage a local audience. The

challenge would be to entice a broader and inter-

national viewership and to keep them interested

for 90 minutes. Who would want to watch poli-

ticians in a far away country competing for the

presidency, when people were hardly interested

in their own political spheres. Here is where I

decided to revert to a classic three-act formula

and tools from the American entertainment

industry to create a thrilling political experience

with social ingredients.

OSIWA: How do you see the level of electoral

engagement of citizens in West Africa as

compared to that in the West?

Jarreth: From what I have seen and there are of

course exceptions, the electoral engagement in

West Africa is based on more existential needs

than in the West. Meaning that in West Africa

you are still going to the ballot box to improve

your life and for it to meet a minimum standard,

a standard that we have already achieved in the

West. For example, healthcare, political and

economic stability, access to education and tools

to exercise your civil rights. This and the statis-

tics of electoral engagement, which is mostly

above 80% compared to the average 50% in the

West makes me believe that electoral engage-

ment is higher in West Africa.

OSIWA: You gain an impressive amount of

access to political candidates, and to the

political room. How did you get this?

Jarreth: I am patient! We set out to film three

months prior to the elections and by the time the

heat was on the different political parties had

gotten used to us traveling with them and filming

in front and behind the scenes. Our cameras had

almost become invisible to them. I say almost

because there were very delicate moments in

which doors were shut before us. Nonetheless

we were able to gain the trust of most players,

especially the crucial electoral body and its

chairman, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. We gained

unprecedented access to the “strong room”,

the off-limits area in which all the votes from

around the country were tallied and signed off

by the parties and the electoral commissioner.

I wasn’t out to gather sensational footage, but

rather to get a sense of the complexities of the

electoral processes and therefore I needed eve-

rybody’s fullest trust. With some we gained it

and sealed it with a gentleman’s agreement with

others we didn’t, so it goes. One must add that

our family was known within the political realm

and therefore we had a calling card by which we

were measured.

OSIWA: What do you hope Western audiences

will take away from this film? What do you

hope African audiences will take away from

this film? In actuality, what were the reactions?

Where you surprised in any way? How did poli-

ticians react?

Jarreth: We were hoping to give Western

audiences a slice of an African political reality

with all its challenges and frailties and how

Ghanaians dealt with the obstacles they en-

countered. For Ghanaians and other African

viewers we were hoping to give them a unique

insight into their political processes, allowing

them to eavesdrop onto what is otherwise

hidden from them. The reactions were overall

overwhelming. Western audiences thanking us

for showing them a positive, yet critical example

and image of Africa, sharing with us their feeling

Despite disputed

electoral result, the nation came

together, had a critical dialogue

across the political landscape, but in

the end peacefully accepted the

results.

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88 OPENSPACE NOVEMBER 2014

of having been inspired by the passion displayed

by Ghanaian voters and the discipline and pro-

fessional respect exercised by the presidential

candidates. Local audiences were mesmerized

to be given a glimpse behind what are usually

closed doors. Most were grateful for portray-

ing people with dignity and humanity, they felt

proud and empowered. Others felt that we could

have created a more positive image of Ghana

and that there were too many clichés in the

way we depicted the people of Ghana, my own

countrymen and women! The most enchant-

ing comment was from an audience member I

believe in Madagascar who asked how we got

to cast such terrific actors, they really believed

it was all staged! One of the greatest compli-

ments for us, if you ask me! Some politicians

thought it was a great mirror and lesson learnt

for society others felt they were not presented

well enough. All political sides complained, that

their message had not been brought across ad-

equately to which I responded that we weren’t

making a propaganda film for any political party.

OSIWA: What was the most challenging part

of making this film?

Jarreth: Hmm! You just got me on that question,

the usual answer would be putting together

financing, trying to convince people that this is a

project that will impact human kind, malaria and

other diseases, equipment theft, being caught

between police and rioters as brick stones rained

upon us, evacuating the crew, etc. But I will say

that after filming over 220 hours of film material,

to sit down and go through all the footage and to

create the story by condensing it into 90 minutes

was the most challenging to me, a glimpse of

madness! It took us over a year to do so.

OSIWA: In what ways did documenting this

election period make you optimistic about the

future of Africa’s democracies? Pessimistic?

Jarreth: The vibrant participation in the elections

in Ghana, the will to tackle problems within the

electoral system and processes, both were

inspiring to say the least. Despite disputed

electoral result, the nation came together, had

a critical dialogue across the political landscape,

but in the end peacefully accepted the results.

A key to the success was further the accept-

ance of the results by the defeated parties.

What worries me though is the widening gap

between poor and rich, the winner takes it all

mentality and the accepted levels of corruption.

There is a lack of vision among African leaders

who mostly focus on quick fixes, but where have

those quick fixes really brought us in the last 50

years? When looked at it from the ouside, there

is growth, African cities are growing, high risers

are being built and it superficially looks as if we

have tied with the modern world. But when you

All political sides complained, that their message had not been brought across adequately to which I responded that we weren’t making a propaganda film for any political party.

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step into those building you realise that elevators

don’t work and you still have to walk up those

floors to get to the top, there are no shortcuts

to sustainability.

OSIWA: Your filmmaking style is very

American – both in form and content. How does

it contrast with traditional filmmaking styles

in West Africa? What influence, if any, do you

see your style and that of other American film-

makers having on local filmmakers and this

cinematic tradition?

Jarreth: Absolutely right, thrilling and entertain-

ing cinema is what I like, but there also needs

to be depth to it. Otherwise the audience will

feel cheated in the end. Despite our limited

resources we decided to create epic images or at

least to attempt to do so, anything less wouldn’t

be good enough. Sometimes we achieved that -

and even more - and other times…well don’t get

me started! Good storytelling is always magical

and we in Africa have perfected that tradition.

We just haven’t commercialized it like other

countries or nations have. I was inspired at a very

early age by a film called: “Love brewed in an

African pot”, a film by Kwaw Ansah, a Ghanaian

filmmaker. I studied film in Europe and in the US,

so I mix it all up, by default. I also try to work

with the best people in the film industry; they

make up for my shortcomings. I recently saw

a documentary and thought: Wow, they really

watched An African Election and used elements

of our filmmaking “style”. But then again that

might be wishful thinking. Okay, back to your

question: Yes, Western filmmaking has strongly

influenced our film culture in Africa, the way we

see and express ourselves, but we have never

given up our uniqueness in storytelling. Here is

my only criticism: The technical tools to imitate

the visual and audio quality of our eyes and ears

are available, why do we in so many cases settle

with substandard production results?!

OSIWA: What can the West learn from Africa

in terms of election preparation?

Jarreth: Dear West, please invite African

observers to monitor your elections, they are

skilled and will immediately detect any form of

irregularities, they are used to them! Many claim

that the 2000 elections between Bush vs. Gore

were not as democratic as the 2008 presidential

elections in Ghana, that in Ghana the people

decided who would be their next president and

not the Supreme Court as was the case in the US.

So I believe the West can and must learn from

the entire electoral processes and be reminded

that one must not take democracy for granted,

it is a complex yet fragile creature that needs a

lot of nurturing.

OSIWA: What can Africa learn from the West

in the same regard?

Jarreth: Democracy can work; it has proven to

do so in the West. It is a tool that can help create

stability, which in itself is a nurturing ground for

progress and social justice. Every citizen of the

world deserves this, no matter the color of your

skin, your income, your religious background,

your political affiliation and sexual orientation.

OSIWA: What kind of democracy do you think

Africa needs?

Jarreth: Democracy starts with me, here and

now, the way I interact with people. Only when

I live it in my day to day life, can I apply it to

a political environment and truly understand

its nature and impact. In other words, it has to

become a part of my way of living and thinking.

I can only say that democracy is not a

Western invention, there are democratic struc-

tures in African culture that go way back in time

before Europe entered the Middle Ages or the

United States fought their civil war. What form

of democratic structures are we relating to here?

Democracy is deeply embedded in the African

culture, for example the Ashanti culture is full

of democratic structures. Maybe we should

look at what is there already and enrich what

we have with complimentary democratic tools

Democracy starts with

me, here and now, the way I interact

with people.

FACE TO FACE

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that have proven successful over time. A student

once asked me when we screened the film at a

university in Conakry, Guinea, if I believed that

democracy would work for them. I told him

that I didn’t know for sure, that democracy was

a learning process, but that it shouldn’t be at

the expense of the people it was supposed to

protect. That democracy was a system operated

by people and therefore had its weaknesses,

but that if it had a cultural relevance it could

be implemented successfully. That people had

to agree on rules of conduct in order to play a

fair game and that it was important to know the

rules.

This is what inspired our social media outreach

campaign: A Political Safari, to share with

audiences around the world a positive example

of An African Election and to raise awareness by

traveling with a mobile cinema around African

countries with impending elections, hosting

capacity building workshops and empowering

through knowledge. Democracy is not a perfect

system, but it is an ancient construct that has

proven to facilitate peaceful and stable environ-

ments, which is the basis for equitable progress

and growth.

http://www.politicalsafari.org/TITLE_PAGE.

html (produced in collaboration with OSIWA)

OSIWA: Why are you focusing your next film

on the Commissioner specifically?

Jarreth: The Commissioner is a follow up to

our film, which is already more than four years

old. I wanted to revisit the scene of events and

see what lessons history has taught us. What

change did the elections bring to the people

of Ghana and did the culture of democracy

really find its stronghold in Ghana as is often

claimed. The Chairman of the Electoral Com-

mission of Ghana will help us answer some of

these questions.

Jarreth’s final note:

Maybe it is time for us to ask what kind of Africa

does democracy need? I wish for an Africa,

where people have access to water and food,

as a basic right of a citizen. An Africa where

people can find an education that will allow them

to study abroad and a job market that is built on

what Africans have and not what they could have

to begin with. I want an African life to be worth

more than the current running value, any life

for that matter. If truly every life counts, if every

person matters, so will democracy.

Times are always changing, but one of the

most impacting political cycles is coming to an

end before our eyes; the fall of dictators born

and bread in the wake of the Cold War. The Arab

Spring has revealed a new political generation

and political consciousness. This is our time to

make choices that we want to be held account-

able for. We live in a very fast paced world and

most of us are connected through social media.

We know what is happening, sometimes the

flow of information is overwhelming and there

is the danger of becoming numb and indifferent.

I try to remind myself that behind every story

there is a person and that it is just as important

in the scope of things as my own.