and raised in Ghana, West Africa.

我在瑞士出生

Ghana felt safe to me as a child.

在西非的迦納長大。

I was free, I was happy.

我小時候，迦納是個安全的地方。

The early 70s

我感到自由又開心。

marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.

1970年代初期

But then by the end of the decade,

迦納在音樂和藝術有卓越的發展。

the country had fallen back into political instability

但到了1970年代末期時，

and mismanagement.

這國家陷入政治動盪

In 1979,

和管理不善的局勢。

I witnessed my first military coup.

1979年，

We the children had gathered at a friend's house.

我首次親眼見證軍事政變。

It was a dimly lit shack.

我們這些小孩聚集在一個朋友家。

There was a beaten up black and white television

一間光線微暗的簡陋小屋。

flickering in the background,

裡面有一台破爛的黑白電視，

and a former head of state and general

螢幕背景閃爍不定，

was being blindfolded

有一位前任國家元首，也是將軍，

and tied to the pole.

被矇住眼睛

The firing squad aimed, fired --

且被綁在柱子上。

the general was dead.

行刑隊瞄準，開火 --

Now this was being broadcast live.

將軍死了。

And shortly after, we left the country,

當時這是實況轉播。

and we returned to Switzerland.

不久之後，我們離開迦納，

Now Europe came as a shock to me,

回到瑞士。

and I think I started feeling the need

歐洲帶給我很大的衝擊，

to shed my skin in order to fit in.

我想我開始認為

I wanted to blend in like a chameleon.

我需要卸下外表以求融入。

I think it was a tactic of survival.

我想要像隻變色龍一樣混入其中。

And it worked, or so I believed.

我想這是一種生存的策略。

So here I was in 2008

而這確實生效，或者我相信是這樣。

wondering where I was in my life.

到了2008年，

And I felt I was being typecast as an actor.

我對當時的人生感到困惑。

I was always playing the exotic African.

而且我覺得身為一個演員，我已經被定型。

I was playing the violent African,

我總是扮演外來的非洲人。

the African terrorist.

我扮演殘暴的非洲人，

And I was thinking,

非洲恐怖分子。

how many terrorists could I possibly play

而我想，

before turning into one myself?

再這樣繼續扮演恐怖分子，

And I had become ashamed of the other,

恐怕我自己真的也會變成恐怖分子？

the African in me.

而且我變得對另一個身分感到羞愧，

And fortunately I decided in 2008

我體內的非洲人。

to return to Ghana,

幸運的是，我在2008年決定

after 28 years of absence.

要回到迦納，

I wanted to document on film

在消失28年之後。

the 2008 presidential elections.

我要用影片紀錄

And there, I started by searching

2008年的總統選舉。

for the footprints in my childhood.

在那裡，我開始找尋

And before I even knew it,

我童年的足跡。

I was suddenly on a stage

在我發現之前，

surrounded by thousands of cheering people

突然間我在一個舞臺上

during a political rally.

被上千個歡呼的人們圍繞著，

And I realized that, when I'd left the country,

這是一個政治集會。

free and fair elections in a democratic environment

而且我了解到，當我之前離開這個國家時，

were a dream.

民主環境下的自由和公平的選舉

And now that I'd returned, that dream had become reality,

只是個夢想。

though a fragile reality.

當我回去時，這個夢想已經成真，

And I was thinking,

雖然仍是個極脆弱的事實。

was Ghana searching for its identity

於是我在想，

like I was looking for my identity?

迦納是否在尋找它的身分

Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor

如同我在尋找我的一般？

for what was happening in me?

發生在迦納的

And it was as if through the standards of my Western life,

是否象徵發生在我身上的事情？

I hadn't lived up to my full potential.

這彷彿是透過我西方生活的標準，

I mean, nor had Ghana,

我沒能完全發揮我的潛力。

even though we had been trying very hard.

我的意思是，迦納也沒有，

Now in 1957,

即使我們已經非常努力嘗試。

Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country

在1957年時，

to gain its independence.

迦納是第一個位於撒哈拉沙漠以南

In the late 50s,

取得獨立的國家。

Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP.

在1950年代末期，

I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country

迦納和新加坡有相同的國內生產總值。

and Ghana is not.

我指的是，今日，新加坡是第一世界的國家

But maybe it was time to prove to myself,

而迦納不是。

yes, it's important to understand the past,

但或許那時是該向我自己證明，

it is important to look at it in a different light,

是的，了解過去是很重要的事，

but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture

從另一個觀點看待它很重要，

and build on those foundations in the present.

但或許我們應該關注於我們自己文化中的優點

So here I was, December 7th, 2008.

將這些當作當下發展的基石。

The polling stations opened to the voters at 7:00 AM,

2008年12月7日，我人在那裡。

but voters, eager to take their own political fate into their hands,

投票所早上7點開放選民投票，

were starting to line up at 4:00 AM in the morning.

而渴望親手決定國家政治命運的選民們，

And they had traveled from near, they had traveled from far,

當天凌晨4點就開始排隊。

because they wanted to make their voices heard.

有人從附近過來，有人從遠方趕來，

And I asked one of the voters, I said, "Whom are you going to vote for?"

因為他們要自己的聲音被聽見。

And he said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."

於是我問其中一個選民，我說：「你要把票投給誰？」

He said that his vote was in his heart.

而他回答：「很抱歉，我不能告訴你。」

And I understood, this was their election,

他說他的選擇在他的心中。

and they weren't going to let anyone

我才了解，這是他們的選舉，

take it away from them.

而他們不會讓任何人

Now the first round of the voting didn't bring forth a clear winner --

剝奪他們的權利。

so nobody had achieved the absolute majority --

當第一輪投票的開票結果沒有產生明確的優勝者 --

so voting went into a second round three weeks later.

沒有一個參選者得到絕對多數的選票 --

The candidates were back on the road; they were campaigning.

三周之後選舉進入第二輪投票。

The rhetoric of the candidates, of course, changed.

參選者又回到路上；他們繼續宣傳。

The heat was on.

想當然而，參選者使用的言詞改變了。

And then the cliche came to haunt us.

氣氛愈來愈火爆。

There were claims of intimidation

接著舊戲碼上演紛擾人心。

at the polling stations,

投票所傳出

of ballot boxes being stolen.

有人遭受恐嚇，

Inflated results started coming in

還有投票箱被偷的消息。

and the mob was starting to get out of control.

誇張的消息開始散播，

We witnessed the eruption of violence in the streets.

大眾也開始失去控制。

People were being beaten brutally.

我們親眼見證暴力行為在街上爆發。

The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.

人們被殘暴地對待。

It was complete chaos.

軍隊開始開槍。人群竄動。

And my heart sank,

完全陷入混亂之中。

because I thought, here we are again.

而我的心也沉了下去，

Here is another proof

因為我當時想，這真是老調重彈。

that the African is not capable of governing himself.

又是一個證明

And not only that, I am documenting it --

非洲人不能管理好自己。

documenting my own cultural shortcomings.

猶有勝之，我還在記錄這場景 --

So when the echo of the gunshots

記錄我自己文化的短處。

had lingered,

於是當槍聲的回音

it was soon drowned by the chanting of the mob,

仍在耳邊迴盪時，

and I didn't believe what I was hearing.

群眾朗誦聲很快地掩沒槍聲，

They were chanting, "We want peace.

我不敢相信我所聽到的。

We want peace."

他們呼口號：「我們要和平。

And I realized it had to come from the people.

我們要和平。」

After all, they decide,

於是我了解這必須來自於人們。

and they did.

追根究底，這是他們的決定。

So the sounds that were before distorted and loud,

他們也確實這麼做了。

were suddenly a melody.

原本雜亂喧雜的聲音，

The sounds of the voices were harmonious.

突然間被旋律聲取代。

So it could happen.

人們的聲音很和諧。

A democracy could be upheld peacefully.

所以這是可以實現的。

It could be, by the will of the masses

民主可以和平地被執行。

who were now urgently pressing

這是有可能的。

with all their heart and all their will

藉由全心全意

for peace.

急切渴望和平的大眾意識

Now here's an interesting comparison.

而達成民主。

We in the West,

現在這有個有趣的比較。

we preach the values,

在西方世界，

the golden light of democracy,

人們鼓吹

that we are the shining example of how it's done.

寶貴的民主價值觀，，

But when it comes down to it,

並自認為是落實民主的最佳範例。

Ghana found itself in the same place

但是在實際執行時，

in which the U.S. election stalled

迦納面臨到

in the 2000 presidential elections --

同美國在2000年總統大選時

Bush versus Gore.

陷入的選舉困境 --

But instead of the unwillingness of the candidates

布希對抗高爾。

to allow the system to proceed and the people to decide,

但是與其在參選者不願意的情況下

Ghana honored democracy

允許體制繼續進行和人民自己決定，

and its people.

迦納實踐民主

It didn't leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide;

榮耀它的人民。

the people did.

它並沒有讓最高法院決定；

Now the second round of voting

而是讓人民做決定。

did not bring forth a clear winner either.

後來到了第二輪投票

I mean, it was so incredibly close.

也沒有產生絕對性的當選者。

The electoral commissioner declared,

我的意思是，參選者得到的票數驚人地相近。

with the consent of the parties,

取得不同黨派的同意後，

to run an unprecedented

選舉委員會長官宣布，

second re-run.

再進行一次前所未有的

So the people went back to the polls

第二輪投票。

to determine their own president,

於是人民回到投票所

not the legal system.

決定他們自己的總統，

And guess what, it worked.

而不是讓法定系統決定。

The defeated candidate

你知道嗎，這真的成功了。

gave up power

落敗的參選者

and made way for Ghana to move into a new democratic cycle.

放棄他的權力

I mean, at the absolute time

為迦納讓步以求邁向新的民主境界。

for the absolute need of democracy,

我要說的是，在那個時間點

they did not abuse their power.

為了民主的絕對需求，

The belief in true democracy and in the people runs deep,

他們沒有濫用他們的權力。

proving that the African is capable of governing himself.

對於真的民主和人民的信任根深蒂固，

Now the uphill battle for Ghana and for Africa

證明非洲人有能力自治。

is not over,

至今迦納和非洲的艱難戰役

but I have proof that the other side of democracy exists,

尚未結束，

and that we must not take it for granted.

但我已經看到民主的另外一面確實存在，

Now I have learned

而我們一定不可以將它視作理所當然。

that my place is not just in the West or in Africa,

現在我知道

and I'm still searching

我的定位不只是在西方或者非洲，

for my identity,

我仍在找尋

but I saw Ghana

我的身分，

create democracy better.

但我看到迦納

Ghana taught me

創造更好的民主。

to look at people differently

迦納教導我

and to look at myself differently.

用不同的角度看待別人

And yes,

和看待自己。

we Africans can.

是的。

Thank you.

我們非洲人可以的。

(Applause)

謝謝。