Anchor Marco Werman from BBCs PRI The World speaks with Yeah about his plans for Mali. Click the picture or the link below to listen to the interview. Please share it with everyone you know.
http://www.theworld.org/2012/01/mormon-mali-yeah-samake/
Building a dream one meeting at a time.
In Mali, campaigns are done a little differently. Here the occurrence of meetings to convert supporters will determine the success of the candidate. Mali is at a wonderful stage politically in terms of the need for a young, innovative leader who can jump start the Malian economy. The current president Amadou Toumani Toure has been in office for 10 years. He is popular mainly because he led the military coup to overthrow the dictatorship of Moussa Traore and then handed power back to his people. During the past 10 years, while Mali has progressed little to none financially, the democracy has remained a stable example to its neighbors. Mali needs change desperately so that it can meet its fellow African countries in the high ranks when it comes to economic development, education and prosperity for its people.
Currently the Malian voting population is dominated by the youth. The youth have only known poverty, unemployment and a bad education system for as long as they can remember. This election will be won if the youth can be won over. The same applies to the woman. The Malian woman works hard and long and at the end of the day equality still does not exist. However Malian women associations are one of the strongest groups in Mali. It is essential that Yeah taps into these two resources. And that is exactly what he did this past week.
One of the meetings was held in Siby. The campaign had already made a stop in Siby a few months back to meet with leaders from surrounding villages. The mayor of Siby was one of the mayors that Yeah took to Utah so that he could be introduced to better governance and could implement some of it in his own commune. Mayor Camara was so impressed with the moral standards and principles that were present in the towns/counties he visited in Utah that he committed to introducing a similar openness in his own commune. The 50 community leaders were eager to meet the candidate that they were supporting. Each of these leaders could potentially bring 500-1000+ supporters to the polls so it was essential that this meeting happen. The meeting was a huge success as it renewed the faith that these individuals had in Yeah and the change that he could bring if he was elected.
Meeting community leaders in Siby
Another meeting that was held was with woman leaders. It will be important to tap into the woman voter population this election. A strategy meeting was held with 20 woman leaders to discuss how this could be done. This meeting too was a huge success as the woman leaders were pumped to go spread the word about their candidate for 2012.
Women community leaders
Yet another meeting was held with the youth leaders. The trend remained similar as these voters were reaffirmed in their faith in Yeah’s ability to lead Mali. Yeah told them it was their time and it was up to them to get out the vote if they wanted change in Mali.
Getting the Youth vote
The focus of these meetings is to inform leaders where Yeah stands on important issues like woman’s health, basic health, education, decentralization and security. These three meetings are a small sample of what Yeah attends on a daily basis. These meetings are essential to the success of the election and could make or break Yeah’s bid for Koulouba (the Presidential palace). The campaign is moving fast and before you know it April 29th 2012 will be upon us. My hope is that we can together make Mali a better place for its 14 million people. Help support the dream at http://www.samake2012.com
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- Meeting community leaders in Siby
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- Women community leaders
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- Getting the Youth vote
Yeah Samake could be Mali’s New Year Hope
This year, like past years, the Mayor’s office held a New Year’s celebration in Ouelessebougou. This celebration is a great way to get the people of Ouelessebougou together as a community at least once a year. The celebration began with a welcome speech by Yeah. He welcomed all the residents. He talked about how the people of Ouelessebougou should be extremely proud of their community. Ouelessebougou is one of the more prosperous communities in the southern region of Mali. Here you can definitely see a difference between it and its neighbors in terms of lifestyle, stores and properties. In addition, its ability to progress itself has gained the attention of organizations like USAID whose director, Rebecca Black, made it a point to come see the progress in Ouelessebougou herself. This time of year also sees an influx of urologists, gynecologists, dentists and nurses that come from the United States to offer free health care to the people in the region. People from as far as Sikasso have come to take advantage of this opportunity.
As the New Year rang in, 200 people celebrated with fireworks and music. This past year has held great changes for the community of Ouelessebougou. The chiefs of the 44 villages under the direction of Yeah have seen many changes for good. Some of these include a higher tax payment rate, a solar field that provides electricity to the residents of Ouelessebougou and also running water. This next year, the first high school and the largest hospital will go into service.
The year of 2012 promises to be a year of change for the people of Mali. As Malians prepare themselves for a new president, the important question remains, “What do Malians want most from their new President?” Malians have enjoyed 10 years of stability under current president Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT). While Mali has not prospered financially, its democracy has held strong as countries around it fell like dominoes.
As I look around Mali, the one thing that stands out to me is the number of children that take care of children. The thought that crosses my mind is why are these kids not in school. Then I look a little further and see teachers on strike at the University level and at the high school level. They are not on strike for their own personal gain. Rather they strike so that the government cannot impose a health insurance policy that would not work. Also some have not been paid in a while and don’t have the basic means to feed their family. The education system when it is working is inadequate. Most children will not go to school past the sixth grade. Most children do not have a middle school in their own village. The closest high school is in Bamako, an hours’ drive away. Circumstances have made it impossible for children here to catch a break. What needs to happen is for the current education system to be revamped. When education is made mandatory, ways will be found to educate the children of Mali. Malian girls should have the same rights as Malian boys. In Yeah’s plan, there will be universities in every region.
The second thing that distresses me is the poverty level here. Here poor takes on a new meaning. Something needs to be done to raise the bar of living. Many people barely get three meals a day. With unemployment sitting high, Malians cannot earn enough to pay basic bills let alone food. It is not that Malians are lazy. The lack of opportunity has made their circumstance more destitute than it needs to be.
I am blessed to be blessed with circumstances that are not as unfortunate. I am blessed that I can provide food on my table for my two children. I am blessed that they have toys to play with and that their biggest concern is why the other has something they don’t. I am blessed that I have a roof over my head.
So you may ask how I can understand the circumstances of Malians when I am not suffering. It does not take much to understand pain when one sees it. This is our opportunity to create change. Change is what the Malian people need. Change of an older leader to one that is young and can drive opportunities. In 2 years Yeah could change a commune of 44000 people. What could he do if people gave him the chance to lead Mali? Mali needs a stable education system. It needs a better employment system where incentives are given to companies that hire graduates. Transparency in the government needs to become the norm so that corruption doesn’t stamp on the middle man who is just trying to earn his daily bread. Mali has many exports that have been mishandled. If the focus is put on these exports to increase their value on the world market then the Malian economy will benefit. If the Western countries got rid of the subsidies on cotton, the $35 million that Mali gets in aid would not be needed. This amount is less than the money that Mali would be pulling in if they sold the cotton they produced at regular rates. More important, Mali needs to process and add values to its natural resources and create jobs in the process.
This year, I hope that as April 29th 2012 approaches, Malian people will realize the hope that Yeah can bring to Mali. The vision of this man is amazing. And I do not say this only because he is my husband. There are many leaders that want to be President only because of the fame, wealth and opportunity it presents. There are very few people that want to become President so they can affect change. There are fewer still that become President because of unadulterated love they have for their people and the pain that goes through them each time they see their people suffer. The people of Mali are suffering. They suffer not only from physical incapacities like hunger, unemployment and a bad health care system, but they also suffer from the humiliation of being unable to take care of their own.
Yeah is the answer that many in Mali have dreamed. This year let’s make it our year and may a new day be born in Mali as the elections happen on April 29th 2012. Spread the word if you can. We need all the financial support we can get. This is not a one man journey. You have the opportunity to affect a country’s future. Are you in?
Cotton plant reopens after 3 years
Agricultural activities occupy 70% of Mali’s workforce. More than three million Malians – a third of the population depend on cotton not just to live but to survive. Cotton is a Mali’s second major export. In the past few years the subsidies introduced in America, Europe and China have caused an overproduction of cotton causing the price of cotton to fall.
Mali has lost twice as much on the drop in cotton prices as they received in US foreign aid. This has driven more than 4% of each country¹s population into abject poverty and prompted a common African lament which goes: The more we produce, The more we export, The poorer we get! (http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/224subsidies.cfm)
With the recent crises in Asia and the Middle East, the need for cotton has increased. Also, in Mali, in 2011, the government has introduced incentives to boost output. Last month, Toure announced the government would purchase the fiber from growers at 225 CFA Francs (49 cents) per kilogram (2.2 pounds), compared with 185 francs last year. The state will also subsidise farming inputs including fertilizer, Toure said.
On Saturday, January 31st 2011, the textile company Cotton Ginning Company (CMDT) which does the exporting of Mali cotton, reopened its doors in Ouelessebougou. This is one of the 5 cotton factories in Mali and its reopening is a great development in the hope to reduce some of the unemployment in Mali.
Yeah had the opportunity as Mayor to inaugurate the reopening. As the machinery chimed away in the background, Yeah was shown the amazing process of turning cotton picked into exportable bales of cotton. Much work goes into this process.
May opportunities for the people of Mali continue to shine in 2012. May Mali continue to show that they are aiming to get themselves out of debt and need a hand up and not a handout.
Yeah’s Message to the Malian people for the new year
A new video is posted with Yeah’s New Year message to the Malian people, wishing the people of Mali a year of good health, peace and above all prosperity. This is the year for change. Support Yeah Samake for President of Mali 2012!
To watch the video click the picture below
Happy Holidays!
The holidays have definitely approached fast this year. It has been interesting to celebrate Christmas in a different culture. Mali being predominantly Muslim, you would not expect to see any signs of Christmas. While these signs are not noticeable in the villages, a Christmas tree and decorations deck the storefronts and hotels through Bamako. One of things I definitely miss has been the feeling of Christmas. I love seeing the beautiful trees and beautifully decorated houses that have become the statement of Christmas. But most of all, I think the spirit of love and giving take over people’s hearts. When I worked for Convergys as a manager, we used to have Penny Wars to raise money for families at Christmas time. I had employees who sometimes had barely enough for their own families and they were willing to donate.
This Christmas, I appreciate all the wonderful people that have given to support us in our campaign. There have been times when we have wanted to just call it quits but wonderful hearts kept giving time, money and love so we could keep pushing on. We could not do this without individuals who believe in a better tomorrow and are willing to sacrifice their time and resources to make that dream a reality.
This holiday season, I send a shout out to all you wonderful people, you know who you are. We could not do this without you. I can ensure you that we will not disappoint if we achieve our goal. As Yeah says: ” A victory is not just the election. A victory is to make Mali a model of change, of success.” The children and people of Mali will have a better tomorrow.
At this Holiday Season our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our progress possible. It is in this spirit we say :”Thank You and Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday! We hope that the coming year will bring you peace, good health, good cheer and much prosperity “
Samake 2012: A year in review
The year 2011 has been a great year for Samake2012. The support is mounting in Mali as Yeah attempts to win the hearts of the 14 million Malians. The link below chronicles our journey in Mali to date.
http://www.capzles.com/0ee7da02-6575-4a3f-8f55-27f5907ee4a8
NOTE: It does take a bit to load. Please click on the first slide to make it bigger and then click on “Show Details” in the bar above. The arrows on that same bar will take you through the whole timeline.
Thank you for all the support you have been to Samake2012 in 2011. The year 2012 will spell great challenges but also great rewards as the election is held in April. Please continue to support us at http://www.Samake2012.com and make events like those shown above possible. We cannot win without you. Mali deserves a better future.
Spreading the word
As Yeah has events and meetings in Utah and New York, his party members here continue to take Mali by a storm with their own meetings. You can tell of the seriousness and commitment that has overtook this party as the campaigning months approach. In the past, when Yeah left to go to the US, campaign activities would almost come to a standstill. However, this time, the meetings have continued with a renewed commitment. There were three important meetings this past week.
The first meeting was a meeting I was able to attend. I met with woman in Nianrela. The meeting was essential as it was able to showcase the needs of the woman in Mali. As I spoke with the women, I made sure to outline that the women in Mali are very essential to the success of the country. Their main concerns were regarding the unemployment in Mali. Most graduates in Mali cannot even find a job. Some of them to support their family end up begging on the street to make ends meet. Fomba, the party representative, advised these women to provide him with the names, degrees and phone# of these graduates so that if Yeah hears of any opportunities, we can contact them. I advised the women to get together as a group and advise their spokesperson of their concerns so that these can be addressed when Yeah wins the candidacy. This was an important meeting for two reasons. The first that I already mentioned is because women are the breath of Mali. The second is that usually it the women that encourage each other through their groups and that can turn out in huge droves to the voting polls. The spokesperson at this meeting alone could bring 600 voters.
The second meeting was held at the Party Headquarters and officiated by Party Woman Leader Assa Sidibé. About 20 woman community leaders from the different regions within Bamako were in attendance. Assa spoke about Yeah’s biography and what he had accomplished to date in Mali without taking any government money. She spoke succinctly on what the party PACP could accomplish and what values they stood for. The most important part of the meeting was a Q&A session. Important concerns came up. Some questions were about whether Yeah would abandon these woman groups when he took power. Assa made sure the women’s concerns were answered and advised that Yeah works with groups and not individuals for a reason. Groups are continuous but individual ambitions/commitments waiver on personal circumstances. She advised that Yeah would continue to work with the same woman groups and make sure that their concerns were handled appropriately. There was another question about why the mayors were taken to America. It gave Assa an opportunity to build on Yeah’s commitment for additional job training. If these mayors learn different ways of governance and ethical responsibility, they will become better for the communities they serve. Their communities will have the opportunity to see a better picture because these mayors have seen how their mayor counterparts in the US handle their responsibilities and how their counties have benefitted. The meeting was very beneficial and will be essential to the success of PACP. It is important for us to get the word out about what Yeah stands for and how he can change Mali if he is given a chance.
The third meeting followed the pattern of the second meeting and was officiated by Party Secretary -General Fomba. The 25 community leaders were introduced to what Yeah and PACP stood for. These leaders were encouraged to spread the word and bring more members into the party.
Meetings of this kind are essential to the success of PACP and are necessary in educating the voters. It is the hope that such meetings will continue and the membership of the party will increase. Just like education is key to success of an individual, educating people about their rights as citizens and the necessity of an honest leader is essential to a nation’s success. Only when this happens, people will hold their leaders accountable and be willing to put someone in office that truly represents their needs and is willing to fight for them. That person is Yeah Samaké.
Mayors bridging borders from Mali to US
This past week has seen an amazing development for a few of the 704 mayors of Mali. Invited by Yeah Samake and the Utah League of Cities and Towns, these mayors came to Utah to participate in a sharing of information and training. This is the first time an event of such nature has taken place between Utah and Mali. The idea behind bringing the mayors was to allow a partnership to be built between mayors in Utah and mayors in Mali.
“As Mayor of Ouelessebougou, Samake is trying to improve conditions in his community and raise the level of ethics in his country’s government. His push for transparency in a developing democracy is building confidence among communities, improving programs and services, raising tax collection rates, and bringing people out of the shroud of illiteracy that has dominated Mali for generations.” (The Cafe, Nov 28th 2011)
The Mayors’ days were filled with meetings with the different mayors in Utah and also with activities that supported Yeah’s campaign. By bringing these mayors to Utah, Yeah is demonstrating to his critics in Mali that he can and will support further training and development. He is better preparing these few mayors to look at their cities in a new light when they return. These meetings with Utah mayors will help show the Malian Mayors how to create better citizenship standards for their own communities. They have now learned how to address infrastructure needs, and the ethical responsibilities of being an elected official. This is the first step to creating a lesser corrupt Mali. And what will Utah gain? Utah mayors will gain knowledge on how things work in a developing country. This partnership promises to be of favor to all involved.
The move to create these opportunities is an essential first step in creating opportunities in Mali. Only when leadership is affected to develop their communities will change trickle to the different areas of Mali.
A wife’s humble opinion
Utah has taken this campaign to new levels. The support this time has been so pronounced. Yeah has been fortunate to receive much media attention. The attention has been a blessing and the media on YouTube and news channels has breathed new life into this campaign.
The event held at the UCCU center in Utah last night was a success on so many levels. It was attended by a few hundred people and covered by KUTV news. Yeah was touched by the number of people that took time out of this busy season and showed up to support him. Some were good friends, but there were many that were there for the first time. Yeah at this event spoke about his life growing up in Mali and all the challenges and blessings he has had. He spoke of the dream to lead the people of Mali out of the grip of poverty and into the hands of comfort and development. If anyone can do it right, my firm belief is that Yeah can.
Yeah amazes me. While his strength, forbearance and go get it attitude make him hard headed at times (shhh…), it also makes him the man who has achieved so much in his short life. I have never known Yeah to waste any opportunity. When he became Mayor in 2009, many were skeptical including me. What could a 40 year old do that a 60 year old mayor in office for 10 years couldn’t do? Yeah has proved all his critics wrong and introduced a fresh way of life in Ouelessebougou. When I came to Ouelessebougou in 2009, there was no running water in the villages and electricity was a scarce commodity. Internet was almost unheard off. Today, there are70+ water pumps all over the village. You never know how important water is until it is far away or unreachable. Internet has become more accessible and my internet actually works faster in Ouelessebougou than it does in Bamako. Solar panels provide electricity to generators for the whole village. Yeah’s achievements in making Ouelessebougou a modern city while maintaining the old traditions is noticeable. The people of Ouelessebougou truly love Yeah and the name Yeah Samaké is known through Ouelessebougou and surrounding villages. I am known as Yeah’s wife and only get special treatment when I say that. 🙂
If anyone can lead the Malian people out of poverty and provide opportunities, it is Yeah. Yeah truly loves his people and his country. The first thing he told me when we were dating was “I am going home when I graduate. I cannot have a wife that will not come with me. Are you with me?” How could I say No. Even then I realized the strength that Yeah possessed and the sweet nature that was important to raise a family. I knew I would never be in danger as long as Yeah was beside me. I want the Malian people to have the same comfort and strength that I glean from Yeah every day. I want the children of Mali to wake up and not have to worry about whether their school will be closed today because Mali teachers are on strike due to non-payment of salaries. I want children to maintain their innocence till their teens and not have to worry about that baby on their back or the 4 children they have to watch while their mother attends to chores. I want the woman to feel appreciated in society and help create job opportunities for themselves. I wish that all college graduates have a decent chance of getting a job so there is no need to resort to corruption. These are just wishes but without action they will remain a dream.
Yeah has single-handedly shown where he can move a community of 44000 people in just under 2 years. Imagine the changes his team could bring in a community of 14 million Malians in a 5 year term (10 if he is re-elected). Mali is as poor and underdeveloped as it was 51 years ago at Independence from France. Nothing much has changed as far as health care and education is concerned. It is time to reach the root of the problem which is to rectify the education system. Even as I write this, the Mali University is closed due to the teachers being on strike. At the village level, this has spread like a plague too. Why are they on strike? It is because the central government in Bamako is responsible for all teacher salaries and is too bankrupt to pay them. Do you blame these teachers? How can you when they have young mouths to feed. Nevertheless, it is the young, eager minds of Mali that are at risk. This strike which has continued for the last 4 months will put the students back 1 year. If Yeah were President, control would move back to the local governments. There the people would actively participate because they will have the ability to change the course. They will be responsible for paying teachers’ salaries. This will come from making sure people pay their taxes. If people know where their tax money is going (transparency), they will be more willing to make an investment in their children’s future.
The dream of affecting change has always been a priority that is more in reach than ever before. Yeah is a good man and the people of Mali deserve a good person that has the strength to pull them out of the grasps of illiteracy and poverty. Yeah has made a believer out of me through the last 7 years of our journey together. I hope he can continue to affect peoples’ lives and I hope that people will be affected to support this honest, big-hearted man who could make a difference.
Visit us at www.samake2012.com to look at Yeah’s platform and join Team Samaké’s efforts to make Yeah Samaké the next President of Mali on April 29th 2012.
KUTV Coverage
http://connect2utah.com/news-story?nxd_id=189567
KSL Coverage
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=18463115
Daily Herald
PR-Canada
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=484547&Itemid=36
YOUTUBE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7IuJbbDHHM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8nFS7AwrpU
Moving Mali Forward 