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The spirit of Samake2012

12 Feb

The campaign has made some great headway in Mali. The faith in this campaign continues to grow strong both on the ground and from followers in America. There are new things that happen almost every day that strengthens our commitment and faith that we can win this election.

The one thing that does amaze me here is the spirit of volunteerism. People say that we do things only if there is some benefit to it. In other words, what they are saying is that human beings are very selfish beings that pursue the things that will benefit themselves. To be honest with you, if that is what is fueling people to support Samake2012, more power to them. If Malians realize what is at stake, they will be more likely to invest in it. Most of these Malians barely earn more than a $1/day. Most of these Malians have had children that have died from preventable diseases like malaria and dehydration. Most of these Malians have barely even made it to 7th grade because of the lack of middle schools in their village. Worse still is that even if they made it past college, now no jobs exist to help care for their families needs. Now, ask me if you think that these people are being driven to support Samake2012 for the wrong reasons. I think not.

On a daily basis I see people who give up of their time and efforts to benefit the campaign. A few of them have been with this campaign since its inception in early 2011. They do not benefit financially from this campaign. Some Malians like Coulibaly have come from as far off as New York City. Coulibaly left a job for a month to come to Mali so that he could campaign for Yeah in the remote areas like Mande in Mali. He has not benefited financially from this decision rather his commitment shows that he believes in the change Yeah could bring to Mali. There is Camara from France that also came to Mali for a week to help campaign in Beneko and other villages where he has contacts. There are others like Kadi, a young  lady, who volunteers at the PACP Headquarters, helping answer any questions that supporters may have. We have Zhu, our driver from Ouelessebougou, who has sacrificed time and even not seeing his family for weeks as he drives Yeah full-time in Bamako. We have Dra, a university student, who stays with us to help with any tasks that Yeah needs completed at short notice. Then we have Sibiri, our youth leader, who day in day out breathes this campaign. He is the one that spends his after work hours and weekends recruiting youth followers. There is Kane who is busy running around Bamako dealing with red tape we may run into. We have Fomba, our Secretary General, who is so committed to this campaign that he dedicates the free time he could be spending with his family so that he can campaign for Samake2012. Then there is Karim in Ouelessebougou who spends his free time on his motorcycle to travel to distant villages spreading the Samake2012 message. All these individuals usually will ask in return is money for gas. The biggest debt that cannot be paid back is time, heart and dedication. Then you go across the globe to America. The effects of Samake2012 and the belief in Yeah is amazing. There are the videographers from Goodline, Travis and Joe who came all the way to Mali, so that they could better envision Yeah’s message and effect and did amazing videos to showcase Yeah’s work. There is Cole, who also came to Mali at the same time, to help better design the Samake2012 website and has from the get-go done some brilliant work on the website, billboards and logo. There is Susan E. that does an amazing job with our social media on Twitter and has been a wonderful support to us. There are other wonderful people like Chris J, Kent, Lew, Scott and Julie, Yodit, Robert D, Ryan M, Bill B, Dave W., Brad S and others that donated of their valuable time and talents. Let’s not forget our wonderful interns Kyle and Liz who paid their own ticket to Mali so they could volunteer their time helping us on the ground.

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The Samake2012 campaign is no longer just a Malian campaign. It is a campaign that will affect the face of Africa and all the Western countries that come into touch with it. Think of it. Those of you who have met Yeah know of what he is capable of and what he has already done for his people. Those of you who haven’t, have read of his amazing journey and his contribution to Mali. Yeah has the ability to change Mali for the better. Without the volunteers, this campaign would have been hard. Never underestimate the value of yourself and what you can offer. If you believe that this campaign is an effort to break the chains of poverty, illiteracy and bad healthcare, then support us. The people on the ground in Mali need change. Every dollar counts. If every person we knew donated the money they used for one morning coffee, we could easily raise a $1000 in an hour. A $1000 helps us hold a rally in a big village. A $1000 can fill the gas tank of 50 motorcycles. Support does not have to be financial. The power of the human voice is unmatchable. Tell a friend. Tell 100 friends. Post it on Facebook, Twitter and any other outlet you can think of. We have the ability to win this. But we cannot do this without you. This isn’t about winning the election on April 29th 2012. However the election is the first step to creating a secure Mali of equality and better living conditions. Please help us. Click on the picture to donate today:

PLEASE SUPPORT SAMAKE 2012

You may also click below to donate:

https://secure.donationreport.com/donate.html?key=ZIXMMNJSKLPH

To signup to volunteer please go to: http://samake2012.com/volunteer/


 
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Posted by on February 12, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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Beneko celebrates its hope for Mali

08 Feb

Motorcycles heralded us into the village of Beneko, 20 minutes from Ouelessebougou, beeping their horns loudly and incessantly as a sign of welcome. And with this welcome PACP returned to the village of Beneko to reinforce its message of change and hope for a new Mali.

This rally was attended by about 150 people, a pretty good turnout for a midweek middle of the day rally. The elders of the village were there to greet the man that had built a school in their village. The women danced and sang their gratefulness not only for Yeah’s efforts but also the hope that Mali would elect Yeah as their new leader. The drumming in Beneko is some of the best drumming I have ever seen in Mali. The drummer was simply amazing and the beat was unmatchable. The rally began with singing and dancing to welcome PACP.

Then the representative of the village Coulibaly spoke. He introduced Yeah to Beneko by talking about all that he had accomplished. He spoke of how his own children had to be sent away to Bamako so that they could attend 7th, 8th and 9th grade. When the Beneko School was built by Yeah through MRF, he immediately brought his children back home so that they could go to school in their own village. He spoke of how because of this school the remaining children in Beneko could get a good education. There were even books in this school that children could refer to and read. In Mali, usually 4-5 children will share the same textbook. As you can imagine even though the tools exist, learning becomes almost impossible. Also present were representatives from the communes around Beneko. They too praised Yeah’s efforts and his willingness to come back to Mali so that his people’s needs could be answered. Then Yeah spoke. He spoke of his gratefulness to the people of Beneko for their kindness in welcoming PACP and also their kind words. He made a pledge that change would come under his leadership. Every child would be educated and every family would get the necessary healthcare. It was a rousing speech which was greeted by clapping. One of the women of Beneko came up and offered her friendship saying that now I had a friend in Beneko. The village also presented us with two chickens to thank us for coming to Beneko. I was very touched and humbled by this gesture and grateful for the kindness showed to our party in Beneko. Then the music began again and the drumming continued in earnest. Even the little children, that are usually scared of the toubabous( white people ) joined in.

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This event was great and reinforced why PACP continues its fight for the Presidency. Every child deserves an education like the children of Beneko. Every family deserves decent healthcare that will be available to the people of Beneko when the big hospital is completed in Ouelessebougou. The time is now. Let’s push this campaign that will change the life of generations of Malians. Are you in?

 
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Posted by on February 8, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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PACP Leadership Conference: une réussite totale( A total success)

05 Feb

PACP held its first major leadership conference February 4th 2012. The aim of the conference was to educate community leaders in the communes of Bamako about the potential of Yeah Samake as the future President of Mali. About 20 journalists and the major TV network ORTM covered this event.

At 10am, Yeah, I and the rest of PACP leadership walked into an auditorium housing about 200 people. This was a little different from the dancing and music that usually greets us at the rallies. The hushed silence erupted into clapping as we walked down the aisle to the stage. The room felt like it had a heavy air of skepticism. Many of these community leaders are educated and it was essential that this town hall style meeting be held to get them on board.

The meeting started with a 5 minute video about Yeah’s achievements in Mali to date. It showed the schools that were built, water pumps installed, children that came to the US and the computers that were donated. It showed the medical teams that came every year to treat people from as far as Mopti and Sikasso. The highlight of the video was the solar panel installation in Ouelessebougou. I say this was the highlight because it was during his welcome speech at this function that Yeah challenged the President to allow decentralization to happen more completely. Yeah’s central policy is decentralization of the central government’s power so that the local government can function effectively and address corruption more effectively. When the people can hold their government accountable, the government will be more effective and be less prone to corrupt leaders. In a big country like Mali, this is more important than ever. The video also showed the President’s speech at this event in which he is almost endorsing Yeah by saying he wished there were more Malians that gave back to their people like Yeah did. The video was punctuated by clapping but the end gave way to a standing ovation.

When the video ended, we took the stage again. The difference between Yeah and the other candidates is that Yeah has a story to tell. His humble beginnings resound clearly with other Malians that share it. However his aspirations and his education are a lesson to many that if you push hard enough, even the poorest person will prevail. He is also the statement of the end product of education that shows Malians what one can become with a good, sound education. Yeah spoke very eloquently in French to his audience. He spoke of his life early on, his father who was the visionary and his mother who was the silent supporter. Yeah’s mother was an amazing woman, from what I have heard. Her silent agony as her children suffered was evident in her actions. During the days when the family would usually go hungry, Yeah’s mother would also go to the families in the neighbor collecting the chaff of the millet. She would bring this back, salt it and give it to her kids so that they would have something in their stomachs as they headed to school. In my opinion, she was as much a visionary and supporter as Tiecourafing Samaké. My daughter Carmen carries her name Sanamba as her middle name and I hope that Sanamba’s strength and spirit will guide her through life. Yeah spoke also of how he had the opportunity to gain an education and how he came back with the Mali Rising Foundation through generous donors to give the gift of education to villages that otherwise would have seen decades more of illiteracy. He introduced his brother Drissa, who now has a PhD and his brother Daouda who has a Bachelors as products of the same success story. When he was done, he opened the forum to questions.

The questions came in huge numbers and addressed everything from Yeah’s plans for education, the issues in the North of Mali and electricity. This part of the forum was in a mixture of Bambara and French. Yeah advised that many of the issues in Mali today are based on a lack of education and employment opportunities. He spoke about the issues in the North highlighting that it was not a Northern problem but a Malian problem. He spoke of how if the ways existed for people to make money through honest work, there would be no need to join the terrorists in the North. He advised that Malians should support the army to fight the problem in the North instead of just saying it was the North’s problem to fight it. The army needs to secure the borders so militants cannot cross with arms. Currently, there is fighting in the North region and strikes in the south as people protest the government’s lack of response to the fighting as well as the government sending few soldiers with limited arms to fight them. On the issue of electricity, Yeah used Ouelessebougou as a prime example of affordable energy. The solar panels in Ouelessebougou currently provide electricity to the residents. If elected, many more installations of this kind would go up to create clean, affordable energy. Yeah during the Q&A round also introduced my background. He said he believed in Mali so much and that I had the same convictions. He asked why else would I uproot my family from the comfortable, opportunity filled life of the US to come to Mali. Why else would I enroll my children in the Malian education system? He spoke of my faith and my hope for Mali under a strong leader. Another question raised was about women and opportunities for them. Yeah spoke about how the woman is an essential part of society and the educational opportunities need to be given to them as well so that they may become equal partners in the workforce. Yet another question focused on corruption and how Yeah would combat it. Yeah used his term in Ouelessebougou as a prime example of combating corruption. When he became mayor in 2009, people refused to pay taxes because the taxes were going into the mayor’s pocket. By introducing an open line of communication and accountability, Yeah was able to ensure that the taxes were collected and people shown where their tax money went. Today Ouelessebougou boasts a 68% tax collection rate. When Yeah first became mayor, all the salaries were months behind. Yeah paid all the salaries and since he has been in office, the salary is paid without fail on the 25th of every month. This would not be possible if corruption continued to seize the funds that people were paying in tax money. The questions went on and on. Even as we approached the final minutes when we had to end, people still wanted continue.

This was an excellent meeting and more town hall meetings of this kind are planned in other electoral districts. The people need to hear Yeah’s message. When we left that room, even the biggest skeptics became supporters. No one can deny Yeah’s amazing story or what he has done for his people. There is not one candidate that has given back to the Malian people like Yeah has. There is not one candidate that has the background that Yeah has which allows him to understand his people’s current suffering.

Yeah Samake is the candidate if Mali wants change. He is the candidate if Mali desires to get out of the hole 52 years of corrupt, bad leadership has thrown it into. He is the candidate of hope for a better education system that ensures Malian graduates can compete against foreign graduates. He is the candidate if Malians want a role model that can show what honest, open leadership is. He is the candidate who can bring Mali as an equal to discussions at the UN and African summits instead of the country asking for handouts. Mali is not a poor country. The actions of its leaders have made it poor. The time has come for Mali to raise itself out of the misery its former leaders have condemned it to. Yeah is the candidate that can reform Mali and make it a symbol of opportunity and change. The time is now. If you can help, the time has come to help. The elections are 3 months away. Support us at Samake2012.com. We need all the help we can to help Mali become the country where opportunities are in abundance and dreams become a reality. Vive PACP! Vive Yeah Samake! But most of all Vive Mali! May the hopes and dreams of all Malians be answered with Yeah Samake as President.

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IN THE NEWS

Journal 22Septembre: Contre le banditisme armé au Nord: Yeah Samaké propose un verrouillage de nos frontières

http://www.maliweb.net/2012/02/09/contre-le-banditisme-arme-au-nord-yeah-samake-propose-un-verrouillage-de-nos-frontieres/

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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PACP meetings in Dialakoroba and Badalabougou

02 Feb

As Yeah was the in the Dominican Republic, the PACP team headed by Fomba, Secretary General headed towards Dialakoroba around 10 am. Their purpose was to inaugurate the setup of the PACP committee there. Dialakoroba is situated halfway between Ouelessebougou and Bamako. The meeting was excellent!

The start of the meeting was highlighted by a momentary pause in honor of Yeah’s brother Moussa Samake that had passed away. After this, Fomba greeted the supporters. He spoke of PACP and why the party wanted the assistance of Dialakoroba. About 100 community leaders were present. Fomba focused on the youth of Dialakoroba. The youth have in a strong statement of support abandoned their own party PDES to join PACP. PDES is the party that supported the current President Amadou Toumani Toure. So this move is indeed symbolic and important.

Then Kane, another party member, showed the new logo of PACP and explained what it stood for so that people could easily recognize it at the polling stations. In Mali, with the illiteracy rate so high, it is essential for people to see the logo so that they can recognize it easily. The new logo is of a sunrise and is symbolic in its representation of a new day in Mali (Un Nouveau Jour Pour Mali).

Other party members spoke of strategy that the new committee could use to increase reach into the surrounding communities. There was also a representative that came from the nearby village of Sanakoroba where a PACP committee already exists. He spoke very kindly of PACP and its possible impact if Yeah is elected. In addition, Kalise, Karim and Solo, those who know Yeah best as he was growing up, spoke of Yeah’s life and his achievements.

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This was the first event that our new American interns got to see. There was dancing and celebration in honor of the new committee being set up. All I can say is our new interns can indeed shake a leg. Watch the second video to see them in action. 🙂

 

The next meeting in the afternoon was held in Badalabougou in midtown Bamako. Here about 60 community leaders over the handicap society gathered to hear PACP speak. Life in Mali is tough already for those who can barely find work and provide for their families. Imagine how much harder it is for people that are handicapped and cannot contribute to the income of their families. When you drive the dangerous streets of Bamako, the view of handicapped individuals led by their relatives begging from car to car is hard to bear. In America, it is amazing how we care for our handicapped. We have facilities and groups that provide in majority for their needs so that their suffering and shame is lessened. It will be essential for the next President to institute a facility and programs that answer to the needs of these individuals. There were many questions of what these programs would be and Fomba promised that these questions would be presented to Yeah so that he could address them with the importance they deserved.

Badalabougou: Leaders of the Handicap Society


The day of meetings was successful. It is meetings like these that will get the vote in. The people of Mali need a leader that can lead them out of the lifestyles that they are resigned to and show them a lifestyle they deserve and should be living 52 years after independence. There will be many more meetings like these accompanied by music, dancing and the hope of a brighter future under Yeah Samake.

 
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Posted by on February 2, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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PACP welcomes American interns

28 Jan

PACP and Yeah were excited to welcome 2 new interns who have come to Mali so that they can be part of this awesome journey to Koulouba. ( Malian Presidential Palace). I am sure they will add wonderful insight in exchange for a wonderful experience with the warm, wonderful Malian people. Welcome Liz Jessop and Kyle Rehn!

Kyle, Sibiri and Liz: Already fast friends

Liz is an exception young lady who in my humble opinion has experienced much. She is pursuing a BA in International Studies, BS in Political Science and a minor in French at University of Utah. I told you she is exceptional. She had just returned from her last internship in India and is excited to represent Yeah in the race for the Presidency. I am excited to work with her as we work towards winning this election. She is fast picking up Bambara. Check out Liz’s journey in her own blog here

Kyle is a wonderful young man with a wonderful sense of humour. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s of science degree in economics and a minor in business at University of Utah. I am excited to work with Kyle as he provides me with a onsite view of rallies and what we can do to make them better. Like Liz, he too is working hard to learn Bambara in addition to French. He is also easy to tease so it provides some good humor at someone else’s expense. 🙂

What can I say. They have only been here a few days and are doing awesome. I can promise the moms of Kyle and Liz that I will take excellent care of them. You have raised some good, solid kids. I am extremely excited for all the possibilities to come. Thank you Kyle and Liz for sacrificing much to be part of this journey! Thank you Courtney at the Hinckley Institute and Cameron Diehl for arranging this wonderful opportunity.

 

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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Belief in Samake2012 grows for A New Day in Mali

17 Jan

The campaign is picking up supporters from different regions with new developments almost every day. This past week saw two isolated events which encouraged Yeah and me to keep moving towards our goal.

The first was a donation of a motorcycle by a Malian Laye Sidiki Doumbia. These motorcycles are not cheap by Malian standards with each motorcycle running about $800. The individual that donated this was so moved by Yeah’s message and what Yeah has already done for the country, that he donated this new motorcycle. This will help tremendously, but what helps even more is the reaffirmation of the personal belief that we are making a difference and there are people in Mali that can and are willing to invest financially so that we can win this election. These motorcycles are the very means by which PACP supporters can efficiently spread the word. We could do with at least a 100 more of these in order to effectively cover the entire country.

The second occurrence was one that touched me on a deeper level and provided the encouragement to plod on with an even stronger commitment. A young supporter Mamadou Diallo transferred to Yeah telephone credit in the amount of 5000CFA (about 10 dollars) and said, “I don’t have much, but I believe in what you are doing. Keep going on”. The belief of this young supporter is for me the highlight of the week as it showed how Yeah can affect the youth and how there are youth that believe Yeah could be the change they need. They are willing to sacrifice the small amount they have for a bigger thing.

The support continues to grow both in Mali and abroad. The campaign has reached as far as Brazil in terms of donations. We hope to win in April not for the fame or glory but rather because we want to be part of the bigger plan of change for Mali. Please help us achieve this dream so that Malians everywhere can get the chance that has passed them by for so long. Donations can be made at http://www.samake2012.com. Every donation counts.

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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Keleya and surrounding 22 villages welcome PACP

15 Jan

As midday approached, two 4X4s carrying members of PACP came to a stop in the village of Keleya. They were greeted with much singing, dancing and cheering from a crowd of 300 people who had come to meet a Presidential candidate from their Southern region.  Represented were 22 villages that had in turn sent their own community leaders.

Yeah and PACP were greeted by a young girl with kola nuts. Kola nuts are an essential symbol in Malian social life and are given as a sign of respect to visitors. There were a number of speakers. The message however had the same undertones. They all expressed how they were confident that Yeah Samake and PACP could be the change Mali needed. They expressed eloquently how in their eyes they saw Keleya like a mother and Djitimou region (which Ouelessebougou is a part of) as the father who has a child named Yeah Samake. The speakers said that this is why the two areas must work together to elect Yeah as they and the whole country will mutually benefit from it. Yeah spoke at this event. He spoke of the need to change the direction of Mali. Also the community had asked for specific help with electricity at the youth center. Yeah advised that the stakes are higher than just electricity for one municipality. With sound leadership every corner of the country would have access to basic needs like electricity. Yeah also strongly highlighted his intentions to increase accessibility to basic resources like energy and water throughout the country.

In attendance was the Mayor of Keleya’s representative. Also it is very important to have the blessing of the Chief of the village. Yeah visited with dugutigi Bagayoko and his councilors at his home. Yeah was able to share with him what PACP stood for and what Yeah was trying to accomplish for Mali. He made a solemn promise to the chief of the village by giving him a Samake 2012 button and told him of his plans to unify the country and bring prosperity. He also advised that when Yeah is elected if at any time the Chief of village feels like this promise is not being kept then he has the ability to take the button to the Presidential palace in Koulouba and remind Yeah of the promise.

This was an excellent rally. The people were very committed to seeing Yeah in office, having heard about his accomplishments as Mayor. There will be many more rallies of this kind.

The symbol of a promise

As the first rally was happening in Keleya, simultaneously, another group of PACP members headed by Fomba and Sibiri Mariko were officiating a soccer final in Yelekebougou. PACP was the official sponsor of this game. People from the surrounding 17 villages came to watch this match and also hear about what PACP values were. Sibiri spoke to the crowd and got them pumped up. The representative from the village announced to the 300+ people in attendance that they had approached many parties to help them stage this tournament but only PACP had responded. They promised that they would spread the word about PACP because Yeah had kept his word sponsoring a soccer game for the youth to bring them together. The chief of the village, a representative of the Mayor and the pastor was in attendance as well. This was a fantastic game and rally all in one.

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Posted by on January 15, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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Portable water, education, better healthcare and above all a sense of service

15 Jan

As mid afternoon approached on January 14th 2012, 300+ men, women and children gathered in Sanakoro Djitimou to greet and welcome a presidential candidate. 10 National PACP party members headed by Party President Yeah Samake met the newly elected PACP representatives in the commune of Sanakoro Djitimou. For this event, 27 different village representatives came to hear Yeah and PACP speak. The mayor’s representative Bagayoko also came to greet the party. The party came to display their new logo and what their values were. Yeah spoke with eloquence of what could be achieved in Mali if he was given the chance to lead his people.

Yeah and his party representatives were greeted with loud singing and dancing. The dancing was unusual in that it represented an old form of dancing showing that the commune had not lost its traditions.

This was an awesome meeting. Yeah was in particular touched by the actions of an older man who came to shake his hand. This man called Traore expressed a deep gratitude for what Yeah stood for and hoped to bring to Mali: portable water, education, and health services. He hoped that Yeah’s sense of service would affect his fellow Malians.

The entire event was covered by National TV and will be aired by ORTM tomorrow night.

It is the hope as rallies like this happen that people can be shown what is possible if Yeah is elected. It will be important on Yeah’s part for him to balance the new with the old so that traditions that do work are not lost. The day fast approaches when a decision will be made. It is a hope that the decision for a new leader will be Yeah Samake.

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Posted by on January 15, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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Neighborhood bands together to support their candidate

09 Jan

Look at those huge speakers!! Photo courtesy of tomathon.com

The relationship of neighbors is a tricky one. In America, you either hate them or like them or love them. In Mali, neighbor relationships work differently.The neighbor relationship is a sacred one in which neighbors try not to offend each other. In Faladjie, where we live, two events showed the growing support of the neighborhood for Yeah.

The first was a balani that was organized by Nana, our next door neighbor, to raise awareness about the presence of a presidential candidate in the street. A balani is a musical event in which a DJ is hired that plays music so loud that your heart pounds with every beat and your window shakes with every speaker tremor. Balani is a strain of Malian Coupé Décalé with little guitar, fast percussion and melodies played on the Balafon (Malian xylophone). Coupé-Décalé is a music style featuring mostly African instruments, deep bass, and repetitive arrangements. Music affects the very heart of Malian culture and is every bit important here as the busy social life. I remember my first balani two years ago. It was a very special event that was put on by Yeah’s family in Ouelessebougou to celebrate my arrival in the village.

This youtube video truly captures what the balani is all about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaiWl9Yz2uc

The Samake2012 balani was set to start at 5pm but like all good Malian parties started at 9pm. The music blaring invited the youth from ours and surrounding streets to see what all the noise was about. The youth put on several dances throughout the night rapping about PACP and Yeah. The DJ described Yeah’s efforts and the dream that Mali would be free of poverty and corruption if they elected a young leader who had the capacity to bring change. It was an awesome night!! Good heart thumping music, great message and a wonderful support from neighbors.

The balani gave rise to an informal meeting by the youth of the street who asked Yeah to come speak to them so they could see how to best help the campaign. It also provided an opportunity to Yeah to learn what further affects the next generation of Malians. The meeting was a success and provided additional much needed support to Yeah’s already growing campaign.

Yeah speaking in Faladjie

The political atmosphere is amazing right now. Things move so fast that each day differs in political achievements. PACP is becoming the theme of change and many Malian youth and middle aged individuals are seeing it as their chance for a changed Mali. We were blessed to receive the support of our neighborhood. May their excitement be replicated thousand fold through Mali as the election fast approaches on April 29th.

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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Building a dream one meeting at a time.

06 Jan

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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Posted by on January 6, 2012 in Past Posts

 

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