Circumspecte

This article was originally published on the London School of Economics Africa Blog . -- Ghanaian blogger Jemila Abdulai   looks back on a landmark election not just for Ghana, but the whole of Africa. When it comes to African elections, one can always be certain of a healthy dose of unpredictability. From delays in delivering voting equipment to unexpectedly large voter turnouts, any African election fits the bill for a full-length movie, complete with the required suspense. Less evident though is the work behind-the-scenes; those moments of growth which leave such an impression on a country that they ultimately redefine what it means to be an African democracy. Nowhere is this more evident than during Ghana’s 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections. A woman votes in Ghana’s recent elections Photo: Reuters The one-day event, which extended into a second day, went beyond most people’s expectations and had both Ghanaians and the international community rivete...

Dear Registered Voter, In less than 5 days, it will be election day, or as some call it, the day of accountability. We have prepared for this day for months, been subjected to endless bickering by some politicians, and, have gained insight into the men and women who have brought themselves forth to serve our great nation through leadership. It might not seem like it, but you, dear registered voter, have the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity to select Ghana's next leader and to help steer the course of our immediate future. For our country's sake, don't take that opportunity for granted. Many Ghanaians, myself included, do not have that opportunity, and as a result, cannot participate in this solemn duty to our motherland. Nobody should be telling you who to vote for, but we can only implore you to do your best in choosing Ghana's new path and the people who will lead us on it. You might think your vote doesn't count. After all, what's one vote out...

Originally published on the blog Women Change Africa -- As the Ghana elections get closer, we thought it would be great to hear from one of our fabulous, smart and beautiful friends of WCA Ms. Jemila Abdulai. Jemila is a woman who is  definitely changing Africa. Amongst her many hats she wears, Jemila is a attaining her Masters in International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, owns and operates a very highly read blog titled Circumspecte which focuses on various issues in Africa, and of course is part of the Ghana Decides team working to help engage youth in Ghana to get involved and vote pre and during elections.  We hope you enjoy and learn about Ghana's elections and women, and be inspired the way we were with Ms. Abdulai. Enjoy!   Like its predecessors, this election is important for young Ghanaian women. The obvious reason is that women form the majority of Ghanaian society and being excluded from the political process could result in polici...

Ghana Decides launched a campaign yesterday, 27 November 2012, to get the Ghanaian electorate to turn up massively at the polls to vote on 7 December. The campaign, called  Our Vote, Our Voice,  is the latest in a series of successful campaigns since February 2012, which commenced with  #iRegistered ,  Ghana Decides Tag  and  SpeakGhana . The purpose of the campaign is to promote communal voting. Campaign Coordinators, Kwabena Akuamoah-Boateng and Nehemiah Attigah, said “we believe peer-to-peer influence is still high and people could call up friends to vote or post updates to say #iVoted which may encourage others to vote.” According to the Coordinators, “From our experience during the #iRegistered campaign, enthusiasm usually dies down after the first week or so. That is why the campaign is deliberately launched this close to the election.” Project Lead of Ghana Decides, Ms. Kinna Likimani said “The Our Vote Our Voice campaign intends to use p...

Initially published on the London School of Economics (LSE) Africa Blog . -- Jarreth Merz’ film  An African Election  covers the highs and lows of Ghana’s crucial 2008 presidential election, giving important insights into the electoral processes which helped safeguard the very stability of this West African nation. With many African presidential elections on the horizon for 2012, the film is a reminder of what is really at stake when it comes to democracy across the continent. Through Merz’ camera lens, Ghana’s political sphere in 2008 unravels. That year, both the National Democratic Congress   (NDC) and the then-ruling  National Patriotic Party  (NPP) – Ghana’s two main political parties – had eight years of governance under their belt since multiparty elections found its roots in Ghana in 1992. Then, as now, each party had its distinctive colours and symbol. An elephant with the colours red, white and blue for the NPP ...

Originally written by Jemila Abdulai for the March 2012 edition of the SAIS Observer African Elections: Version 2012 The lineup of African elections this year is impressive to say the least. Over 10 countries are slated to go to the polls to select their local and national representatives. Among them are Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Zimbabwe; each of which will either re-elect or select an entirely new head-of-state. With the occasional nod of acknowledgement from regional and global observers, local elections garner some degree of attention. When it comes to high stakes and pulsating veins however, Africa’s presidential elections are rivaled only by the African Cup of Nations. Needless to say, presidential elections in Africa tend to be an all or nothing affair. Election Day comes with both anticipation and dread. Anticipation at the prospect of new opportunities and a renewed commitment towards national development, and dread at wh...

Hi guys! This is a quick update on a campaign I've been helping Ghana Decides with for Ghana's upcoming December elections. It's called the Ghana Decides Tag - modeled after the actual game of tag and the "Ghana Tag" series on Youtube - and basically it's an opportunity for Ghanaians - at home and abroad - to share their views on what's important for them this election year. All you have to do is download the How-To guide from Ghana Decides , record yourself on video answering about five questions - and post the video online via youtube, facebook, twitter etc while tagging some of your friends to do their own videos! Camera shy? Do it with a group of friends or make an audio recording instead! The best part? You have full creative liberation! Just make sure to include the hashtags #GHDTag and #GhanaDecides and also cc @GhanaDecides so it's added to the GHDTag video playlist. I won't ramble on. Click here for a full description of t...

If you're an 18+ Ghanaian citizen currently living/studying/working abroad, kindly take a moment to complete this survey on Ghana Election 2012 and the Diasporan Ghanaian. Thanks :) -- Dear Fellow Ghanaian, So you probably heard about the GhanaDecides and iRegistered campaigns that BloggingGhana launched recently in partnership with STAR-Ghana . No? Well, you best get acquainted quick! It's the hottest thing in town,even Mashable.com picked up on it. Good thing I'm here to give you all the juicy details and some :) With the world gradually accepting the fact that tweets, hashtag events and Facebook are here to stay, many have found interesting and innovative ways to use social media, even in the political arena. The Obama '08 Presidential campaign, the Arab Spring and Senegal's #sunu2012 movement and elections are but some of the many ways that social media has contributed to political change. Now it's Ghana's turn. Come December 2012, Ghana w...

Hi Folks! It's been a month since my last blog and a lot has certainly happened within the span of those four weeks! Of course, it's gonna be hard to recap everything that went down, so instead I'll zone in on key events in the sphere of African democracy . As you probably know, 2012 is a big year for elections in Africa. There are over 10 presidential elections slated to take place and you can imagine how antsy the whole continent is. Elections are somewhat of a litmus test for democracy and overall advancement in many African countries, and both politicians and citizens tend to be on edge when it's time to head to the polls. So, what's happened so far? Well, we need not look further than the West African region where two neighboring countries - both with presidential elections this year - have embarked on strikingly different paths. Senegal: Le Teranga, Victorious & Proud Remember how Youssou Ndour was running for president? Yeah. Well, the Senegale...

Dear Fellow African, The hour is nigh, and the trumpet has sounded. After months of dilly-dallying, the levees have broken and Senegal, as we know it, is at a crossroads. It could also very well be the cradle of an African Re-Awakening. Call it the "Africa Spring", a " Renaissance " or a "Revolution", it is here. I'm not going to use ink and paper describing what led this West African "beacon of democracy" down this path . Unfortunately, we know it all too well. Here it is in under 140 characters: It's ironic that the leader in this case is the very one who spent an estimated $27million on a copper statue which he named "La Monument de La Renaissance Africaine." I doubt Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade ever imagined that those words would be transformed into the energy that is sweeping across Senegal as we speak. The global economic crisis might have wrecked havoc in many-a financial market, but to its cred...

As some of you probably know, I worked in Senegal for a while with an NGO focused on women and youth rights. I also got the opportunity to interact with many locals and to get a sense of the political situation under Wade's government. Many Senegalese are simply fed up with Wade and want him out. His second term is coming to an end and elections are due on February 26. Like Ghana, a Senegalese president is allowed to have a maximum of two consecutive terms. However, Wade circumvented the constitution and secured a go-ahead from the Supreme Court (whose judges he appointed) to run for a possible third term in office. The result? Mass protests across the country dubbed "Y'en A Marre, Wade Degage!" (We're Fed Up, Wade Get Out!). It should be noted though that all this has been brewing for a very long while, stemming largely from the economic crisis, rising costs of living and the incessant power cuts in Senegal last March. Also, many people - myself included - do...