An African Election

The vibrancy of the democratic spirit on a continent notable for being a hotbed of discord and dictatorship is demonstrated in Jarreth Merz's documentary about the 2008 presidential election in Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African nation to achieve independence—in 1957—but one that has suffered from political turmoil ever since. Merz follows the two major candidates—Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party and John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress—as they make their pitches to journalists and crowds of supporters, while interspersing candid commentary from the candidates, party insiders, and outside observers. Most notable among the array of colorful figures here is Jerry John Rawlings, who seized control of the government in a military coup in 1979 and remained in office through the 1990s as founder and head of the NDC, until the opposition NPP swept to victory in 2000. During the 2008 campaign Rawlings remained an influential powerbroker, raising questions about whether the democratic process could still work peacefully in a country that had just suffered from terrible floods but saw hope for a more prosperous future due to the discovery of substantial oil reserves off the coast—a boon that could also become an invitation to official corruption. An African Election doesn't take sides in the race, but its vivid coverage of both the campaign and the behind-the-scenes partisan machinations offers a salutary glimpse of the promise and pitfalls of democracy in action in the developing world. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)