Participants at the 12th Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy were treated to great artistic displays and a demonstration of the power of arts in building democratic resilience globally. Attended by a joint team from the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), the delegation also included three creatives from Ghana, Nigeria and The Gambia.
The Global Assembly provided a platform for WADEMOS & CDD-Ghana to showcase the ‘DemoCreative’ initiative before the global audience. The initiative is designed to harness creatives’ unique talents and influence – musicians, poets, actors, playwrights and artists – to promote and advocate for democratic principles and good governance practices in Ghana and Africa.
Over 500 civil society leaders, political actors, and pro-democracy actors from nearly 100 countries were present in South Africa for the Global Assembly, where they networked, exchanged ideas, knowledge and experiences and formed collaborations to strengthen democracy.
Performance at the Opening Ceremony
A renowned Ghanaian poet, Apiorkor Seyram Ashong Abbey, known by her stage name ‘Apiorkor’, received plaudits for her captivating poetic piece which she performed touching on the plight of political prisoners, threats to democracy on the African continent and the hope for democracy across the world.
Indaba Session
The team also participated in several workshops and networking sessions. In addition to networking, WADEMOS / CDD-Ghana led a session on the power of the arts in democratic activism. The panel was moderated by Naa Ameley Tagoe, co-lead for the DemoCreatives initiative, and included ‘Apiorkor’, a poet from Ghana; Seun Adebayo, a painter and artist from Nigeria; and Ali ‘Killa Ace’ Cham, a Gambian musician and activist.
The artists spoke about their works, their inspiration, the ‘DemoCreatives’ initiative, their challenges in activism, the support required and the collaborations needed to mount a sustained campaign against democratic backsliding in West Africa and worldwide. They also recounted the strides attained by leveraging their talents and platforms to promote democracy and accountable governance while admitting the enormity of the task they have embraced.
Also at the Indaba conversations, our creatives delighted participants with outstanding performances demonstrating the power of their arts in promoting democratic activism. While Apiorkor thrilled the audience with two different poetries – one backing the campaign for standardizing term limits across West Africa and the other calling for a unified West Africa highlighting the plight of women and children in transition countries – Seun Adebayo, the artist, awed participants with a 3-minute fast painting of South Africa’s first democratically elected president and global icon, Nelson Mandela.
Closing Session
Impressed by the exhibition of the arts, Apiorkor, the poet and Seun, the artist, were given the opportunity once again to showcase the power of their arts in activism at the closing ceremony.
Whereas Seun wowed the global audience with another drawing of Nelson Mandela, Apiorkor echoed her poetry on transition countries to drum home the need for a concerted effort to resolve the challenges faced by citizens in the Sahel.
The 12th Global Assembly was a great opportunity to remind the world about the need to reimagine strategies to combat the threats to democracy, remind the world about the need to tap into non-traditional voices and communities to spread democracy and good governance, and the need for more collaborations to build democratic resilience.
Through ‘DemoCreatives’ and bringing to life the power of arts in democratic activism, CDD-WADEMOS and the artists left a great impression on participants.
