SOR News

Yeah Samake

Published on Thursday, March 01, 2012

"Honest Governance in a Time of Turmoil:  Malian Presidential Candidate Yeah Samake on the Possibilities of African Politics."

 Mali in North Africa is about the size of Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona combined.

 In the 1300’s, Timbuktu of the Kingdom of Mali was a world center of learning and culture.  After years of darkness, a new day is dawning.  Two citizens of Mali, both trained at Brigham Young University, are seeking to again make Mali a light on the hill, bringing hope and opportunity to its people.

Yeah Samake, executive director of Mali Rising, is running for President of Mali.

Yeah and Marissa Samake returned to Mali in late 2008, after years in Utah, to help the people of Mali.  Yeah became mayor of  Ouelessebougou, a sister city to Salt Lake City, in 2009.  In two years, Yeah has:

-          Removed graft and corruption from Government

-          Raised  Ouelessebougou  from 699^th (of 703 municipalities) to among the top 10  cities in Mali in terms of economic development, transparency, and management

-          Built schools and medical centers with money that formerly went into the pockets of corrupt officials

Yeah’s success has lead many Malians to seek his candidacy for President.   His success in Mali will help bring light in lieu of extremism to all of Northern Africa.