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Voting From Afar: Some American Students in Senegal Follow US Elections From Afar
October 24, 2024
CategoryVoting From Afar
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: E24 - F2A US EXPATS SENEGAL
HEADLINE: Some American students in Senegal follow US elections from afar
TEASER: US students in Dakar share how living abroad impacts their views on the upcoming US presidential election
PUBLISHED AT:
BYLINE: Wahany Johnson Sambou
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: DAKAR, SENEGAL
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
PRODUCER:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Abdourahmane Dia
SCRIPT EDITORS: Rashmi Shukla, Salem Solomon
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO X
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TVPKG/RADIO
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[As the U.S. presidential election nears, American students living in Senegal are closely watching the campaign, with some saying their experiences in Africa shape how they view events in the U.S. Reporter Wahany Johnson Sambou met with a group of American students in Dakar, Senegal, and spoke to three of them in this report, narrated by Arzouma Kompaore.]]
((NARRATOR))
The U.S. presidential election is generating excitement among some American students living in Senegal, and despite being far from home, they say they remain interested in what’s happening back home.
Bridget Brown, a 22-year-old American student, says that living in Senegal doesn’t affect her perspective as a U.S. voter. Instead, she feels that the distance allows her to more clearly assess which candidate is best suited for the role.
((Bridget Brown, American Student)) ((Female, in English))
“I think being here, makes me realize how important it is to have a president that cares about other countries, other cultures, other traditions, and especially in Africa. It’s so important that we kind of put our best foot forward. We are engaging in other countries. So, for me, I am looking for a candidate that feels that way, and kind of supports those ideas, and will be our best representation of the United States abroad.”
((NARRATOR))
Madeline Luther, a 20-year-old student, says she closely follows the debates and key issues raised by both candidates, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. While living in Africa hasn’t changed her perception of the election or her expectations as a voter, she says that the perspectives of others around her do have an impact.
((Madeleine Luther, Student)) ((Female, in English))
“It definitely could have an impact, but I would not say it’s absolutely going to. I think anything anybody says whether they’re Senegalese or they’re American, impacts the way I think about things, changes the way I might vote, taking into account what everybody says, and what people think here about the candidates as well.”
((NARRATOR))
Eli Conrad-Wovcha, a 21-year-old student, says that while he is closely following the U.S. elections, his involvement is limited.
((Eli Conrod-Wovcha, American Student)) ((Male, in French))
“In the United States, I do a lot of interactions during the election campaign. Since I was very young, I worked a lot for the candidates, especially at the national level but also at the state level. Here, I can’t do that work. So, I’m not very involved in the elections. But I watch and read the news every day, to know what’s happening in the United States, to be as informed as possible before the election.”
((NARRATOR))
Regardless of their political affiliations, these three young American students living in Senegal expressed a strong sense of responsibility in the upcoming U.S. presidential election and a concern for the nation's role on the global stage.
((For Wahany Johnson Sambou in Dakar, Senegal, Arzouma Kompaore, VOA Africa.))
