Watch BBC Africa Eye’s “Mayor On The Front Line: Democracy In Crisis” Documentary

BBC Africa Eye presents Mayor On The Front Line: Democracy In Crisis [Full Documentary]

Since being elected in 2018, Freetown mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has won international plaudits for her commitment to fighting the myriad challenges facing the capital of Sierra Leone, one of Africa’s poorest countries.

But during her bid for re-election for a second term, she finds herself on the front line of a democratic crisis.

As election season ramps up, her campaign faces intimidation, violence, and international concerns over the integrity of the election process.

“Mayor On The Front Line: Democracy In Crisis” follows Aki-Sawyerr as she confronts the hard realities of politics in a country still scarred by the horrors of a bloody civil war.

With unique access to Aki-Sawyerr, her team and family, this film offers unique insight into not only the highs and lows of Sierra Leonean politics, but also the personal cost of a life in political limelight.

Filmed over the course of a year, this BBC Africa Eye documentary follows Aki-Sawyerr through the toughest period of her political career as she fights to win a second term in the midst of one of Sierra Leone’s most fiercely contested elections.