SALT LAKE CITY — As we approach the 24th of July and reflect on the intrepidity of our ancestors, it is worth considering the bold journey of a modern pioneer — Malian presidential candidate Niankoro Yeah Samake.

Not only is Samake Mali's first LDS presidential candidate, he is Mali's only LDS member (aside from his wife and two children). The starkness of this singularity cannot be overstated. In a nation where an estimated 95 percent of the population is Muslim, Christians in general raise eyebrows.

More remarkably still, Samake has a fighting chance in this Sunday's election. A recent informal poll conducted by Jeune Afrique placed the 44-year-old candidate in third of 28 candidates with 17% of the vote. At a time when Mali has been ravaged by corruption, a coup and a territorial takeover by Islamist militants, Samake's experience and vision offer a distinct opportunity for the nation's recovery.

Samake could not have emerged from more humble beginnings. He was born the eighth of 18 children in an impoverished village in one of the 10 poorest nations in the world. But his father determined that his children would escape the cycle of destitution. Accordingly, instead of being sent to work the fields along with 85 percent of his peers, Samake and each of his 17 brothers and sisters were sent to school. It was a costly sacrifice. His mother regularly tied her handkerchief around his distended belly in order to quiet his hunger pangs.

Today, Samake's siblings include professors, engineers and doctors — a stunning feat for a poor family in a nation where two-thirds of men and four-fifths of women are illiterate. Even from a young age, Samake felt a profound commitment to civil service. After graduating from the École Normale Supérieure de Bamako with a B.A. in English, Samake felt it was his duty to share the knowledge he had been privileged to receive. Accordingly, he returned to his village to volunteer as an unpaid teacher for three years.

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Risking death, BYU grad confronts Malian coup leader

Shortly after a coup was staged last spring that resulted in extremist groups seizing control of much of northern Mali, presidential candidate and BYU graduate Yeah Samake went to confront the coup leaders at their offices, risking death.

With the sponsorship of a LDS couple from Colorado, Samake had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. While here, he converted to Mormonism, entered BYU's master's program in public policy and met his dynamic wife Marissa Coutinho — then an undergraduate student from India.

Samake struggled to acclimate to first-world comforts. Passing a KFC would often bring him to tears. Chicken was his mother's favorite meal — a delicacy their family simply could not afford.

During class he consistently asked himself one question, "How can this information benefit my country?" Upon graduation, he co-founded Mali Rising, a nonprofit that works directly with the poorest communities in Mali to expand educational opportunities. In less than 10 years, the organization has succeeded in building 14 schools and enrolling almost 2,500 rural children.

The next stage of his journey is perhaps the most remarkable. In 2009, he abandoned air conditioning and indoor plumbing to return to his village and run for mayor. In an interview Samake stated, "America does not need me. My country needs me." He was elected with a resounding 86 percent of the vote.

Samake's term was truly remarkable. At the time of his inauguration, the municipality was ranked 699 out of 703 in terms of transparency, management and economic development. More daunting still, the tax collection rate was below 10 percent. By challenging the culture of corruption, Samake gained citizen trust and led Ouélessébougou to a tax collection rate of 68 percent in a single year.

Unlike his predecessors, Samake did not tap government funds as his personal checking account. Instead, he invited the 44 village elders to oversee his spending. United they built 15 desperately needed schools and even introduced solar power. These accomplishments did not go unnoticed. He was soon appointed Vice President of the League of Mayors.

Samake launched his presidential bid on the platform of transparency, efficient use of resources and the institution of good governance and was quickly gaining momentum. Then just six weeks before the April 2012 election day, the unexpected struck. Samake had just left a hotel where he was preparing for a major campaign speech, when the streets filled with military vehicles and gunshots. A military coup had just overthrown the president and was on its way to take control of national radio and television studios.

In an interview, Samake recalled returning home and collapsing on the couch. "I had no idea what to do, after all the energy and all the resources we had spent, to find ourselves in a dead end was nothing I had anticipated." Marissa, with her typical verve, gave him a kick and speech of her own. "She said, 'Yeah. We have sacrificed everything to come to this country. Your country has never fallen as low as today. You cannot just come do a pity party in my living room. This is a time for a leader to rise.' "

Emboldened, Samake strapped on a bullet-proof vest and together they prayed for safety. When they embraced at the door, there was no disillusionment. Samake would be openly defying a military-imposed curfew. As a public figure, he could easily be deemed a threat to the new hierarchy.

Despite the danger, he headed directly to ground zero; he was determined to speak with the coup's leader, Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo. After walking through five checkpoints and waiting hours in suspense, Sanogo finally agreed to see Samake. Samake's boldness startled the leader. Samake demanded that he return power to the people, stating, "I know you love this country. You're wearing the uniform and it is our duty to sustain democracy."

His visit made a lasting impression. In the ensuing year, Samake was selected as an emissary for Interim Prime Minisiter Cheick Modibo Diarra. He has traveled extensively meeting world leaders in order to gain support for Mali as it transitions back to democracy.

The timing of the rescheduled election is far from ideal due to continued conflict in the north and overwhelming logistical issues, but both parties have agreed to accept the results acknowledging that a flawed election is better than no election at all. Analysts also predict an August 11 run-off will be necessary since the race is wide-open, and a win requires an outright majority.

Ultimately, if Samake attains the presidency, the challenges will be immense, but there may be no one better prepared to shoulder them.

To find out more about Samake, click HERE.

Kirk L. Jowers is the University of Utah's Director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics and is a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Caplin & Drysdale.

Ellesse S. Balli is the Communications and Academic Coordinator for the Hinckley Institute of Politics.

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