Does the election poster influence you?

Are the runoff election rallies and speeches doing the election trick?  It seems not, as Sudan has never seen so many election posters in its long history.  There are small posters, big posters, leaflets, murals, T shirts, banners, flags all being produced by election candidates to push your final choice their way.  With barely a fortnight to go before the elections, can these posters really make a difference to your vote? 

If you're a candidate running for office, a campaign poster is one of the central images that voters use to figure out who you are. A well-constructed poster can send a positive message about a candidate and increase his chances of being elected. By contrast, a poorly put together poster can suggest incompetence, because if the candidate can't master a basic poster, how can he be expected to fulfill his duties to the public once he's in office?

Election posters also festooning the streets of Khartoum

I toured around the town of Juba to find out where the posters were being designed, produced and printed.  In a small office in downtown Juba, Dickson sits working day and night to produce election campaign posters.  Today, he will work through the night he says, as he tells other non election related clients to move aside. The work, he says, has been more than overwhelming and he has hardly had any sleep in the last four weeks.  He doesn't expect to get much either for another two weeks.   But business is booming, if not for him, then definitely for his boss.

I walked to the Juba main road junction to survey the people who were looking at the posters. The results were quite interesting.  Sokiri Fenex Wani said "all of them are our lovely southern brothers and sisters but the difference is how they will provide services to the people, not how nice their smile is on the poster" he went on to say  ....for me I have already made my choices for President.  Yasir Arman, though he is from the north his heart is like that of a southerner. Yasir will be the one to vote for no matter what the posters tell me!"

Gabriel Matoch a student at Juba University said For Governor I prefer Ladu Gore, never mind if that Governor Wani Konga has some of the most beautiful posters available”

Then I went to Nemexis Designs Limited in Juba.  

Bashir supporters in Juba

Agoti Mary told me Voters learn a lot about the politicians they vote for from advertising, Many are coming to us for T-Shirts. The clients have been both government or parties and NGOs trying to support one or other candidate. We have a lot of customers, The smallest cost per poster is 2.5 pounds. This is the lowest price. The highest price, of course, depends on the fianl size of the photos"

Then out on the street was a building site.  Olivia Katimbo from Tiger Construction Company told me "I like James Wani Igga because he is a good campaigner and the choice of the people of Central Equatoria State and I like Clement Konga because he was selected by the SPLM Political Bureau."

So, if the voters minds have already been set, may be the posters are not worth it?   But I know that the printing bosses will not be complaining, but counting their new riches!