KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian soldiers out on a foot patrol through the streets of this restive southern city Saturday found a lack of local awareness of the country's pending national elections despite their importance.
Time and again, members of the military group whose task is to engage residents in a friendly dialogue drew negative answers as they asked about the vote, slated for August 20.
"No, Sir, we didn't hear anything about the elections," one man said through an interpreter accompanying the patrol.
It was a common response as the troops navigated the roads and ditches close to Camp Nathan Smith, the main base for Canada's military and civilian outreach programs -- the provincial reconstruction team or PRT -- in the heart of Kandahar.
"That was kind of surprising being this close to the PRT and also the fact that there's a lot of electricity in this area so we would expect that there's reasonable radio coverage, reasonable TV," said Warrant Officer Rob Dumelie, a member of the civilian-military co-operation unit.
"So, the message, from what I learned today, doesn't seem to be out there as much."
Fostering awareness of the elections is part of the Canadian government's strategy to help increase the legitimacy and reach of the Kabul central government, which many Afghans view as corrupt and ineffective.
What became immediately apparent from the road-side chats is that people have more basic things on their minds than lofty notions of democracy.
They asked when the dusty, potholed, rocky sand strips between mud-walled compounds that pass as roads might be paved, or when they would see the city properly electrified.
"I am an old man, so there's no need for me to know about elections," another resident said, before complaining about his back and legs and asking for medicine.
"We need a lot of education," said a 13-year-old boy, who aspires to be a doctor.
Some, however, said they had heard about the vote from the news on radio or television, and intended to cast a ballot.
"It's very, very good," one man said. "Democracy is good."
Further on the patrol, Dumelie asked another group of men if they had seen any election posters. Again, the answer was negative.
"We asked for posters (from the national government) and nobody could say they had seen posters, so possibly the elections are being broadcast too high tech," Dumelie said afterward.
"Maybe we need to get a little basic on it -- people on the streets, advertising, posters, things like that."
The city's mayor later explained the absence of posters on the fact candidate lists had yet to be finalized.
Gauging public opinion, difficult at the best of times, is especially hard in a place like Kandahar, where suicide bombings and other insurgent attacks are common.
The risky foot patrols, which draw groups of curious children, smiles, stares, and scowls from adults, are one of the few ways to get a handle on what's on people's minds.
Still, the soldiers are loathe to linger in any one spot, making in-depth conversations with ordinary Afghans difficult.
There was one tense incident during the Saturday patrol. An Afghan vehicle headed toward the group of soldiers failed to stop immediately as ordered.
A Canadian soldier fired a single round into the ground as an unsubtle warning. The man stopped. The crowd of Afghans milling about doing their business seemed utterly unfazed.
