South Africa’s Ferial Haffajee, editor of City Press, believes winners at this year’s African Journalist Awards have highlighted the “beauty and craft” of African journalism.
CNN and MultiChoice recently held the 20th edition of the African Journalist Awards in Nairobi, Kenya. The evening celebration was to recognise journalists from across the continent who have produced exceptional pieces of work. The guests of honour at the gathering were Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and his wife, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
South Africa had strong representation at the awards with Julie Laurenz and Jacqueline Jayamaha, freelancers for e.tv; Herman Verwey of Beeld and Sarah Wild of Mail & Guardian among the 29 finalists. The contenders ranged from the very south of the continent all the way to the north and from the east to the west.
Wild won the Dow Technology & Innovation Reporting Award for her coverage of a robot which can test the health of oceans. When asked what the win meant for her, Wild said, “I am grateful that the judges recognised my work, but even more grateful that they recognised science journalism in Africa as a viable field. I live in constant hope that my win will boost the exposure of science journalism.”
Verwey nabbed the Mohamed Amin Photographic Award for his work on the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.
The judges also had some South African representation with Ferial Haffajee, editor in chief of City Press, acting as the chairperson of the judging panel. Combined, the judges had over 210 years of experience among them. Haffajee, speaking about the awards, said the judges were very impressed this year with the storytelling and craft on display. They were especially touched by the quality of specialist reporting that was on offer, including environmental pieces and longer form feature entries. “In this feature section, journalists took their time, slowing down the craft to find its beauty and to build characters.”
“The economy, infrastructure and energy sections brought talent from new areas,” Haffajee said, while the health reporting section, “did not disappoint from its usual excellence”. She described this year’s awards as truly Pan-African with the judges highlighting increasingly stronger work from Angola and Mozambique and Francophone Africa.
One way which Haffajee said journalism could improve in Africa was through tighter editing. She said this was necessary “To ensure that the best work of journalism is put out to audiences who increasingly have so much more media to consume”. Haffajee added that one major question that still needed to answered is, “Who will tell the story of new forms of terror and wars better than our own journalists?”
The big winner of the night was Hyacinthe Boowurosigue Sanou of L’Observateur Paalga in Burkina Faso, who walked away with the top prize, the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award. His story recounted the titanic struggle to stay in power by its former president, Blaise Campaore, and ultimately, his downfall.
“I feel so lucky to be named CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of Year,” he told CNN. “My story was about power and how people can fight against it — I’m so proud that the story has been told and will now be remembered. I want to share my prize with all those who work at L’Observateur Paalga.”
All the winners
Hyacinthe Boowurosigue Sanou, Burkina Faso
Nuit du 29 octobre à Azalaï : Nous étions à la chambre 143
L’Observateur Paalga, Burkina Faso
Category: Francophone General News Award – Print
Recipient of the 2015 Press Freedom Award
Zacharie Flash Ndiomo, Cameroon
Category Winners:
Ecobank Economics & Business Award
Femi Asu, Punch Newspaper, Nigeria – Small businesses in death throes as power supply worsens
African Devlopment Bank Environment Award
Thomas Naadi Bitlegma, Viasat1, Ghana – The Toxic Trade
Francophone General News Award – Electronic Media
Ibrahima Diallo, Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS), Senegal
Culture Award
Adewale Olugbenga Emosu, tribuneonlineng.com, Nigeria – Bahia: Even in Brazil, African heritage lives on
Portuguese Language General News Award – Print
Carla Gonçalves, A Nação, Cape Verde – Memorial Amílcar Cabral vandalizado e tomado pelo lixo
News Impact Award
Ibanga Isine, Premium Times Newspaper, Nigeria – INVESTIGATION: Massacre in Gboko: Soldiers at Dangote’s factory kill 7; company, govt. abandon victims’ families
GE Energy & Infrastructure Award
Paul Kelemba, Freelance for The Standard on Saturday, Kenya – Sorting Out Nairobi Transport
Features Award
Julie Laurenz & Jacqueline Jayamaha, Freelance for e.tv, South Africa – Viola’s Hope
Portuguese Language General News Award – Electronic Media
Pedro Paxi Pereira Ndoma, TV Zimbo, Angola – Erupçao Vulcanica na Ilha do Fogo
MSD Health and Medical Award
Enock Sikolia & Charles Kariuki, NTV, Kenya – Osteoporosis in Turkana – Wild West Series
Sport Reporting Award
Arukaino Umukoro, Punch Newspaper, Nigeria – Monuments of waste: Nigeria’s white elephant stadiums
Mohamed Amin Photographic Award
Herman Verwey, Beeld, South Africa – The Oscar Pistorius murder trial
Dow Technology & Innovation Reporting Award
Sarah Wild, Mail & Guardian, South Africa – Robot to test health of ocean ‘lungs’
Highly Commended:
Sport Reporting Award
Fiifi Essilfie Anaman, Freelance for zonalsports.com, Ghana – Ghana’s neglected football stars
GE Energy & Infrastructure Award
Benedicta Asiimwe, Freelance for Daily Monitor, Uganda – Why Ugandans continue to suffer despite heavy investment in roads
Portuguese Language General News Award – Electronic Media
Domingos Bento, redeangola.info, Angola – Viver com o VIH/SIDA: e agora, será o fim?
MSD Health & Medical Award
Sheriff Bojang Jnr, Freelance for West Africa Democracy Radio, Senegal – Sierra Leone Ebola Diary
Dow Technology & Innovation Reporting Award
Ruth Butaumocho, The Herald, Zimbabwe – ICT brings hope to rural women
Francophone General News Award – Print
Chahinaz Samir Gheith, Al-Ahram Hebdo, Egypt – Athée: “non, ce n’est pas une injure”
Mohamed Amin Photographic Award
Boldwill Hungwe, Zimbabwe Independent, Zimbabwe – Despair after Tokwe-Mukorsi floods
Francophone General News Award – Electronic Media
Deo Gratias Tchédé Kindoho, Radio Bénin, Benin – Le marché béninois à l’épreuve des produits impropres à la consummation
Features Award
Petride Mudoola, Freelance for Sunday Vision, Uganda – I am the hangman of Luzira Prisons
Mohamed Amin Photographic Award
Abubakari Akida Mussa, Mtanzania Newspaper, Tanzania – Floods in Mwanza
News Impact Award
George Oduor Otieno, Baraka FM, Kenya – Prostate Cancer
African Development Bank Environment Award
Arison Tamfu, Cameroon Journal, Cameroon – Cameroon’s Forests At The Mercy Of Charcoal Makers
Culture Award
Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún, Blogger at ktravula.com, Nigeria – Abeokuta’s Living History
Portuguese Language General News Award – Print
Bento Venâncio, Jornal Domingo, Mozambique – Sé de Fé Macabra II (cinco páginas)-rectificação do primeiro envoi
Ecobank Economics & Business Award
Kiundu Waweru, The Standard on Saturday, Kenya – The black gold of barren Turkana, where stirrings of life offer comfort
IMAGE: Hyacinth Boowurosigue Sanou, L’Observateur Paalga, Burkina Faso (second from right); presenter Deborah Rayner (left), President Uhuru Kenyatta and Tim Jacobs at K.I.C.C,Nairobi,Kenya.
