THE 19th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2014 Competition will take place this weekend in Tanzania. At a time when the African continent is facing the massive Ebola issue, it is refreshing that the people that risk their lives in this and other stories, get recognition.
This year saw the competition receive entries from 38 countries across the continent, including those which speak French and Portuguese. From that pool came 28 finalists from just 10 countries with South Africa having little representation. Our own photographer Paballo Thekiso from the Saturday Star will be joined by fellow South Africans Vinayak Bhardwaj and Tabelo Timse from Mail & Guardian, Sean Christie, Freelance for Landbouweekblad and The Mail & Guardian and Carte Blanche’s Joy Summers and Susan Comrie. With South Africa coming out with only four nominations it means we are up against serious competition. Countries like Kenya have an impressive seven nominations while Nigeria has four. It would be great if we got all four South African nominations but since there are many countries applying from the continent, this will be hard to attain.
According to the chairperson of the independent judging panel, Ferial Haffajee, 2013 “was a huge news year, and the stories from the continent set a global agenda”.
She added that the judges were pleased with the quality of entries, and were impressed by the depth of specialist beat reporting.
“In addition, they noted the growing sophistication of the use of images and pictures across all platforms,” she said.
Haffajee, who is also Editor-in-Chief at City Press in South Africa, heads the judging panel which comprises a number of heavyweights in the media, including Debo Adesina (Editor-in-Chief, Guardian Newspapers, Nigeria), Betty Dindi (Managing Editor of QTV, Nation Media Group, Kenya) Jean-Paul Gérouard (Editor-in-Chief, France Télévisions), Anton Harber (Caxton Professor of Journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa), Joel Kibazo (Director of Communications, Africa Development Bank), Arlindo Lopes (Regional Regulatory GM, MultiChoice Angola), Amadou Mahtar Ba (Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, AllAfrica Global Media), Kim Norgaard (CNN Africa Bureau Chief), and Aires Walter dos Santos (Account Executive, iSenta Comunicação & Imagem SA, Angola).
Sponsors that have come to the 2014 edition of the awards include Coca-Cola Company; Ecobank; GE Africa; IPP Media, Tanzania; Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) and A24 Media.
The finalists will enjoy an all-expenses paid four-day programme of workshops, media forums and networking in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania culminating in a Gala Award Ceremony on Saturday.
CNN British journalist Isha Sesay, now based in Atlanta, Georgia will be hosting the awards on the night. She will also be a facilitator throughout the various workshops that will take place from today. As someone who has been extensively covering African stories, including the missing Nigerian girls to the spread of Ebola, it is apt that she moderates these workshops.
• The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2014 Awards start at 7pm on Saturday October 19. Times of broadcast to be announced.