Africa-based journalists dominate European Commission awards

Journalists based in Africa dominated the 2015 European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Media Prize held in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday.

Africa-based journalists won five out of the 10 awards contested for.

The Africa professional category and the Grand Prize was won by Arison Tamfu from Cameroon for his story ‘Africa’s billions might be buried forever’ which was published in the Cameroon Daily Journal.

The story shows how the use of renewable energies is improving lives in rural communities in Africa.

Veteran journalist, Patrick Mayoyo, won the Europe professional category with his story, “How to grow food in a slum: lessons from the sack farmers of Kibera” that was published in The Guardian. (Here is a link to the story: http://tinyurl.com/pbwbj5q)

The story reveals how residents of Kibera, in Nairobi, one of Africa’s largest slums in Kenya, have found a new way of responding to the challenge of food insecurity.

In the heart of the bustling informal settlement, they are championing an unusual form of urban farming: the sack gardens of Kibera.

These urban farms consist of a series of sacks that are filled with manure, soil and small stones that allow water to drain. From the tops and sides of these sacks, often referred to as multi-storey gardens, farmers in Kibera grow kale, spinach, onions, tomatoes, vegetables and arrowroot.

Mr Mayoyo is also the 2014 CNN MultiChoice African awards winner –Environment Category and also the 2014 African Climate Change and Environmental reporting award-overall and category winner.

Photographer, Nathalie Bertrams, won the Africa amateur category, with her story, ‘Moz digs garimpeiros out of trouble.’

The story published by the Mail & Guardian of South Africa shows how a gold rush is underway in Mozambique, but it’s leaving a devastating impact on the environment.

Ms Ingrid Gercama, from the Netherlands was the amateur winner in Europe with her story ‘From a humanitarian crisis to rehabilitation: after effects of Ebola in Liberia’ for Parool.

The story traces the roles played by those who worked at the Red Cross Society during the Ebola crisis.

Other winners included Jacopo Ottaviani the professional category, from the Arab World and the Middle East region with his story ‘E-waste Republic’ for Al Jazeera.

Mr Htet Khung Linn, the professional category winner from the Asia and the Pacific region and the amateur winner from the same region, Ankita Anand.

Mr Humberto Leon from Mexico was the winner of the professional category from Latin America and the Carribbeqn region, while Dqniela Aquilqar from Equador was the winner in the amateur category.

Poverty eradication

Speaking during the award ceremony, the European Union Commissioner for Development, Mr Neven Mimica, called on journalists to put focus on development journalism.

"These talented journalists remind us why development and poverty eradication are so important for people's lives around the world, as their powerful stories show. On behalf of the European Commission, I applaud and thank the winners and participants for their efforts and invaluable contributions," Mr Mimica said.

Now in its 21st edition, the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize links the EU’s conviction of freedom, democracy, and human rights with its dedication to development and poverty eradication by honouring journalists for their reports on crucial development issues in line with this year’s theme/slogan ‘Today’s stories can change our tomorrow’. The 2015 edition of the award was organised in the context of the European Year for Development, and for the first time, the competition was open to both professional and amateur journalists, as well as bloggers.

The winning journalists received prizes of €5,000 (Sh555,000) and trophies during the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize Award Ceremony held in the Bibliothèque Solvay in Brussels (Belgium).

Established in 1992 by the European Commission, the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize is awarded in memory of Lorenzo Natali, former Commissioner for Development and a staunch defender of freedom of expression, democracy, human rights and development.

The Prize represents a unique opportunity to illustrate the power of great stories to change the world.

Journalists were invited to submit their work, be it online, print, radio, TV, or blog posts.

Amateur and professional awards were given across five award categories (based on the media outlet’s location): Africa, the Arab World and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.