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INSIDE AFRICA
African Journalist of the Year
Aired July 25, 2009 - 12:30:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBYN CURNOW, GUEST HOST: Hello and welcome to INSIDE AFRICA. I'm Robyn Curnow, here on the Durban beachfront in South Africa.
Now, the whole CNN team is in Durban for the 2009 CNN Multi-Choice African Journalist of the Year Awards. Every year, CNN sponsors this event, and INSIDE AFRICA devotes half an hour of coverage to it, because we firmly believe in showcasing African journalism.
And this year, the judges had quite a challenge, because they received over 800 entries from 38 African countries. So winning one of these awards is actually quite an achievement.
So let's take a look at the awards ceremony and some of the highlights with Nkepile Mabuse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Twenty-five finalists all vying for one title, the African Journalist of 2009.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the CNN Multi-Choice African Journalist 2009 Awards.
MABUSE: Now in its 14th year, the competition received more than 1,600 entries from 38 countries.
JOEL KIBAZO, AJA JUDGE: The CNN Multi-Choice African Journalist of the Year Awards represent all that is best in African journalism.
ANNA UMBIMA, AJA JUDGE: And it has become the benchmark for many journalists on the continent.
FERIAL HAFFAJEE, AJA JUDGE: It's began to establish African journalism in the world as something to watch.
MABUSE: Some of these reporters and cameramen risked their lives to expose human suffering, injustice and corruption. Beauregard Tromp scooped the print news award with his series of stories on the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If flaming man will die with every breath he took as the fire scorches his lungs.
MABUSE: Tromp gave an emotional tribute to one of the victims, a Mozambiquan man set alight and left for dead.
BEAUREGARD TROMP, PRINT GENERAL NEWS AWARD: I'd like to dedicate this award to the memory of Ernesto Niamab (ph), to the people of Africa, for their patience with my beautiful but sometimes so cruel country.
MABUSE: What Tromp described in words, Halden Krog captured with his camera, landing the photographic award.
UMBIMA: This one image is symbolic of the sheer brutality that went on during that period.
MABUSE: Ethar El-Katatney submitted a piece on the growing Islamic business practices in her home country, Egypt. While Rajen Bablee investigated corruption allegations against a senior Mauritian official.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As we walked across the narrow path in the slum.
MABUSE: There is an abundance of poverty, conflict, disease and corruption to cover on the continent, but that is not all the awards are about.
HAFFAJEE: The arts and culture category is always a joy to judge, and this year it was more so, because there were lots of entries.
MABUSE: Prizes were also awarded to the best sports and tourism stories.
But the night belonged to John-Allan Namu, of KTN in Kenya. He won two categories -- the television feature and general news award, so it came as no surprise when he was declared the continent's best.
Namu's documentary on the Mungiki, a political religious sect in Kenya, and his news piece on the effect of post-election violence which broke out in 2007 earned him the most coveted title in African journalism.
The winners of each category received a cash prize and a computer, while John-Allan was also awarded a CNN journalism fellowship.
Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Durban, South Africa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Let's now meet the overall winner, television reporter John- Allan Namu from Kenyan Television Network.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN-ALLAN NAMU, JOURNALIST (voice-over): Sunrise over the Rift Valley, and as the day dawns, the struggle continues. The struggle to clean them and the struggle to build them. If you listen hard enough, in this struggle of the Superea (ph), you find the story of every internally displaced person.
CURNOW: What are the stories you're telling in Kenya that you think resonated with the judges?
NAMU (on camera): I think both the stories that I told struck a cord with the judges, because not only did they tell stories about individuals, but it told a story of the wider context of what's happening in Kenya.
(voice-over): She invites us to her tent. It would be easy to laugh at the futility of her unlocking this flimsy door, but for her, a victim of violence three times over.
CURNOW: You kept on using the podium at the awards ceremony to make political comments. Do you feel very strongly about this issue about just where Kenya is politically at the moment?
NAMU: Yes, I do. Like any other Kenyan, I'm worried for the future of my country, because I think we're at a point where Kenya has lots of opportunity to grow and to develop and to heal, but there is also this very looming possibility that we could slide back into the violence that we saw in 2008, if not worse.
I really wish that it did -- that I didn't have to make those statements, but those really came from a place inside me that speaks to the patriotism in all of us.
CURNOW: What makes you a good journalist?
NAMU: I suppose what makes anyone else a good journalist. A nose for a story. Not getting into the way of the story, letting the story speak, and just generally being able to connect my view as to the experience of the people that I'm talking about. I think that's what I try to do, and judging from the judges' comments, that's pretty much what I and my cameraman and editors seem to have achieved.
CURNOW: What is your assessment of journalism in Africa?
NAMU: Journalism in Africa is at a point -- it really is a watershed period for journalism in Africa. With the advent of new technology making things easier for journalists to communicate, that really breaks down some of the barriers that journalists faced in the past, for instance, controlled by governments and regimes that did not want stories from those countries coming out. That's really important.
It also marks a period where journalism is really important in defining the direction that Africa takes as concerns the rest of the world.
Yes, so Africans are pretty tired of having their stories being told from the perspective that isn't their own, from continents that aren't their own, because that presents a very one-sided, lopsided view of the continent. Now, what I'm -- I'm not saying that Africa does not have its own problems, but it also has lots of promise, and it's a very diverse and complex continent. And this period in Africa marks a time when African journalists take the lead in telling these complex stories because they understand them themselves.
CURNOW: John-Allan, congratulations.
NAMU: Thank you very much.
CURNOW: All the best.
Lots more coming up here on INSIDE AFRICA from Durban in South Africa after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA. I'm Robyn Curnow. Now, we're reporting from the CNN Multi-Choice African Journalist of the Year Awards. And one of the hardest things to do in journalism is to cover a conflict, but covering a conflict in your own home is of course so much more difficult.
Nkepile Mabuse got together a panel of journalists here in Durban and discussed what it's like covering a war zone in your own backyard.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TROMP: Ultimately, when you're sitting back, you have to consider that you know, you take responsibility also in some way for what your people are doing. And it was somewhat -- it was sad, it was somewhat embarrassing also.
MABUSE: And in Kenya, what was it like for you?
NAMU: A lot of newsrooms were divided along political lines. And because politicians were using the tribal card, that also played into how newsrooms perceived the news as well.
HOPEWELL CHIN'ONO, AFRICAN JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR `08: You know, as a Zimbabwean, you felt very painful to see your people fighting each other, butchering each other like that. The pictures that were being beamed around the world that give the country a bad name.
And on a second level, as a journalist, it was difficult to cover this story because these mobs who were beating up people did not want to see the media, because they knew that they would be exposed and they knew the implications of exposure.
MABUSE: Would you say that you were able to remain objective and balanced?
CHIN'ONO: The whole country knew who was doing it. The whole country knew why they were doing it. It's because, you know, one side had lost an election, and because we were going into a second election, one that was called a rerun. They wanted to instill fear in people, to say if you vote the way you voted a couple of weeks ago, this is what is going to happen to you.
MABUSE: Do you think South Africa has dealt with the problem?
TROMP: Not much has changed. And in terms of actually integrating people, you know, and actual respect for other people coming from outside of our country, that disrespect still remains. So I would not be surprised if it happens tomorrow.
MABUSE: Were you ashamed, as a South African, while covering this story?
TROMP: I was very ashamed. I mean, I had friends across the continent, and some of them were very, very good friends of mine. And when they called me up and asked me, you know, what are you guys doing to my people, to my brothers, you know? I didn't know how to answer. It was embarrassing. But at the same time, I also understand that we -- there are things which we as South Africans still need to deal with, which is quite evident.
MABUSE: John, how have ordinary people reacted to this coalition government? Do they think it's working?
NAMU: Unfortunately for Kenyans, their politicians have to a large extent let them down on a very -- on a large number of issues. Thousands of Kenyans who had owned businesses, who had shops, who had lives before 2007 rolled around, are now living in tented camps, and they will -- and they will do until the government does something. It's -- the long-term reasons for the violence aren't being dealt with as they should, so there is a lot of tension. A lot of tension in Kenya on the ground.
MABUSE: Do you see this happening again?
NAMU: If the political class doesn't get its act together, short of there being another catalyst to positive change, yes. That is the unfortunate answer.
CHIN'ONO: Most of the Zimbabweans that I speak to, you know, are angry that the deal is not being implemented properly. They signed a piece of paper, but the action is not coming.
MABUSE: After disputed elections in Africa, we have a government of national unity, so you can lose an election but remain in power. Do you think this is sustainable in Africa, and do you think this is the best solution to stop violence, post-election violence?
CHIN'ONO: I think the best solution is for losers to accept that they've lost an election and let the winners get on with the business of governing.
MABUSE: Despite violence?
CHIN'ONO: We actually shouldn't have had the violence in the first place. So we need to deal with the root of the problem, accept that you've lost an election, and let those who have won, you know, govern the country. There is always the next time. And.
MABUSE: It's easier said than done, isn't it, Hopewell?
CHIN'ONO: It is, but you know, what we know call the Kenyan syndrome is bad because a lot of African leaders agree to do the same thing. Why should I concede defeat when I can beat up some people, and then the rest of the African continent will come and say, look, they have a coalition government, they have a government of national unity.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Each year, the judges select the best news photograph on the continent. This year, the year was Halden Krog from "The Times in South Africa" for a series of photographs during the xenophobic attacks here in South Africa. Now, be warned, one of those photographs is pretty disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HALDEN KROG, PHOTOGRAPHER: Right there it was, like a kind of Armageddon kind of scene, and it was blocks and blocks of (inaudible), people literally hobbling, running as fast as they could get out of the place. And when we got there, it was -- they had discovered this man, who was basically underneath his bedding and clothing, which was carrying out with him when he was leaving the township, and it was all on fire.
Yes, the initial thing there was -- first, you can't believe it, and then when they actually pull the blankets off and it reveals a person on fire, yeah, it's something that probably will live with me for a long while.
Yes, and then it was obviously the sheer like hopelessness of the police and ourselves. We had policemen trying to throw sand on the man to try and put him out, which obviously isn't going to work in a situation like it. And finally, the scene was dispelled by a police officer with a fire hydrant, (inaudible) fire hydrant to put him out. The man obviously succumbed to the burning later.
That probably was the worst thing of it was the noise he was making, and it was the noise of a man not being able to breathe, essentially, you know, lungs are burned, pretty much. You know, that sound is definitely, yeah, not nice.
In a situation like that for me, it's almost like an autopilot kind of thing. You know, you've got to capture this stuff. You know you can't help the man firstly, because he's in a situation where -- I mean, I wouldn't know what to do personally. So you're going through this kind of autopilot mode, you know, actually deciding what lens to use, how to shoot it. It sounds grim and kind of not right, but that's what it is. That's what you're there for, is to tell the story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: You're watching INSIDE AFRICA. Much more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA. I'm Robyn Curnow, here on the east coast of South Africa in Durban. Now, this scene behind me is played out across Africa, kids playing football in public spaces.
So, David McKenzie is now going to assess just what kind of an impact or effect next year's World Cup football is going to have on the whole continent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel this presents an opportunity to tell another side of Africa, the World Cup?
ERNESTO BARTOLOMEU, JOURNALIST: This is the kind of stereotype which we need to remove to change the world view. The World Cup in South Africa will bring a lot not only for South Africa, but for the whole continent.
AYODEJI ADEYEME, JOURNALIST: Africa is not just about famine. It's not just about crime. It's not just about war. It's not just about HIV. There are positive things about Africa, that Africa can also host an event of such magnitude. Now it's not only the Western world that can (inaudible). Africa rolls out the capacity, we have the technology, we have the enablement to host such event. So.
MCKENZIE: So it's a thing of pride, as well.
ADEYEME: Sure, it's a thing of pride, for us in Nigeria. As I said, we are like Africa's big brother, so there's a sense of pride, that, yes, that Africa is hosting this World Cup.
MCKENZIE: Is it more than just a game?
BARTOLOMEU: Yes, this is more than just a game, because this is a signal that we Africans must be ready for new things, for challenge, to show the world that we play soccer, we have good gardens, we have beaches, we have good weather to -- for other people to come and say, no, I've been in Africa, and Africa is not a bush and not crime, it's not only those things which always the news shows to the rest of the world.
ADEYEME: When the Europeans are going to come to South Africa and see the organization, see the beaches, they see how friendly Africans are, they will say, oh, if South Africa is like this, why not let us try other parts of Africa? So I think it's very important, this World Cup will help change the (inaudible), that Africa is in conflict.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Well, as we've been reporting, we're here in Durban, which is one of the host cities for next year's football World Cup. After this break, we're going to show you what this coastal city has to offer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA from Durban, South Africa.
Now, besides these great beaches, Durban also has a rich culture and history. Mahatma Gandhi once lived nearby, and it was in this region that the Zulu nation fought both the Boers and the British.
Now, Durban is trying to aggressively market itself as a less expensive and more convenient tourist destination than Cape Town. Nkepile Mabuse plays tour guide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MABUSE: Durbanites boast that their city has only two seasons -- summer and summer. July is freezing cold in most of South Africa, but in Durban, you can still surf, swim or just soak up the sun on the beach. Good news for those who plan to attend football's World Cup in 2010, bad news for European-based players who would prefer to play in cooler temperatures.
Durban is one of the tournament's host cities. It's state-of-the-art stadium features a cable car with a platform that offers a bird's eye view of the sea and town. But the city of Durban has bigger dreams for its 70,000 capacity stadium. It was built with the Olympics and Commonwealth games in mind.
Durban is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, a province rich in South African history. It was a bloody battleground for the Zulus, English and Boers. And Mahatma Gandhi once called Durban home.
As the busiest port on the continent, this city is a critical component of the South African economy, but unemployment remains high. The city wants to create more jobs through tourism.
Durban is hoping visitors during 2010 will skip over the ever-poplar Cape Town for a more affordable holiday here.
Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Durban.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Well, there you have it. Plenty of good reasons to put on an event like the African Journalist Award here in Durban.
Well, I'm Robyn Curnow. You've been watching INSIDE AFRICA. That's our show for this week. Thanks so much for watching, and once again, congratulations to all the winners. You really raised the bar for journalists everywhere. Goodbye.
END
