The jury for the second edition of the IFJ Journalism for Tolerance Prize Award for Central and West Africa met in Dakar, Senegal on 27 and 28 April, 2004 to select the winners from West and Central Africa for the year 2003.

A total of 34 entries were received and examined in the categories of print/on-line, radio/ television: 26 from print/on-line media, 6 from radio and 2 from television .

After deliberation, the panel comprising eminent journalists of the region, designated the following finalists for the print/ on-line category:

· Bethuel Kasamwa-Tuseko (DRC) for Football to reconcile Congolese and Rwandans published in Le devoir of 1st April, 2003;
· Serge Alain Godong ( Cameroon) for Aids patients die more from exclusion than from the disease itself published in Mutations of 22nd July 2003;
· Oyeyemi Oyedeji ( Nigeria) for Stigmatization / Discrimination against PLWAH/A: Taking the bull by the horns published in The Comet of 21st October 2003;

Due to the limited number of entries for the radio and television categories, the jury considered the eight entries as one category. After deliberation, the panel identified the following finalists for the award category:

· Oumar Ningue (Senegal) for Religious Tolerance: an example from Senegal, broadcasted on Radio Walf of 31st August 2003;
· Nwuke Boma (Nigeria) for Niger Delta: a discourse on extreme human deprivation broadcasted on Radio Rivers Port Harcourt of 19th August 2003;
· Christophe Nkurunziza ( Burundi) for Solidarity between Sanzu and Gasanda broadcasted on Radio Isanganiro in January, 2003.

The winner and runners-up of each category will be announced at a prize-giving ceremony in a country within Central and West Africa at a date to be determined. The ceremony will be the highlight of a regional forum focusing on the objectives of the Prize.

The winning entry of the IFJ Journalism Prize for Tolerance will be awarded 1000 Euros. The competition is meant to promote tolerance and combat racism and discrimination and is open to journalists in each of the five regions of the world.

The Prize, which is supported by the European Union, was launched on the 11th September 2002 in Dakar, Senegal.

The jury was composed of:

1- Ms. Bernadette Cole (Sierra Leone), Chair
Bernadette Cole is head of the Mass Communication Department at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. She is Member of the Independent Media Commission of Sierra Leone and IFJ West Africa gender programme coordinator. She was the Freetown correspondent for the London-based West Africa magazine (1978-1998)

2- Mr. Mbaye Sidi Mbaye (Senegal), Rapporteur
Mbaye Sidi Mbaye was journalist at Senegal national radio and later at the Walfadjri independent radio. He is responsible of the media self regulatory body in Senegal, Conseil pour le Respect de l’Ethique et de la Déontologie (CRED)

3- Ms. Ajoa Yeboah-Afari (Ghana)
Ajoa Yeboah-Afari is President of the Ghana Journalists Association(GJA) and Editor of the Ghanaian Times, the second biggest daily in Ghana. A former correspondent of the BBC African Service (Focus on Africa), she was also the Ghana correspondent for the London-based West Africa magazine.

4- Mr. Mbaïré Béssingar (Chad)
Mbaïré Bessigar is practicing journalist at the Chad national radio. He is Secretary General of the Chad Union of Journalists (UJT).

5- Mr. Malcolm Joseph (Liberia)
Malcolm Joseph has worked in electronic media. He is vice-president of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and also vice-president of the West African Journalists Association (WAJA).

6- Mr. Bernard Mackiza (Congo Brazzaville)
Bernard Mackiza is a senior journalist at the magazine La Semaine Africaine. He is President of the media self regulatory body in Congo Brazzaville, Observatoire Congolais des Médias (OCM).

For further information, visit our website : www.ifj.org

Or contact the General Co-ordinator of the IFJ Africa Office, Gabriel Ayite BAGLO

IFJ Africa Office
17, Boulevard de la République
BP 21722, Dakar, Sénégal
Tél: (221) 842 01 42 / 41
Fax(221) 842 02 69
Email: Email: [email protected]
Siteweb: www.ifjafrique.org

WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD OF DEVELOPMENT