African Union

04/07/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/07/2021 13:44

The Africa Photojournalism Competition

Pictures have the power to reflect everyday life experiences, a good aid in storytelling. They capture a moment in time in history and also has the power to transport one to faraway places.

The African Union and GIZ and implementing partner Africa Women in Media (AWIM) have joined forces to launch of a Africa Photojournalism Competition. This project aims to inspire photo journalists from all across the continent to share powerful images telling the Africa story from an African perspective. This is in line with our role in helping shift narratives about Africa, as underlined in Agenda 2063, Aspiration 5 that call for inculcating the spirit of Pan Africanism; tapping Africa's rich heritage and culture to ensure that the creative arts are major contributors to Africa's growth and transformation; and restoring and preserving Africa's cultural heritage, including its languages.

Africa Photojournalism Competition will celebrate outstanding African images as per the categories outlined in the Agenda 2063, Aspirations. The photographers will be submitting their photographic work and individual perspective on these categories. To enhance the effect and sustainability of this project, online learning modules on photojournalism will be made available for free to 100 women journalists.

In addition, a podcast series for community engagement will be developed and a research will be conducted regarding lived experiences of photojournalists documenting conflict in Africa.