Africa’s Best-Pray for us in Zimbabwe, says

award winner

Happy 98.9 Fm (Web)

Happyghana.com, Ghana

21/07/08

IMBABWEAN television journalist Hopewell RugohoChi’ono scooped this year’s CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award on Saturday evening for his in-depth report on people living with HIV/ AIDS.

“This has been a huge surprise for me because I never thought I’d go this far tonight,” he told the crowd assembled in the State Banquet Hall for the gala award ceremony.
President John Kufour presented him the award amid great applause and drumming.
“I want to thank all Zimbabwean journalists who are doing very hard work under very difficult circumstances,” he said, calling on the audience to pray for his country and its future.

Rugoho-Chi’ono also received one of the 16 category awards for reporting on HIV/ AIDS.
His words of acceptance underscored the sentiment of one of the judges, Sophy Ly Sow, that journalists need to celebrated and supported for their involvement in a difficult profession on the continent.

One of the category awards went to Seyhoum Tsehaye, a journalist currently incarcerated in Eritrea for writing a newspaper article critical of the government. “I’m proud of my husband, thank you for remembering Seyhoum and his devotion to his profession,” said his wife as she accepted the Free Press Africa Award on his behalf.

The night began with an outdoor reception, where anxious finalists mingled with government officials, foreign dignitaries, executives and guests of sponsoring companies and media professionals from around the continent.

“I look at the finalists and I don’t envy them,” laughed last year’s overall award winner Richard Kavuma from Uganda.

Guests entered the cavernous State Banquet Hall shortly before the president’s entrance to a choral performance of the national anthem. The Hall was resplendent in orange hues, from the soft orange light bathing the guests to the decorative Kente cloth on the chairs.

The hosts for the evening were CNN correspondent Zain Verjee and Nigerian TV presenter Soni Irabor.

The pair kicked off the program by inviting MultiChoice Africa CEO Eben Greyling and CNN International Managing Director Tony Maddox onto the stage to give the ceremony’s opening speeches