Winners of “Communicating Africa” Storytelling Contest to Be Announced in Rome

The deadline for submission of entries into the contest was first set for 30 September 2021, but was later moved to August 30 this year owing to the COVID-19 challenges that had hindered many from participating in the competition.

In an interview with ACI Africa last year, HAI Communications officer, Rossella Miranda, said that the competition would welcome entries from content creators from various nationalities but made a special appeal for Africans to enter the competition.

“The Competition is open to all works, European or African,” Ms. Miranda told ACI Africa on 7 April 2021, and added, “It would be great to give a Prize to an African entry and let an African voice speak about Africa!”

The aim of the competition, she said, has been to help create a more accurate image of Africa, “one that reflects the existing conflicts but also shows the reasons for hope.”

The competition was also aimed at creating awareness on the richness and diversity of the peoples of God in Africa, the continent’s cultures and its unwavering commitment to development.

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Participants in the competition had also been called upon to shed light on the needs of the world’s second largest continent, which the organization said “are still very real”.

The competition was organized under two categories, including the video reportage and video documentaries and the video-clips by young people up to 25 years of age who were expected to focus on the ethnic, social, economic, cultural and religious themes specific to Africa.

Particular attention was to be paid to works dealing with resilience in times of crisis, stories of courage in times of the COVID-19.

The award was open to video documentaries of a maximum duration of 60 minutes and video clips of a maximum duration of 5 minutes.

HAI said that the amount of the award, which is subject to the tax obligations in force, is EURO 2,500 for video reportages and video documentaries and EURO 1,000 for video-clips.

In the September 6 report, HAI said that the aim of the symposium scheduled for later this month is to offer a space for reflection and discussion “with the participation of authoritative personalities”.

These will include people and organizations, both national and international, engaged in the research and application of innovative solutions to the most current global social problems.

The event, the development agency says, will also be an opportunity “to thank all those who have contributed their grains of sand in an atmosphere of hope over 20 years.”

Established in 2002 with headquarters in Rome, HAI contributes to enhancing the potential of the different realities of Sub-Saharan Africa through strengthening the capacity of local human resources, and in supporting African entities in the implementation of projects in the field of basic education, vocational training, academia and business.

The agency has also expressed a desire to deepen knowledge about Africa in order to overcome stereotypes and contribute to a culture of coexistence and complementarity on the continent.

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In its mission statement, the agency says, “A too often short-sighted vision of Africa does not help us to grasp the great changes underway where, despite some extreme criticalities, we have the highest rates of expansion in the world.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.