Wisdom Udo, a student of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos writes on the virtual launch of the 2022 BBC Komla Dumor Award launch he joined along with some other student journalists from Nigeria.
Some kinds of news have the power to change your mood especially when it is a good one. I was super excited when words reached me from my mentor requesting me to attend BBC 2022 Komla Dumor Award launch.
For someone like me who looks forward to interning with the BBC, this singular opportunity to get to interact with the team was something I didn’t take with Levity. The moment I got the invitation email, I scheduled an event reminder on my Google calendar to avoid stories that touches the heart. Another challenge, however, rose as I had to pick between attending the event or my lecture. Needless to say, I am sure you know what I did. Let me quickly share a few things I took away from the event.
The event which was virtual lasted for less than an hour but yet it was inspiring.
The fulcrum of the ceremony was to celebrate African journalists who live in Africa and tell the African stories. Wondering why the focus is Africa? Well, it started years ago after the death of Komla Dumor who was a journalist. He made a lot of impact while working with the BBC. Clearly, Komla Dumor was good at his job as most of his colleagues spoke so highly of him.
One thing that also got my attention and inspired me was the resilience of the 2020 winner of the award.
Victoria Rubadiri, a journalist from Kenya finally won the award after four failed attempts. As part of the rewards that come with the award, she travelled to London BBC world news headquarters to learn how she can tell African stories better. The striking thing that got my attention was how she chose to tell a story of innovation outside the shores of her country.
Her story was about kidnapping in DR Congo and how two young women developed an innovative solution to curb the menace. For Victoria, Journalism is not just about the bad headlines but good storytelling that brings positive changes to people’s lives.
Here are my final words. I was inspired to tell African stories just like Komla. Victoria made it clear that hard work and resilience are the things that will get one to the top. It’s quite exciting to know that good journalism is being rewarded and this award ceremony has rekindled my flames for storytelling especially the African stories.
DETAILS AND LINK TO APPLY FOR BBC World News Komla Dumor Award
Udo is a student of the University of Lagos, Mass Communication department.
