The ninth recipient of the BBC Komla Dumor Award, Rukia Bulle of Nation Media Group, Kenya has urged girls from minority communities not to allow their background to affect their aspirations.
Speaking while receiving the award, the 26 years old said she was was delighted to be honored and encouraged minority girls never to “allow their background but their back to the ground.”
“I hope this award inspires young girls like me, who… come from minority communities, to dream big and achieve their goals.
“Winning this award means a great deal to me. As a journalist, you constantly strive to do your best, regardless of recognition, so to be acknowledged on a global stage through the Komla Dumor Award is incredibly validating,” Rukia said.
Rukias’s passion for human interest stories while creating informative and relatable content on the life of journalists via her TikTok platform has given her a strong following.
Her dexterity and creativity in elevating underrepresented voices via her strong on-air-presence has endeared her story to the Judges.
The Annual BBC News Komla Dumor award is aimed to honor Dumor, a 41 journalist and presenter from Ghana who died in 2014 after working with the BBC world news.
Meanwhile, Rukia has appeared on a list of 100 most influential Kenyan muslims last year and will hopefully spend three months with the BBC News team receiving training and mentorship from seasoned BBC Journalists.
The placement according to BBC report will avail Rukia the opportunity to travel to a country in Africa to report on a story that will be broadcast to the BBC’s global audience.
Acting director of the BBC World Service, Tarik Kafala, said he was delighted that the Komla Dumor Award had nurtured the careers of several journalists across the continent.
Rukia’s award winning story is a testament to the fact that- when media professionals are driven by purposeful passion, the sky might just be the starting point.