APA-Dakar (Senegal) Agence de Presse Africaine (APA News) journalist Ibrahima Dione won two major trophies in a journalism competition held in Dakar on Saturday, December 16, 2023.
The performance of the APA News journalist has once again been recognized by his peers. After winning two prizes in 2021 and 2023 in the “Online Press” category at the ‘Convention des Jeunes Reporters du Senegal’ (Convention of Young reporters, CJRS) competitions, Ibrahima Dione was doubly rewarded last Saturday for his report entitled “Senegal: le lac Rose, un patrimoine en peril.” (Senegal: Pink Lake in Danger)
The work was awarded the prizes for “best online press production and “Grand Prix E-jicom de journalisme” as part of the sixth edition of the competition run by the Ecole supérieure de journalisme, des métiers de l’Internet et de la communication (E-jicom), a training school based in Dakar.
While the work of news agencies seems to be little known by the younger generation in West Africa, which is more connected to social media, Hamadou Tidiane Sy, a Senegalese journalist who has worked for Agence France-Presse (AFP) and is the founder of E-jicom, described Mr. Dione’s double performance on his Facebook page as “the revenge of agency reporters.”
“Agency journalism. A discreet, self-effacing, invisible (and sometimes totally unknown) genre to the general public. But how vital this demanding, rigorous and difficult genre is to the profession. We’re delighted that the winner of the Grand Prix E-jicom de Journalisme 2023 is an agent. Agency reporters, those men in the shadows who are often forgotten when we talk about journalism, also deserve recognition and attention…,” Mr. Sy said.
Initially motivated by a desire to understand how Lac Rose (Pink Lake), some 30 kilometers from the Senegalese capital, had lost its original color, Ibrahima Dione, who trained at the ‘Centre d’Etudes des Sciences et Techniques de l’Information’ (CESTI), talked to art sellers, salt farmers and tourist guides to find out how this situation was affecting their activities. In addition to the panorama he gives the reader, the reporter seems to be alerting the Senegalese authorities to avoid “the disaster scenario,” because the salt water table is “a jewel that no longer shines.”
Reacting to the E-jicom awards, Mr. Dione posted on his Facebook page: “These two prizes (…) are an additional source of motivation for me in my quest for excellence. For a first-time participant, I couldn’t have hoped for better. For nothing, absolutely nothing, is above the recognition of one’s peers.”
ODL/ac/fss/abj/APA