Ghanaian documentary wins award in Kenya
It was a proud moment for Ghanaian journalist and video maker, Edem Srem, when he stepped up to receive the top prize for the documentary film he produced and directed with Gifty Andoh Appiah, at the first-ever African Fact-Checking Awards held on November 14 in Nairobi, Kenya.
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The 29-minute film, “Trading Ghana’s Water for Gold”, was adjudged the best out of 40 entries received from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The African Fact-Checking Awards was set up and sponsored by the AFP Foundation, the media training arm of the AFP news agency and Africa Check, an independent, non-partisan organisation which assesses claims made in the public arena.
Trading Ghana’s Water for Gold is a well-produced video that exposed misleading government claims to have eradicated the risky practice of alluvial gold mining in Ghana.
Srem received the award from Robert Holloway, chair of the Africa Check board and Director of the AFP Foundation.
He told the audience at the ceremony of the challenges he and his team of video makers faced over the six-month period that they put the video together, in disproving government claims to have eradicated the practice of alluvial gold mining which is destroying many Ghanaian rivers.
“I think there is nothing more important in journalism than holding people to account for the promises and the claims they make. I’m very honoured, on behalf of myself and my team, to win this award,” Srem said after receiving a certificate and 2000 Euros as prize for the award.
The chairperson for the jury, Africa Media Initiative CEO, Eric Chinje, also said: “I hope this award serves as a call to excellence and integrity in journalism everywhere in Africa.”
The two joint runners-up at the awards ceremony were Paul Shalala of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, for a report on false claims made about the impact of multi-national mining investment on food security in his country and Victor Amadala of the website kenyakidz.com for a report debunking superstition that leads parents to have the teeth of newborn babies removed. They each received 1000 Euros and certificates.
“Trading Ghana’s Water for Gold” won the Environmental and Sanitation Report of the Year at the last Ghana Journalists Association Awards. It was also chosen as the best entry at the 10th anniversary of the Accra Environmental Film Festival held last month.
Dr Kwesi Owusu, CEO of the Creative Storm multi-media company, which organises the Accra Environmental Film Festival, said he was not surprised “Trading Ghana’s Water for Gold” was hailed in Kenya because it is a well-researched and well-made product.
The documentary has already been shown on Ghanaian television channels such as GTV, TV Africa, Metro TV and Joy News.