Ghana’s freelance arts and culture writer, Kofi Akpabli on Saturday night won the 2011 CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards prize for Arts and Culture for his work, ‘What is right with Akpeteshie?’ According to the judges, his story uses the most enriching and fantastic language to explain why Akpeteshie, a local brew, is the equivalent of a liquid national heritage. “Kofi not only educates and enlightens readers to the history and best practices of this national beverage – but also does it with humour and style.” This is the second consecutive time that the writer is winning this category after winning it the previous year with his feature, ‘The Truth about Soup’.

Meanwhile, Fatuma Noor from Kenya was awarded the top prize at award ceremony held The Sandton Sun Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa. Fatuma Noor, who works for The Star Kenya, won for her investigative three-part series on the ‘Al-Shabaab’, which was chosen from among 1407 entries from 42 nations across the African continent. The series tells the story of the young men who give up their freedom abroad to return and fight for the ‘Al-Shabaab’ in one of the world’s most dangerous places on earth – Somalia.

Fatuma Noor was one of the 27 finalists at the Awards ceremony on Saturday evening and was a winner in the category ‘General News Award (Print).’ Fatuma said: “”I want to thank my mum and my boss Catherine, who believed in me when no one else did. There was a time in my life when I thought about giving up, but with this Award I’m not giving up any time soon.”

M-Net will broadcast the ‘Highlights Programme’ of the Award Ceremony in July. Broadcasters in 45 countries on the African continent will be transmitting the ‘Highlights Programme’ during July. Internationally, the ‘Highlights Programme’ will be shown on OBE TV in the UK, The Africa Channel in the United States/UK and on RTP Africa. CNN International’s longest-running feature programme, ‘Inside Africa’ will include a report on the Awards on Saturday, July 2.

The overall CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2011 wins a substantial cash prize, a visit to CNN Centre inAtlanta, to attend the three-week CNN Journalism Fellowship, along with the prize awarded to all category winners, which consists of a laptop computer, printer, a BlackBerry and a cash prize.

Winners in the individual competition categories are:

ARTS & CULTURE AWARD

Kofi Akpabli, Freelance for Daily Graphic, Ghana. Title: ‘What is right with Akpeteshie?’

DIGITAL JOURNALISM AWARD

The Dispatch Online Team on behalf of ‘The Daily Dispatch’ in South Africa. Title: ‘Failed Futures’

ECONOMICS & BUSINESS AWARD

Sylvia Chebet and Kimani Githae, Citizen TV, Kenya. Title: ‘An uphill task’

ENVIRONMENT AWARD

Lamia Hassan, Business Today Egypt, Egypt. Title: ‘Washed up’

FRANCOPHONE GENERAL NEWS AWARD: PRINT

Rabin Bhujun, L’Express Dimanche, Mauritius. Title: ‘Le vrai pouvoir des castes’

FRANCOPHONE GENERAL NEWS AWARD: TV / (RADIO)

Claudine Efoa Atohoun, ORTB, Benin. Title: ‘Le barrage de Nagbéto: Outil de développement ou source de nuisance’

FREE PRESS AFRICA AWARD

Mahamud Abdi Jama, Waaheen Media, Somalia.

HIV/AIDS REPORTING IN AFRICA AWARD

Winner: Beryl Ooro, K24 TV, Kenya. Title: ‘HIV infection among senior citizens in Kenya’

MSD HEALTH & MEDICAL AWARD

Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, Sunday Punch, Nigeria. Title: ‘Luth’s Ransome – Kuti’s Children’s Centre’

MOHAMED AMIN PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD

Norman Katende, freelance for The New Vision, Uganda. Title: ‘When death strikes’

PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE GENERAL NEWS AWARD

Selma Marivate, TV Miramar, Mozambique. Title: ‘O Movimento Rastafari em Mocambique’

PRINT GENERAL NEWS AWARD

Fatuma Noor, The Star, Kenya. Title: ‘Investigative three-part series on the Al-Shabaab’

RADIO GENERAL NEWS AWARD

Melini Moses, SABC, South Africa. Title: ‘Hillbrow – Den of Iniquity’

SPORT AWARD

Kamau Mutunga, DN2 Magazine, Daily Nation, Kenya. Title: ‘Soccer and Superstition (Animal body parts and snake blood on the pitch)’

TELEVISION – GENERAL NEWS – FEATURE/CURRENT AFFAIRS AWARD

Lindile Mpanza, e.tv, South Africa. Title: ‘Silence of the innocents’

TELEVISION – GENERAL NEWS – NEWS BULLETIN AWARD

Farouk Kayondo, UBC,Uganda. Tiitle: ‘Watching in the hood’

TOURISM AWARD

Benon Herbert Oluka, DailyMonitor,Uganda. Title: ‘Why Ugandans would rather watch goat races than visit their national parks or heritage sites’

Again this year the Judges highlighted some excellent work and awarded Commendations in nine categories. These journalists participated in the finalists’ programme in Sandton and received a cash prize and Certificates of Commendation:

Sonny Serite, Freelance for The SundayStandard,Botswana

Virgil Augustin Pascal Houesson, L’événementPrécis,Benin

Nigel M. Nassar, The NewVision,Uganda

Portia Solomon, TV3News,Ghana

José Bouças de Oliveira, Televisão Santomense, São Tomé

Nkula Zau, TelevisãoPública de Angola,Angola

Kipchumba Some, The Standard,Kenya

Nnamdi Okosieme, NextNewspaper,Nigeria

Mark Klusener, eNews Africa,South Africa