By Olukayode Idowu
The winners of 2022 Africans Rising Activism Awards have been announced.
The winners were announced on Friday, 16 December, in a virtual awards ceremony organized by Africans Rising for Unity, Justice, Peace & Dignity.
A total number of 2.562 votes were cast by Africans Rising members to select the young African activists to be honoured this year.
These awards were presented across three categories: Activist of the Year, Movement of the Year and Artistic Activist of the Year.
A statement on Tuesday by Africans Rising read: “We congratulate all the winners and nominees in the three categories for taking part in this awards initiative. They remind us that Africans across the globe are taking the lead in building the Africa We Want.”
The statement added that: “During this awards ceremony, we also recognized the Martyrs of the October 25 Coup in Sudan by presenting an Honorary Award to their families. This award pays homage to the Sudanese movement, which has sustained its revolution for the last three years despite repression by the Sudanese military regime; and the immortal souls of the young activists who lost their lives in the struggle.
Winners of the 2022 Africans Rising Activism Awards are Editar Ochieng – Kenya (Winner)
Pascal Bisimwa – Democratic Republic of Congo (1st Runner-Up), Fatma Messaoud – Algeria (2nd Runner-Up).
Movement of the Year Award: Botswana Jobs for Graduates – Botswana (1st)
XR Goma University – Democratic Republic of Congo(2nd), Education in Crisis – Uganda/Tanzania (3rd)
Artistic Activist of the Year: Afra Saad – Sudan (1st), Etienne Kasereka – Democratic Republic of Congo (2nd), Wad Al Zain – Sudan (3rd)
The statement quoted Editah Achieng, 2022 Africans Rising Activist of the Year Winner, to have said: “It has not been easy to defend human rights, though it has been a journey of learning and fun. I believe that we all have the power to transform our communities, our voices might shake when defending human rights and that’s the most important thing.”
The Africans Rising Activism Awards showcase activism as a worthy cause in African society and highlight the great work by African activists and movements that bring positive change in African communities. Since 2019, when the first edition of the awards was launched, the initiative has received popular support that continues to expand.
This year, each category winner was awarded $1000 prize money while 1stand 2nd runner-up received $500 and $300 respectively, in addition to award plaques and Africans Rising souvenirs.