Winners of 2023 Activism Awards announced

The 2023 Africans Rising Activism Awards winners were announced in a virtual awards ceremony organized by the Africans Rising movement on Friday 15 December. This year marked the fifth anniversary of the awards initiative. Africans Rising has made it a point to acknowledge and recognise the work of activists and movements across the continent and diaspora through the Activism Awards. The awards were presented across three categories: Activist of the Year, Movement of the Year and Artistic Activist of the Year. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees in all the categories for taking part in this fifth edition of the awards initiative.

During this awards ceremony, we also had an Activism in Diaspora category that recognized Dr. Maria Ayuk by presenting an Honorary Award to her. This award pays homage to a Pan-Africanist, an academic in peace and security as well as an advocate for African refugees and asylum seekers in Germany and Europe.

“Activism and movement work is a thankless job and many risk their lives to push the boundaries in hopes of securing a prosperous Africa for all Africans. Some have paid an ultimate price yet there is hardly any recognition. So Africans Rising instituted this initiative to say, we see you, we acknowledge you, we appreciate you, your job maybe thankless but the risk you take for Africa would not go unappreciated; not by Africans Rising, not by millions of Africans who stand to benefit from the legacy that you leave behind which is a better prosperous Africa”. Says Africans Rising Movement Coordinator, Hardi Yakubu.

The Winners of the 2023 Africans Rising Activism Awards

ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR

– WINNER: Joseph Tsongo – Democratic Republic of Congo
– 1st Runner-Up: Marwa Werghemi – Tunisia
– 2nd Runner-Up: Ogechukwu Nwangwu – Nigeria

MOVEMENT OF THE YEAR
– WINNER: Centre Badilika – République Démocratique du Congo
– 1st Runner-Up: Wahenga Youth Group – Kenya
– 2nd Runner-Up: Zambia Malaria Youth Corps – Zambia

ARTISTIC ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR
– WINNER: Monica Mutumi – Kenya
– 1st Runner-Up: Warren Nsoseka Lee – Cameroon
– 2nd Runner-Up: Felicity Asibi – Nigeria

As the Movement Coordinator asserted, we do not want to create competition amongst activists or give the impression that we are sieving out the best activists. Africans Rising does not have enough resources to reward every activist in the continent and diaspora. The Activism Awards is not a trophy and it does not seek to show who is the best activist and who is not. It is rather a token of appreciation that says to all activists, keep doing what you do. Moving forward, we will ensure that every activist is recognized and appreciated even if they do not win an award from Africans Rising and also encourage them to continue doing their work even at such a time they can no longer continue with what they do to make them feel
that their work was noticed and it was not in vain.

About Africans Rising and Activism Awards
Africans Rising is a Pan-African movement of movements and people working for Unity, Justice, Peace and Dignity. Launched in 2017, the movement provides a space for progressive African civil society leaders and groups engaged in various civic struggles to convene, connect, collaborate, share knowledge and build solidarity among people and across issues.

The Africans Rising Activism Awards showcase activism as a worthy cause in African society and highlights 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 has been awarded $1000 prize money while 1st and 2nd runner-up received $500 and $300 respectively, in addition to award plaques, participation in Africans Rising programmes and souvenirs. To learn more about our 2023 award winners and their work, please visit our websitehttps://www.africansrising.org/activismawards/
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