OUAGADOUGOU - Burkina Faso celebrated the outstanding contributions of its journalists during the 27th Galian competition on Friday evening, where 23 special prizes were awarded across various categories including national languages, online press, and audiovisual media.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo, the event held at CENASA awarded each winner with one million CFA francs and a trophy. The Galian 2024 competition recognized exemplary works in the field of journalism that were published or broadcast throughout 2023. Dramane Dadien from national television clinched a special prize in the television category for reporting, sponsored by the General Directorate of Taxes.
Compassion International awarded special prizes to Djakaridja Siribié and Abdoulaye Balboné from Éditions Sidwaya, while Mahamadi Sebogo from the same organization received his from the Agency for Financing and Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises. Online journalism was also spotlighted, with Jules Nikiema winning the Autonomous Retirement Fund for Civil Servants (CARFO) prize for his piece "One step from retirement… between bitterness and serenity."
Additional winners included Daouda Zongo of Wakate Sera for his investigative report on road safety, which garnered the special prize from the National Road Safety Office (ONASER). The health sector recognized contributions from Mariam Lingané and Willy Sagbé through prizes from SUNU Assurances Burkina Faso and the World Health Organization, respectively.
The presidency of Faso awarded Dramane Guéné for a major report in television broadcasting, while Sibiri Charles Kaboré and Maïmouna Traoré/Ouédraogo received accolades from the ministry in charge of national education and WaterAid, respectively. Another notable recognition went to Herman Bassolé of Lefaso.net, who received the UNHCR special prize for his work on humanitarian response.
The night also marked the introduction of the 'Galian kids' competition, targeting student journalists from post-primary and secondary schools who produce school newspapers. This initiative aims to nurture future journalistic talent and recognize creative student contributions in media.
The organizing committee reported that this edition received 148 applications, consisting of 296 works, all adhering to Burkinabè media law, in either French or national languages.