Moki Edwin Kindzeka wins Best Radio Journalist Award

Moki Edwin Kindzeka, a veteran journalist in Cameroon and frequent contributor to DW's AfricaLink program, has received the best radio journalist award from the Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists.

Covering conflicts is never easy, but Moki Kindzeka, Cameroon correspondent for DW's AfricaLink radio program, does exactly that almost every day. And he does it with a plomb.

Moki's journalistic work has been widely recognized, with the veteran journalist having pocketed 7 prestigious awards in the past 4 years. The latest is the award for best radio journalist given by the Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists.

Moki's reports for AfricaLink, many of which were subsequently broadcast by partner stations in Cameroon, were cited as examples of exemplary journalism during the award ceremony in Kumba in south-western Cameroon. Moki could not make it to the award ceremony to collect his award personally because he was busy doing what he does best - presenting news.

"I dedicate this award to DW, because while reporting on Nigerian refugees in northern Cameroon, one of the refugees, who saw the DW microphone I had, came up to me and said," Sir, I now know that our story will be heard,"" said Moki.

"When he asked my name, I said "Moki" and he completed "Kindzeka," adding that he was a fan of DW."

Over the past four years Moki has filed a range of insightful stories on diverse topics ranging from Boko Haram insurgents to Cameroon's experiment with mobile technology to tackle maternal and child deaths. A recent report on Cameroonians donating blood to wounded soldiers fighting Boko Haram militants was widely published and commented on.

The AfricaLink team in Bonn regard him as one of their most energetic reporters. It's rare for the morning planning editor not to receive a pitch from Yaounde.

"I really admire his way of going out and covering a story. He is not a journalist who tells a story sitting in an office at his desk. He goes out of the way to get a story even if it means traveling to remote corners of Cameroon," said Daniel Pelz, head of the English for Africa department at DW.

In addition to filing reports for DW, Moki works for the Cameroonian state broadcaster and reports for other western media outlets.

Moki says his love of journalism began when as a teenager he won a radio in a local competition.

"The radio became my partner. While in Form Four at Saint Augustine College in Kumbo, I was called up every morning to share the news I listened to with other students during the traditional morning assembly," he said.

This earned him the title "editor-in-chief" from his school mates.

"Back then, I did not even know the meaning of editor-in-chief," he confesses.