PUNCH Head of Programmes, Video Unit, Melony Ishola, made history as Africa’s first Reporter Slam winner, taking the stage at Heimathafen Neukölln hall in Berlin, Germany, for a live journalism competition on Saturday, 18 January 2025.
Ishola, a multimedia journalist, won the inaugural Reporter Slam Africa competition on 6 June 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa, to qualify for the Berlin showpiece, held before 400 guests and a large virtual audience.
The event, organised by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Media Africa, brought together six journalists from Mali, Zimbabwe, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda.
Each participant brought their stories to life through a dynamic blend of music, art, video, sound, and dance.
Ishola’s presentation, which earned her a standing ovation, focused on the challenges she once faced choosing to stand her ground and host a 2 hour live television interview with Nigerian lawmakers without a script, following failure of proposed devices. Her performance highlighted the importance of teamwork as well as professionalism in the face of untold challenges.
Though Ishola did not secure the grand prize in Berlin, she described the opportunity to share her story on live television as a triumph in its own right.
“At a time when trust in journalism and journalists is dwindling, this platform is about what it takes to do the job we do. It’s about our experiences as journalists. It’s about what it takes to lose or win.
“For example, my winning story on stage in South Africa was about seizing a moment on live television, and so I have reimagined the same story and told it again in Berlin. That’s what it’s about: bringing people into our world as journalists and showing them what our craft costs,” Ishola said.
The grand prize was awarded to Cornelius Pollmer, a journalist with the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit.