AFP photographer Yasuyoshi Chiba won the World Press Photo 2020 award on Thursday for an image of a young man reciting a poem amid protesters in Sudan, a snapshot symbolizing "hope," according to the prestigious award jury.
The "poetic" character of photography illustrates the power of youth and art, judges estimated the most important photojournalism award in the world.
Chiba, a Japanese photographer based in Nairobi, also achieved the first prize in the category "General information, snapshot" with this image.
Two other AFP photographers were also rewarded: Nicolas Asfouri, a Danish based in Beijing, won the "General Information, Reports" category for a series of images of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
In the "Sports, snapshot" category, Oli Scarff won third prize for the photo of a tide of Liverpool football club fans marching through the streets of the city to celebrate his team's victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Champions League.
The second prize in the category "Contemporary events, snapshot" was obtained by another photo, taken for AFP by freelance photographer Sean Davey, who immortalizes a girl wearing a mask and playing with her friends at a shelter in Australia, that at that time it suffered from a great wave of forest fires.
"Protest poem"
The World Press Photo 2020 photo was taken on June 19 in Khartoum. A young man, with his mouth open, in the middle of a crowd of inhabitants of the Sudanese capital who shouted slogans, recites a "protest poem", highlight the members of the jury. Dressed in a light blue shirt, the young man is illuminated by the light of a dozen cell phones. In the foreground is a smiling face, in profile.
"It is the only group that demonstrated peacefully that I met during my stay, and I was touched by the unbeatable solidarity of their revolution," Chiba, 48, told AFP. The photo "showed that people still had that passion within them, and I had the feeling of being one of them," he added.
"I realized how the strong will of the people was there, and that it could not be stifled by violence," he explained.
After the removal in April 2019 of the former dictator Omar Al Bashir by the army, under street pressure, the protests continued in Sudan, until power began a fragile transition to civilian power.
"Chiba's remarkable work attests to his talent, bravery, hard work and professionalism," said AFP Chief Information Officer Phil Chetwynd.
"The award attests to AFP's continued commitment to tell stories in difficult places like Sudan, and is a tribute to our unrivaled network of photographers in Africa," he added. "We are also very proud that the jury has chosen to recognize the excellence of our coverage in Hong Kong, as well as our sports and environmental coverage," he said.
In the award-winning photo series by Nicolas Asfouri, there are student girls in Hong Kong, dressed in blue, with face masks, hands clasped, or a protester running with a red umbrella and a yellow banner on which the word is written. "LOVE".
"I am very pleased with these rewards as they underscore the importance of being on the ground, everywhere and for as long as possible, as close to people as possible," said AFP director of photography Marielle Eudes.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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