TheCable

Abiose Adelaja Adams, programme officer of the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), is one of the two African investigative journalists selected for the 2020/21 Bertha Foundation Fellowship tagged the “Bertha Challenge”.

Bertha Foundation, based in Geneva, Switzerland, supports activists, storytellers, and lawyers who are working to bring about social and economic justice and human rights for all.

In an official announcement on Thursday, Catie Harvey, the fellowship coordinator, said it was a tough task to select 19 winners from a very inspiring pool of 171 applications from 58 countries.

“Selecting the new cohort from among so many high quality applications was a difficult task. This year’s call for applications received 171 applications from 58 countries,” Harvey said.

“It’s inspiring to hear about the important work being done around the world in urgent response to the crises that our species and planet is facing.”

The 19 fellows will spend the next year investigating relationships between profit, politics, and the global climate crisis through individual projects that reach to the heart of a pressing ecological issue.

The non-residential fellowship which will be implemented in fellows’ home countries.

During her fellowship year, Abiose, through TheCable, will be exploring what alternative political, economic and scientific models can work in response to the environmental degradation and climate crisis in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.

Her work will also include writing and staging a play to be performed among fishing and farming communities in the South of Nigeria.

In all, 10 journalists and nine activists from 11 countries were selected for the programmme.

Other fellows are Margot Gibbs of Finance Uncovered, United Kingdom; Charles Saki of Community Radio Harare, Zimbabwe; Bhrikuti Rai of Centre for Investigative Journalism, Nepal; Andrea Ixchiú Herández of FGER (Federación Guatemalteca de Escuelas Radiofónicas), Guatemala; and Juan Francisco Donoso of The Centre for Research and Documentation, Germany.

Also on the list are Antonia Juhasz of Democracy Now!, US; Dan Ilic of A Rational Fear, Australia; Elroi Yee of Star Media Group, Malaysia; Lenin Tinashe Chisaira of Advocates4Earth, Zimbabwe; Michael O. Snyder of Blue Earth Alliance, US; Yasna Mussa of Late Magazine, Chile; Alex Kelly of Not Yet It’s Difficult, Australia; Angeles Solis of Make the Road New York, US; Federico Zuvire Cruz of FGER, Guatemala; Linh Do of Plan International, Australia; LJ Amsterdam of Mayday Space, US; Narrira Lemos of The Tor Project, Brazil and Puah Sze Ning of Center for Orang Asli Concerns, Malaysia.