This year’s prestigious German Africa Prize has been awarded to Zimbabwean democracy activist Namatai Kwekweza.
The 26-year-old is being honored by the German Africa Foundation for her unwavering commitment to the rule of law and democracy in her country, DW has learned exclusively from the German Africa Foundation. DW is the media partner of this award.
According to the 20-member independent jury, Women and Youth Activists offers “a resounding message of confidence and democratic renewal”. It selected Quequeza from more than two dozen nominees in the final round.
Naamatai Kwekweza founded it at the age of 18 Wellaid TrustAn organization that trains youth leaders and works to include them in political decision-making processes.
In an increasingly repressive environment in Zimbabwe, she is fighting for the rule of law and political participation. Quequeza has faced great risks for this: he has been arrested several times and has reported attempts at torture and intimidation. Every achievement has its price, says Kwekweza.
“At the end of the day, we have to make our difficult choices,” Quequeza told DW.
“If you are kidnapped for speaking truth to power, if you are in jail for speaking truth to power, that is hard, but if you are awake and you are living a life, living a life that is limited in opportunity and possibilities, then that is also hard.”
representative of the new generation
The youth activist admitted that receiving the German Africa Prize was a surprise. She began to work on the history of the award in her own way.
“And when I had the opportunity to learn about past recipients of the award since it began in the 90s, I was amazed that I appear on the list of those individuals,” Quequeza said.
Kwekweza said his community and the Valid Africa team were also thanked for this. And she feels “deep gratitude” to receive this award as a representative of the younger generation. “The award itself will help to ensure that the work we are doing gets more attention.”
This is a paradigm shift that also played a role in the jury’s decision, said jury president Klaus Stacker, director of programs for Africa at DW.
“Young people across the continent are campaigning for their share in decision-making, transparency and social change, as demonstrated by Generation Z protest movements in countries such as Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania and Cameroon,” Stacker said.
For the jury, Namtai Kwekweza is a leading example not only of protest, but of “a new generation of democrats, courageously taking responsibility and helping shape the future of their countries.”
The award is considered the highest German recognition for deserving Africans. is rewarded by German Africa Foundation – A non-partisan foundation committed to promoting a more nuanced image of Africa in the political arena and among the German public.
Since 1993, it has honored individuals from the African continent who have made extraordinary contributions to democracy, peace, human rights, sustainable development, research, arts, culture or social issues in Africa.
Last year, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, the mayor of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, received the award. Other recipients include COVID researchers Tulio de Oliveira and Sikhulile Moyo, former Botswana President Ketumile Masire and Somali activists Waris Diri and Ilawad Elman.
This year’s award will be presented by Bundestag President Julia Klöckner on 26 November.
Privilege Muswanhiri in Harare contributed reporting