Dakar becomes the classroom of choice
RFI’s newsroom has once again packed its microphones and teaching kits for Dakar, confirming the Senegalese capital as the stage of the 12th Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon Scholarship. The programme pays tribute to two revered reporters killed in northern Mali in 2013, yet its spirit is anything but mournful. It is a forward-looking push to boost investigative radio on the continent, mixing field craft with cutting-edge audio technology. RFI managers say the Hub Afrique of France Médias Monde, opened in 2022 in Dakar, offers the bandwidth, studios and security needed to host a pan-African class (RFI press release).
Who can throw a hat in the ring
The call is aimed at radio journalists and technicians under 35, armed with at least two years of experience and holding a passport from one of 27 Francophone African nations, including Congo-Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Organisers insist the age limit keeps the spotlight on emerging voices that might otherwise be drowned out by bigger names. Applicants must e-mail a CV, motivation letter, standard form and an audio sample – a reported story for journalists or a mix for technicians – before midnight 24 August 2025. “We want pieces that prove curiosity, rigour and the ability to let the public breathe inside the sound,” explains Benoît Paumier, secretary-general at France Médias Monde, reached by phone.
From classroom drills to Dakar streets
Ten shortlisted candidates, split evenly between reporters and engineers, will meet in Dakar from 15 to 30 October. Workshops cover fact-checking, hostile-environment safety, digital editing and, crucially, how to pitch stories that travel across borders. Field assignments are slated for Dakar’s bustling Sandaga market and the tidal district of Hann. According to an INA trainer involved last year, the idea is to test participants in live conditions, from traffic noise to unpredictable interviewees. The city’s bilingual flair also helps refine the art of quick translation for international broadcasts.
Paris finale and what it really means
At the end of the Dakar boot camp, a jury drawn from France Médias Monde, INA, Sciences Po Journalism School and a Senegalese media veteran will pick two winners. Their reward: a four-week immersion in Paris during the first quarter of 2026. Travel, accommodation and per-diem are covered. Inside RFI headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, laureates will rotate through news, sports and culture desks, filing real stories under deadline. “Paris exposes them to a multi-layered editorial tempo that few newsrooms in the region can simulate,” notes Dr. Thelma Koum, media lecturer at the University of Yaoundé II (interview).
Symbolic date reminds the world to protect press
Prizes will be handed out on 2 November 2025, the date the United Nations has set as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. RFI says anchoring the ceremony on that day is a statement that the best defence against violence is professional, ethical reporting backed by strong institutions. UNESCO, which tracks attacks on media workers, recorded 86 journalist killings worldwide in 2023, but also points to a gradual rise in solved cases (UNESCO 2024 report).
Congo talent keeps punching above its weight
Last year’s laureate Victoire Andrène Ombi, a Congolese reporter based in Brazzaville, will return to Dakar to hand over the trophy. Her selection followed a gripping portrait of a Pointe-Noire fisherwoman navigating fuel price hikes. Over the past decade the scholarship has produced five finalists from Congo-Brazzaville, a ratio organisers call remarkable given the country’s modest population. “It shows the depth of radio culture back home,” Ombi says. She credits local community stations, some set up under public-private partnerships, for giving rookies a first microphone.
Friends of Dupont & Verlon prize widens the net
An affiliated NGO, the Association of Friends of Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, will once again award equipment grants to two near-miss candidates. The gear ranges from portable recorders to audio-cleanup software licences, a package that can change the daily routine of a provincial newsroom. Past beneficiary Daouda Konaté from Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire, says the backpack mixer he received in 2023 slashed his editing time by half and doubled his freelance income.
Application advice for the final stretch
Seasoned observers suggest starting early. Audio files over seven minutes tend to be skipped, insiders warn. Clear script, tight editing and contextual ambience win points. For technicians, the mix must demonstrate dynamic range without overpowering voices. And do not forget to rename files with your surname; last year two entries were lost in a cloud of “final_mix” titles, according to RFI staff.