By organising the Seminar on Information and Democracy, in Dakar, AfricTivistes aimed to create a platform for dialogue and exchange with a view to strengthening democracy and the quality of information in the digital era, in the tumultuous pre-electoral period in Senegal. As part of the event, Radio Sud FM was awarded the AfricTivistes Media & Democracy Prize in recognition of its remarkable trajectory and commitment to democratic principles over about 30 years.

The seminar on information and democracy, held on October 24 and 25, culminated in the presentation of the AfricTivistes Media & Democracy Prize to Sud FM, followed by PressAfrik in second place.  The award recognises Senegalese media that practise journalism based on editorial independence, ethical and democratic values, and publish quality content on a variety of subjects.

According to Cheikh Fall, President of AfricTivistes, this distinction is also a way of encouraging Senegalese media to defend and promote democracy in their day-to-day work.

“We have initiated an award to distinguish a Senegalese media that meets the criteria we have set ourselves, that is in relation to the contribution of this media to democracy, it is also a media that investigates, a media that is resilient and respects ethics and deontology,” he explained.

“It’s a prize of encouragement and not to sanction other media, but rather a way for us to hail the one that has best showcased the promotion of democracy by respecting the principles of journalistic work,” he maintained. “It’s also a way of challenging them (Sud FM, editor’s note) for the future”, he declared, adding that it was above all an invitation to other media to follow suit.

Radio Sud FM is the first private radio station in Senegal following the liberalisation of the broadcasting industry. The Sud Hebdo weekly newspaper was launched in 1982. In 1993, Sud became a daily newspaper. The media group was launched in 1994.  It also includes the SudOnLine portal.

The media has made a major contribution to strengthening democracy and fostering freedom of expression, broadcasting social, political and cultural as well as interactive shows.

During the 2000 presidential election and at the height of the political crisis from 2019 to 2023, Radio Sud FM remained true to its reputation as a media at arm’s length from all political factions, twenty-nine years after its launch.

The AfricTivistes Media & Democracy Prize ceremony was attended by prominent figures from civil society, the press and the digital world, including Momar Dieng, Mountaga Cissé, Ababacar Diop, Ndiaga Gueye and Senghane Senghor, to name but a few. The event is part of the Seminar on Information and Democracy, an AfricTivistes initiative in partnership with Forum on Information and Democracy. The aim of this full-scale event is to strengthen Senegalese democracy through digital innovation and the quality of information, at a pivotal time when individual freedoms are being confiscated and press freedom is more threatened than ever. 

A panel of judges comprised renowned media professionals and experts chose Sud FM. They were Regina Oumy Sambou, accompanied by veteran Adama Sow, Hamadou Tidiane Sy and Mamadou Ly. “As the judges, we have respected the AfricTivistes request, which itself is based on several predefined criteria aimed at acknowledging and rewarding the media that has done the most to defend and promote democratic principles,” said judges’ spokesman Adama Sow.

Receiving the award for Sud FM, Sud Communication Group Managing Director Baye Omar Gueye hailed the “initiative, which highlights our media’s journey, which has been both challenging and commendable”. This award “reflects not only the reality that Sud has always strived to the best of its ability, as a group, to translate one of its most essential functions, to be at the side of the Senegalese and to have one and only concern: that of being a local radio station, but above all to democratise access to information,” declared Baye Omar Gueye.

“We have a strong heritage bequeathed to us by the group’s founder, who wanted us to be good, to ride on ethics, professionalism and responsibility. We dedicate this prize not only to our founding president, the late Babacar Touré (former CEO of Sud Communication), but also to all those who worked alongside him and are no longer with us. The prize is a confirmation and an encouragement for the future. We will do our utmost to deserve what Sud was created for, that is, to be at the side of the people to provide them with the most accurate information,” he confided.