Zimbabwean author pays tribute to AKA

Zimbabwe’s award-winning author and journalist, Hopewell Chinono, has paid tribute to the late South African Hip Hop artist, Kiernan “AKA” Forbes.

AKA was shot and killed in Durban last weekend.

Chinono says AKA did not shy away from taking a stand against the harassment of those who were protesting against brutal regimes in Africa.

He spoke to SABC News on the margins of the Africa Media Festival in Nairobi, Kenya.

A gathering aimed at sharing experiences and taking stock of where the media industry is. However, the recent killing of AKA has sent shock waves through many countries in Africa.

He was remembered for the role he played in supporting those who are still experiencing brutality in several countries on the continent.

Hopewell Chinono, a veteran journalist, says he will never forget AKA.

Chinono says, “The death of AKA most people saw on social media shocked Zimbabweans. He is a young man who used his platforms to articulate issues that were happening in Zimbabwe in 2020. Issues of repression when i was still languishing in prison. he is one of the people who amplified Zimbabwean life better. A lot of Zimbabweans are pained by his death that fact that he died in such a tragic way is very painful.”

Turning to the Media festival, the organisers believed this will go a long way in assisting those who need support.

Africa Media festival convener, Maurice Otieno says, “The idea came about from the community, a couple of journalists who attended the festival in Berlin. They saw a need that Africa needs to have its conversations. We have peculiar challenges that we need to discuss within us but also encourage collaborations across the continent. More than often newsrooms, journalists or media practitioners will collaborate with other countries but not look at collaborating with the continent. That’s what came about and we had to address those issues.”

The gathering will end on Wednesday.