The National Press Centre- Norbert Zongo, Burkina Faso, has announced that the eighth edition of the International Festival of Freedom of Expression and Press (FILEP) will be held from September 25-28 in Ouagadougou.

The theme of this biennial meeting is “Feathers, microphones and cameras for a free and united Africa”.

A statement by the organiser says, as, in previous editions, the FILEP 2019 will bring together around 200 participants from Burkina Faso, Africa and globally.

”They will be representatives of organisations of editors, journalists, the African Federation of Houses and Press Centers (FACMP), media rights organisations, human rights defenders, important media personalities etc,” the release noted.

It also listed the program of this edition.

It said there would be an opening ceremony of the Filep under the patronage of the President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso.

There would also be an international symposium on the theme of the festival with several sub-themes that will constitute panels of debates with an inaugural conference by a professor, Théophile Obenga.

It said there will be the projection of the film “Chameleon” followed by debates with the famous Ghanaian investigative journal Anas Anas.

Other events are the Norbert Zongo Prize Gala for Investigative Journalism and the International Photo and Cartoon Competition Awards, a photo exhibition and caricatures of the press at the Norbert Zongo National Press Center.

There will be a closing live concert on Saturday with Almamy KJ, Nourat, Ismo Vitalo from Burkina and Didier Awadi from Senegal.

The centre recently announced the 8th Edition of the Norbert Zongo Investigative Journalism Award.
The Investigative Prize is an award of excellence to reward the best works of investigative journalism in Africa.

The prize is open to all the professional working journalists in Africa or journalists collaborating with the African press.

The organisers say the stories must be published or broadcast between May 3, 2017, and May 3, 2019.

The prize was initiated in honour of a journalist, Norbert Zongo, who was killed while conducting an investigation into the unresolved death of David Ouédraogo, driver of François Compaoré, the younger brother of President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso.

Despite death threats, the late Zongo reportedly continued his investigation until he was murdered.