Dele Olojede
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Dele Olojede (born 1961) is a Nigerian journalist and former foreign editor for ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
''. He is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his work covering the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. He serves on the board of EARTH University, in Costa Rica, and of The Markup, the New York-based investigative journalism organization focused on the impact of large tech platforms and their potential for human manipulation. He is the founder and host of Africa In the World, a hearts and minds festival held annually in Stellenbosch, in the Cape winelands of South Africa. He was a patron of the
Etisalat Prize for Literature The 9mobile Prize for Literature (formerly the Etisalat Prize for Literature 2013–16) was created by Etisalat Nigeria in 2013, and is the first ever pan-African prize celebrating first-time African writers of published fiction books.
.


Biography

Olojede was born in January 1961 in
Modakeke Modakeke is a town in Osun State, South West Nigeria, with a population of close to 500,000 people. The Modakekes are also known as the "Akoraye" and have a history of valor at war and are prosperous farmers. History The founding of Modakeke i ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. He was the 12th of 28 children. In 1982, he began his journalism career at the '' National Concord'' in
Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
, a newspaper owned by aspiring political figure
Moshood Abiola Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola , also known as M. K. O. Abiola (24 August 1937 – 7 July 1998) was a Nigerian businessman, publisher, and politician. He was the Aare Ona Kankafo XIV of Yorubaland and an aristocrat of the Egba clan. M.K.O ...
. Olojede left the paper in 1984 after he became concerned that Abiola was using the paper to advance his personal political ambitions. Olojede enrolled at the University of Lagos where he studied journalism, and became a leader of the students union movement. As a student he was particularly influenced by Nigerian literary luminaries like Chinua Achebe,
Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...
and
Cyprian Ekwensi Chief Cyprian Odiatu Duaka Ekwensi (26 September 1921 – 4 November 2007) was a Nigerian author of novels, short stories, and children's books. Biography Early life, education and family Cyprian Odiatu Duaka Ekwensi, an Igbo, was born in ...
and other African writers like
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5 January 1938) is a Literature of Kenya, Kenyan author and academic who writes primarily in Gikuyu language, Gikuyu and who formerly wrote in English language, English. He has been described as having bee ...
. He also acted Shakespeare in grade school and dabbled in poetry in Yoruba and English Olojede became one of the founding staff writers of a Nigerian news magazine called '' Newswatch'' in 1984. The magazine was edited by
Dele Giwa Dele Giwa (16 March 1947 – 19 October 1986) was a Nigerian journalist, editor and founder of '' Newswatch'' magazine. Early life and career Sumonu Oladele "Baines" Giwa was born on March 16, 1947 to a family working in the palace of Oba Ades ...
, a well-known Nigerian journalist who was killed by a mail bomb on 19 October 1986. Olojede publicly accused Nigeria's military leader Ibrahim Babangida of being responsible for the murder. In 2001, eight years after leaving power, Babangida refused to testify before a human rights court about the murder. A 1986 investigative report by Olojede on the imprisonment of the popular Nigerian musician
Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...
led to Kuti's release and the dismissal of the judge who imprisoned him. In 1987, Olojede's efforts earned him a
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
26,000 Ford Foundation Scholars grant which Olojede used to get a master's degree at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. At Columbia he won the Henry N. Taylor Award for outstanding foreign student. Olojede eventually became a US-Nigeria dual citizen.


''Newsday''

On 6 June 1988, Olojede joined ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'', the
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
-based newspaper, first as a summer intern and later as a reporter covering local news, including a stint in the Hamptons, on the East End of Long Island. He eventually became United Nations Correspondent, a perch from which he began to cover Africa, making several extended trips to the continent. He was subsequently named Africa Correspondent, based in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, South Africa, following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. Olojede later worked as a correspondent in China from 1996 to 1999, after being named Asia Bureau Chief, based in Beijing. His reporting took him to all but a handful of Asia countries. Following his assignment in Asia, he returned to Long Island where he became foreign editor of ''Newsday''. In January 2004, Olojede took an opportunity to return to Africa as a correspondent to write about the 1994
Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...
, ten years later. In April 1994, when the genocide broke out in Rwanda, Olojede was covering the
South African general elections Elections in South Africa are held for the National Assembly, provincial legislatures and municipal councils. Elections follow a five-year cycle, with national and provincial elections held simultaneously and municipal elections held two years ...
, the first free elections at the end of
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
. Olojede has said that while the South Africa story was important, he has often wondered if he could have helped the situation in Rwanda if he had gone there instead. Olojede's 2004 series on the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide was well received. One story that drew particular attention was "Genocide's Child" about a mother who was raising a son conceived during a gang rape during the war. In 2005, Olojede won the
Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting This Pulitzer Prize has been awarded since 1942 for a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence. In its first six years (1942–1947), it was called the Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic R ...
for his "fresh, haunting look at Rwanda a decade after rape and genocidal slaughter had ravaged the Tutsi tribe." The series was viewed as a major accomplishment for black journalists. Olojede was assisted by African American photographer J. Conrad Williams, and much of the series was edited by Lonnie Isabel, another African American journalist who was the assistant managing editor for national and foreign coverage. By the time he won the Pulitzer, Olojede had already left ''Newsday''. The Tribune Company had purchased Newsday from its previous owners in 2000, and by 2004 were trying to trim costs. At the end of 2004, ''Newsday'' offered a round of buyouts. On 10 December 2004, Olojede took the buyout and moved to Johannesburg, where he was living when he learned he had won the Pulitzer.


Back to Africa

As of 2006, Olojede was living in Johannesburg with his wife and two daughters. In November 2006, the ''
East African Standard ''The Standard'' is one of the largest newspapers in Kenya with a 48% market share. It is the oldest newspaper in the country and is owned by The Standard Group, which also runs the Kenya Television Network (KTN), Radio Maisha, ''The Nairobian' ...
'' reported that Olojede was hoping to launch a daily newspaper that would be distributed across the entire African continent. Returning to Nigeria, Olojede launched ''234Next'' in 2008, first on Twitter and then online and in print. Hiring 80 new journalists fresh out of college and working out of a diesel-powered 24-hour newsroom, ''NEXT'' worked to expose government corruption in the face of much resistance. Most famously, ''NEXT scooped'' the story that the president, President Yar'Adua was secretly brain dead and not "returning soon from a Saudi hospital" as promised. In 2011, Dele Olojede won the
John P. McNulty Prize John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
, which was established by Fellows of the
Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...
to reward the most innovative projects driving social change. The Prize was awarded for Olojede's vision and efforts in creating ''NEXT'' in Nigeria. Under Olojede, ''NEXT'' paid its journalists a living wage, opposing the usual local practice of politicians paying journalists and expecting only favourable coverage in return. It scooped many stories of public interest, but found that advertisers would no longer support it. When it collapsed in 2011, it owed its staff more than five months' wages.Nigeria's 'brown envelope' journalism. Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. BBC News 5 March 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-31748257 accessed 10 07 2015.


Awards

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Olojede has won several journalism awards. *2011 McNulty Prize *2010 Prize for Ethical Leadership, World Forum for Ethics in Business *2010 100 Most Creative People, Fast Company *2009 Distinguished Alumni Prize, Columbia University in the City of New York *1992 Unity Award from Lincoln University *1992 Media Award from the Press Club of Long Island *1995 Publisher's Award from ''Newsday'' *1995 Educational Press of America Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Journalism


References


External links


Olojede's prize-winning works
fro
pulitzer.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olojede, Dele 1961 births Living people Yoruba journalists Nigerian newspaper journalists Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting winners Newsday people Columbia University alumni University of Lagos alumni Nigerian magazine founders Nigerian editors