Introducing
When in 2002 I witnessed that even poor refugees
could have a mobile phone, I understood there was something wrong
with my perception of Africa. Raised in The Netherlands we were
told that there is only hunger, disease and civil war.
But once in Africa I discovered
it's a continent inhabited by ingenious people that can survive
on a less than a smile, and are able to move mountains on a Dollar
per day.
Before 2001 I was a reporter at
the regional TV Rijnmond in The Netherlands. It was great and I
learned so much, but after having been to Turkey in 1999 to report
on the earthquake I was left with an itch to go beyond the usual
boundaries. That brought me to Southern Sudan in 2001.
Since then I travel across Africa
to tell stories about conflict and development, about daily lives
of people on a wonderful continent.
My most special experience was being one of the first to interview
Joseph Kony, the leader of the dreaded Lord's Resistance Army from Uganda. This was awarded
winner on the International Video Journalist Festival in Berlin,
and nominated for the Rory Peck Awards in London.
What I like most about is the opportunity to engage with people
of all walks of life. To listen to their stories, to hear how they
look at life, to learn and to share it to a worldwide audience.
Ruud Elmendorp
Video Journalist Africa
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