THE HAGUE • Agence France-Presse photographer Yasuyoshi Chiba has won the prestigious World Press Photo of the Year Award with a picture of a mobile phone-lit Sudanese demonstrator reciting protest poetry in which judges saw a symbol of hope.
Mr Chiba's picture, taken during the uprising in Sudan calling for the return to civilian rule, showed the power of youth and art while itself possessing a "poetic" quality, the judges said on Thursday.
The picture, taken last June 19 in Khartoum, also won the General News - Singles category. It shows a group of the Sudanese capital's residents chanting slogans while one man recites protest poetry.
The man is dressed in a light blue shirt and lit up by about a dozen mobile phones, while in front of him the side-view of a smiling face is visible among many faces.
Mr "Chiba's remarkable work is a testament to his talent, courage, hard work and professionalism", said AFP's global news director Phil Chetwynd.
"This moment was the only peaceful group protest I encountered during my stay and I felt touched by the undefeated solidarity of their revolution," Mr Chiba, who is Japanese, told AFP.
The picture "showed that the people still had this passion inside and I felt part of it. I saw how the strong will of the people was there and that it could not be put out by violence", said the 48-year-old photojournalist who is based in Nairobi.
Protests continued in the aftermath of the overthrow of long-time strongman Omar al-Bashir in April last year. A military government took over but citizens demanded a return to civilian rule, with a power-sharing agreement finally reached in August.
Mr Chiba's picture "shows power of the youth, it shows the power of art. It shows hope", said Ms Tanvi Mishra, one of the judges.
"Even though he was reciting poetry, I want to say it was a poetic picture," added another judge, Mr Chris McGrath of Getty Images.
In the other major category, Mr Romain Laurendeau, a French photographer, won the World Press Photo Story of the Year Award with his monochrome portrayal of Algeria's frustrated youth leading on to a massive revolt last year.
Beijing-based AFP photographer Nicolas Asfouri, who is Danish, won first prize in the General News - Stories category with his vivid portrayal of the Hong Kong anti-government protests.
Unlike other years, photographers will not travel to Amsterdam this year to receive their awards due to the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic, organisers said. Instead, all the nominees got together by video conference call earlier on Thursday when Mr Chiba was announced as the winner, with the names released online later.
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