(First published in 2005 as report on the CNN/Multichoice African Journalists of the Year Award; the 2011 edition holds Saturday June 25, at Sandton Convention Centre, Jo’Burg)

WHEN Angelo made an acquaintance with Simon, he was motivated by a spirit that went beyond the call of duty. He thought he saw a human spirit sinking into depression. He saw a fellow human hapless, helpless and descending the dark abyss of extinction. He felt motivated to help. He did, marshalling the instrument of his vocation. Though Simon Maina Irungu eventually succumbed to the ultimate destiny of his ailment, Angelo turned his demise to a triumph.

For the broadcast journalist, that triumph manifested in professional fulfillment, which was celebrated Saturday last week at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya. Angelo, with his moving story on the travails of Simon — his acquaintance whose last dying days he captured on tape in a grueling tale of human pain, endurance and eventual tragic end — won the revered CNN/Multichoice Africa Journalist Of The Year. Angelo had with same entry clinched the trophy for the Health and Medical category of the award; and topped it up with the overall best prize in the 10-year old-award programme.