AFP and Arcom award Inès Mbemba Kabuiku the 4th Michèle Léridon Fellowship
On October 13, Inès Mbemba Kabuiku joined the AFP newsroom as part of a work-study contract, with training provided by the CFPJ. Inès Mbemba Kabuiku, currently assigned to the Investigations/Territories division, will work for two years in various departments and offices of Agence France Presse. To help her realize her projects, the winner will also receive €5,000 from Arcom.
The Michèle Léridon Scholarship, which honors the statement of case and commitment of the former AFP Director of Information and member of the French Superior Audiovisual Council (French Superior Audiovisual Council, now Arcom), is aimed at youngsters who have completed the preparatory program offered by La Chance, but who have not yet entered a journalism school recognized by the profession.
"By supporting youngsters, this scholarship is a reminder that diversity is essential for rigorous, representative journalism, and faithful to the values of AFP and the spirit of Michèle Léridon". Fabrice Fries, AFP CEO.
"It is with great pleasure that I take part, for the first time as President of Arcom, in the presentation of the Michèle Léridon Fellowship which, for several years now, has been supplying its winners with a real springboard to enter the world of the media. I wish Inès every success, and I'm sure she will thrive in the wonderful profession of journalism. Martin Ajdari, President of Arcom.
"La Chance is delighted to see Inès rewarded for this fourth edition. There's no doubt that Michèle Léridon, a loyal ally of our company, would have approved of this hard-working, bubbly, inquisitive candidate." Marc Epstein, President of La Chance.
Inès Mbemba Kabuiku, 21, from Cherbourg, holds a double degree in Information-Communication and LLCER English from the University of Bordeaux/Montaigne. She has also started learning Korean.
Last year and this year, she took part in the prep courses run by 350 volunteer journalists in seven French towns. She also completed an internship in early 2025 at the Sud-Ouest newspaper in Bordeaux, then at the local paper in Langon (Gironde).
Inès succeeds Nédim Tobbi, the 3rd winner of the scholarship, who is currently entering his second year of work-study at AFP, having already worked in the Digital/Culture, Sports, Society/Social, Investigations/Territories and Politics departments.
Michèle Léridon, who died on May 3, 2021, became Agence France Presse's first female news director in 2014, after serving as deputy director of the Abidjan bureau, deputy editor-in-chief for Europe and Africa, head of the social news department and director of the Rome bureau. Michèle Léridon was appointed in 2019 by the President of the French National Assembly as a member of the college of the French Superior Audiovisual Council, now the Arcom.
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