AFP Honoured at the 2026 World Press Photo Awards
The famous photojournalism competition has announced the regional winners of its 2026 edition. AFP photographer Luis Tato has been recognised in the Stories category for Africa for his coverage of Madagascar's protests.
Madagascar’s Gen Z Protests
In September 2025, student-led protests erupted across Madagascar over failing public services, corruption, and economic hardship. When President Andry Rajoelina dissolved his government but refused to resign, demonstrations intensified.
On 11 October, the CAPSAT military unit defected to join the protesters, the same force that had installed Rajoelina in a 2009 coup. Days later, the military seized power, promising elections within two years. In a pattern seen across Gen Z uprisings in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bulgaria, Madagascar's youth forced regime change, but were excluded from shaping the political transition that followed.
The photojournalist
Luis Tato is a photojournalist for Agence France-Presse (AFP) based in Nairobi, Kenya. He joined AFP as a staff photographer in 2023 and currently serves as Chief Photographer and Photo Coordinator for East Africa and the Indian Ocean.
After studying audiovisual communication, Luis began his photojournalism career as an intern at La Vanguardia, a leading Spanish newspaper, covering local news and sports in Barcelona. He later became part of the newspaper’s photography team before moving to Nairobi, where he worked as a stringer for AFP, FACTSTORY, and various editorial clients.
During this time, he extensively documented news, politics, and feature stories across the continent before joining AFP full-time.
His work has earned recognition in several photography competitions, including the Ville de Perpignan Rémi Ochlik Visa d'Or, World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, Sony World Photography Awards, and NPPA Best of Photojournalism among others.