An undercover masterpiece undertaken by Anas Aremeyaw Anas on cocoa smuggling along Ghana’s western borders with Côte d’Ivoire has been adapted into two video games globally.
Details of the adaptation were made public at the inaugural Floodlight Investigative Journalism Gaming Summit, organised in the Netherlands’ capital, Amsterdam, by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) under a project dubbed Floodlight Gaming.
The rare distinction cements Anas’s legacy and international stature as the best-known African investigative journalist.
The adaptation means the story is being brought to life in a dynamic video-game version, allowing people of all ages to experience and understand it in a new and interactive way.
The story— captioned “Hunting the Hunter: Infiltrating the Cocoa Smuggling Underworld of Ghana’s Western Border”—also earned Anas a top award and a USD5,000 prize at the Amsterdam summit.
“Our investigations have always been about impact—about making sure truth cannot be ignored. With this project, we’re showing that truth can also be experienced, played, and lived. Winning this award is proof that the world is ready for journalism without borders,” remarked Anas as he received the prize.
The story was reworked into a video-game format by Greenwave Games, a video game development company based in Germany’s capital, Berlin.
“Hunting the Hunter winning this award is a powerful reminder that storytelling and innovation can join forces to inspire the next generation,” Anas added.
“This recognition affirms that the fight against corruption can engage hearts and minds far beyond traditional journalism. Above all, I hope it challenges young people everywhere to believe that they, too, can use their creativity and courage to make a difference.”
The second video game, dubbed Cocoa Capture, is another adaptation of Anas’s investigation into cocoa smuggling. It was also announced among the finalists at the summit.
Cocoa Capture was gamified by international video game development experts Leto du Plessis, Damian Grobler, Matthew Carlton, Kairan Moorlach and Cale Adamson.
The grand prize-winning video game, Hunting the Hunter, was developed by Bernard Lis and Chris Vogel.
Aim of the Floodlight Gaming project
The Floodlight Gaming project was established by OCCRP the Gabo Foundation, and Anima Interactive, with support from V-Ventures, SpielFabrique, Global Game Jam, Good Game Generation and the International Game Developers Association.
The initiative aims to use gaming to tell important stories and raise awareness about such important global issues as corruption and social injustices.
It also highlights how gaming can be used to tell powerful stories, inspire change and promote collaboration between game developers and investigative journalists.
The event organisers described Anas’s work as “visionary and transformative” and “a tool that can inspire civic consciousness while keeping investigative reporting alive in new forms.”
“We launched Floodlight Gaming to give game developers all over the world exclusive access to top-notch investigative journalism about global organised crime and corruption.
“We want to generate a new wave of games that gives developers free reign to create in the public interest. The games that were submitted through the jam were incredible and really elevated the reporting,” said Floodlight Gaming and OCCRP Co-Founder, Paul Radu.
Anas’s latest achievement is garnering widespread acclaim across Africa. Several media researchers and digital analysts say the innovative video-game adaptation of his investigative stories has the potential to reach younger, digitally literate audiences who often shy away from traditional long-form journalism.
The judges praised the Floodlight Gaming project for its unique blend of entertainment and accountability, noting its ability to captivate and engage a segment of the global population that is typically hard to reach.
About the cocoa-smuggling story
Anas’s private investigations company, Tiger Eye PI, conducted the undercover investigation into cocoa smuggling in Ghana in 2010.
The work revealed widespread corruption among security officials, including the Customs Excise Preventive Service (CEPS), the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Immigration Service.
His undercover team uncovered a well-organised smuggling network involving security officials, taxi drivers as well as ordinary citizens who would offer bribes to state officials to smuggle cocoa across the border.
Footage obtained by secret filming showed state security officials accepting bribes to aid smuggling, with some officials even providing alternative routes for smugglers to escape arrest.
Ghana suffered a significant revenue loss as a result of the cocoa-smuggling activities. The investigation led to the arrest and prosecution of fourteen security officials, with eight persons jailed in 2014 for their involvement in the smuggling.
After the airing and publication of Anas’s findings in April, 2010, the Ghana Cocoa Board recorded significant increases in cocoa revenue and a drop in smuggling cases along the western borders.
The investigation triggered a push for reforms in the security services and CEPS to ensure accountability and prevent recurrence.
It also underscored the importance of a free press in holding power to account and exposing corruption.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
