Zimbabwean activist Namatai Kwekweza has won this year's German Africa Prize. A select audience gathered on Wednesday in Berlin to honor the 26-year-old women's and youth activist. The 20-member independent jury said Kwekweza offers a "resounding message of confidence and democratic renewal." The jury selected Kwekweza from more than two dozen nominees in the final round. In her ceremonial address, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner praised Kwekweza for trailblazing democracy and the rule of law in her home country. "You, dear Namatai, are taking the space that is rightfully yours, even if the government does not intend one for you," Klöckner said. Politics and society both in Zimbabwe and beyond need women like Kwekweza, Klöckner maintained, sharing the hope that this award and its message would resonate back in the activist's home country. The embassy of Zimbabwe was absent from Wednesday evening's ceremony. "But I do believe they will certainly have noticed," Klöckner said. The prize is regarded as the highest German recognition for Africans. It is awarded by the German Africa Foundation — a nonpartisan foundation committed to promoting a more nuanced image of Africa within the political arena and among the German public. Since 1993, it has honored individuals from the African continent who have made an exceptional contribution to democracy, peace, human rights, sustainable development, research, art, culture, or social issues in Africa. Last year, the Mayor of the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, received the award. Other recipients include COVID researchers Tulio de Oliveira and Sikhulile Moyo, former Botswana President Ketumile Masire and Somali activists Waris Dirie and Ilwad Elman. Kwekweza attended the ceremony, which was held just a few steps from the illuminated Brandenburg Gate, with her mother. She called on the older generation to invest more trust in the youth, "even before they have proven themselves". "When we operate from a place where we believe in the young, that is what allows us to move forward and to build better, brighter futures," she said.