Notices by The Continent (thecontinent@mas.to)

Magi mixer: High priests celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s celebration of Jesus’s baptism and the revelation of his divinity during Epiphany, on the shore of lake Dembel, in Batu on 18 January.

Photo: Amanuel Sileshi/AP

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 224 of The Continent

We celebrate people whose purpose and passion shine through a tumultuous 2025, embodying Khalil Gibran’s words that “work is love made visible.” Meet our Africans of the Year: https://bit.ly/224_TC

At 10am in Karen, Nairobi, on the last Saturday of the month, three dozen people hand over their phones. It’s the first rule of the Serenity Social Club’s Disconnect event – a whole day of no screens or digital notifications. In their place are yoga, pottery, crocheting, conversations with strangers – or even just sleeping on the grass. https://continent.substack.com/p/airplane-mode-for-scattered-souls

Malawi sent 80 armed police to search ex-president Lazarus Chakwera’s home for four missing German Shepherds — legally classified as police officers — but were denied entry. A court says the dogs may be in his “illegal possession”. https://continent.substack.com/p/chakwera-in-dog-house-for-clinging

Before all that fame and history-making, Danai Gurira was a high schooler in Harare, acting in the local theatre scene. Her return to those roots may well be her most impactful production. https://continent.substack.com/p/danai-guriras-zim-baby-comes-of-age

The African Union’s predecessor accepted colonial borders, despite their injustices and contradictions. Many Africans never embraced that bargain and the faultline continues to shape politics, including in Lesotho today. https://continent.substack.com/p/lesotho-and-the-broken-borders-of

The election on Wednesday was supposed to cement President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s legitimacy as president of the United Republic. According to the story told by the country’s electoral authority, and state-run media outlets, it did exactly that. The story on Tanzania’s streets is very different. https://continent.substack.com/p/hundreds-reportedly-killed-in-post

Building up: The annual replastering of the Djinguereber Mosque, also known as Djingareyber, in Timbuktu. It was erected in the 14th century during the reign of Mansa Kankou Moussa and is 700 years old.

Photo: Hameye Capii/AFP

Since its independence from France in 1960, Madagascar has weathered political upheaval. By 2009, it was on its third coup – after ones in 1971 and 1975. The bloodless coup that deposed Marc Ravalomanana made the then 34-year-old opposition leader Andry Rajoelina the world’s youngest leader. https://continent.substack.com/p/military-wins-rajoelina-flees

Zimbabwean authorities took farmlands back from white farmers in the early 2000s to redress colonial imbalances. Two decades later, in lithium-rich areas, land is parceled off again – this time to Chinese miners. https://continent.substack.com/p/zimbabwes-lithium-boom-uproots-locals

In May 2022, an Israeli sniper shot and killed Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh. Last week, Israel targeted and killed five journalists in one attack. In between those dates, Israel became the largest killer of journalists in the world. https://continent.substack.com/p/the-worlds-greatest-killer-of-journalists

All Protocol Observed.

Welcome to Issue 212 of The Continent.

We join more than 250 newsrooms in 70 countries blacking out front pages in solidarity with journalists in Gaza.

Read Ansam al-Kitaa’s despatch from Gaza City: https://bit.ly/212_TC

Andabluesian: An elder descends through the distinctive alleys of the Medina of the northwestern Moroccan city of Chefchaouen, where the blue hues of its buildings are complemented by ornate mosaics.

Photo: Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP

With the state absent and armed groups in control, Goma, in eastern DRC, feels like purgatory. Edizon Musavuli, a local artist, turns to drawing to capture life in the uncertainty of occupation. https://continent.substack.com/p/baraka-and-the-unpredictable-life

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 210 of The Continent

With the state absent and armed groups in control, Goma, in eastern DRC, feels like purgatory. One local artist turns to drawing to capture life in the uncertainty of occupation.

Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/210_TC

Aid is dead. Grandma is not. But taking her pension to build a road might kill her. https://continent.substack.com/p/how-to-fund-african-development-and

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved injectable lenacapavir for HIV treatment. But there is always a but. The drug could cost as much as $28,000 or as little as $100 – depending on where you get it. https://continent.substack.com/p/once-in-a-generation-hiv-drug-has

Eid al-Adha is here, but in Algeria, sacrificial lambs are in short supply. Years of drought have decimated herds. To keep the tradition alive, the government is importing sheep from Spain and Romania — then distributing them through lotteries and raffles. https://continent.substack.com/p/this-eid-algeria-is-short-on-sheep

Two DJs played a 24-hour set in an unfinished arts centre in Kampala — not for clout, but to help build it. Locals danced, kids joined in, and their livestreamed gig raised money to get the job done. As DJ Kampire puts it, "The only antidote to despair is to do something." https://continent.substack.com/p/a-24-hour-rave-to-build-ugandas-first

If The Continent matters to you, it might matter to someone you know. It’s free and you get a copy delivered straight to your device. https://thecontinent.org/subscribe