Notices by The Continent (thecontinent@mas.to)

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

All Protocol Observed.

Welcome to Issue 200 of The Continent.

In an exclusive investigation, reporters went undercover to expose how Zimbabwe's ruling party, Zanu-PF, helped rig Mozambique’s election.

Get your copy of this week's edition here: https://bit.ly/200_TC

COMMENT: Africans will solve their own problems. But the loss of Western funding means local philanthropists, intellectuals and other leaders need to put funds and quality time into civil society – and hurry up about it. https://continent.substack.com/p/the-future-of-african-democracy-now

Diamonds account for 30% of Botswana’s entire economy. But lab-grown gems mean less demand for ones dug out of the soil. For now, Botswana is trying to get more control over the money still to be made from its precious stones. https://open.substack.com/pub/continent/p/the-panic-behind-botswanas-big-sparkly

Angolan civil society groups are asking the Constitutional Court to repeal a law passed by Parliament in mid-July that seeks to penalise “crimes of vandalism of public goods and services” with up to 25 years in prison – the same as murder. https://open.substack.com/pub/continent/p/angola-vandalism-law-seen-as-backdoor

While platforms like X and Facebook
– where algorithms hype content that
spreads division and hate – have been
key in spreading the violence, print
newspapers have a long history of doing
the same. The UK’s press is not required
to act in the public interest, or balance
free speech rights with responsibilities,
as is common in republican democracies. https://open.substack.com/pub/continent/p/islamophobic-violence-rips-through?r=481jks&utm_medium=ios

All Protocol Observed.

Welcome to Issue 169 of The Continent.

Dirty deeds done dirt cheap: Artificial Intelligence is not as artificial as it says on the box. In fact, programs like ChatGPT and Copilot rely on millions of data workers – actual humans – to do the grunt work. It’s tedious, underpaid, and often traumatic. No wonder much of the work is outsourced to vulnerable communities in the global south.

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 168 of The Continent:

A century ago, Eritrean cyclists were forbidden from riding competitively by their European overlords. Now, an Eritrean cyclist has won three stages of Europe’s most prestigious bike race – overcoming enormous odds to do so.

Oil and gas exploration off South Africa’s coast risks devastating the surrounding environment – and the communities who depend on it. https://open.substack.com/pub/continent/p/photo-essay-troubled-waters

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All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 161 of The Continent

Regulators in South Africa are mulling over what could be Africa’s biggest-ever media deal. French satellite TV broadcaster Canal+ wants to buy South Africa-based MultiChoice. It would then have an audience of 30-million people across Africa. The family group behind Canal+, headed by billionaire Vincent Bolloré, has a habit of turning the media it buys into versions of Fox News, peddling extremist opinions for ratings.

BIG PICTURE

Desert hues: Motorists drive through Benghazi in Libya, after sands blown
in from the Sahara turned the sky orange across north Africa, over the Mediterranean and in southern Greece.

Photo: Abdullah Doma/AFP

After a spate of mass kidnappings this month, the Nigerian government is struggling to respond. https://continent.substack.com/p/nigeria-stolen-youth

They ousted a dictator, defied a junta and now Sudan’s resistance committees are desperate to preserve their communities amidst the war. Mark Weston spoke to one committee member in Khartoum. https://open.substack.com/pub/continent/p/as-the-war-rages-on-the-resistance?r=14kg56&utm_medium=ios

Katumba Badru is a photojournalist living and working in Uganda's capital. In this photo essay he documents streetwise life in Kampala. https://open.substack.com/pub/continent/p/photo-essay-documenting-the-streetwise?r=14kg56&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

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REVIEW: Egypt’s controllers would do well for themselves to let the poor have their music – if not jobs. https://bit.ly/3UA5VyN

Decades before today’s migrants boarded small boats to Europe to ‘take their jobs’, European fishing ships were trawling West African waters, taking food and jobs from the locals. And they still are. https://bit.ly/3HXfeBu