Daily Life of Africa

Businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his wife, Tsakani Matlala, appear at the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 11, 2025. Matlala faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and money laundering for allegedly orchestrating a hit on his ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane, in 2023. His case is also central to a major scandal involving high-level officials, following public warnings from a top general about drug cartels and criminal syndicates infiltrating the highest levels of South African law enforcement.(Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)

Two young boxers from the Virunga Club spar during a morning training session in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on July 13, 2025.(Photo by Jospin Mwisha/AFP Photo)

Residents cheer as initiates return home after completing the traditional koma rite of passage in Moletjie, Limpopo province, on July 19, 2025. The ceremony, which includes circumcision for males, is a cornerstone of the region’s culture, with separate programs preparing girls for womanhood. This season, over 25,000 initiates attended 529 registered schools in Limpopo, where officials reported the country’s lowest fatality rate—two deaths attributed to pre-existing medical conditions.(Photo by Lucas Ledwaba/AFP Photo)

Initiates gather in a group as they return home after undergoing the koma rite of passage in Moletjie, Limpopo province, on July 19, 2025. The traditional practice, which includes circumcision for boys and men, is a key event on the region’s cultural calendar. Girls also take part in separate initiation programmes focused on preparing them for womanhood. Since June, 529 initiation schools have been registered in Limpopo, with more than 25,000 initiates. Officials say the province recorded the lowest fatality rate in the country this season, with two deaths linked to medical conditions, including epilepsy. (Photo by Lucas Ledwaba/AFP Photo)

Sheriff Knight (C), known as “the dancing Cowboy,” leads a line dance during International Cowboy Day at the Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi on July 26, 2025. The event, headlined by Kenya’s biggest country star, Sir Elvis, celebrated the genre’s growing and loyal fan base in Kenya with performances attended by hundreds.(Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP Photo)

Eve and Sheila pose for a photo during the International Cowboy Day at Ngong race course in Nairobi on July 26, 2025. (Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP Photo)

Revellers line dance during the International Cowboy Day at Ngong race course in Nairobi, Kenya on July 26, 2025. (Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP Photo)

High Priestess Thioro Faye, a Serer Saltigue, poses for a portrait during the annual Xooy divination ceremony in Fatick, Senegal, on July 27, 2025. As the rainy season approaches, approximately twenty Saltigues (diviners) gather to deliver predictions for the coming year. Before delegations from across the country, they forecast events ranging from rainfall and harvests to politics, social trends, and natural disasters.(Photo by Patrick Meinhardt/AFP Photo)

Performers showcase Egungun masks, belonging to the Yoruba people of West Africa, during the second edition of the Benin Mask Festival in Porto-Novo, Benin, on August 3, 2025.(Photo by Charles Placide Tossou/Reuters)

A man performs a sacred ritual, cutting his tongue with a knife without drawing blood, during the 2025 Jola Cultural Festival (Futampaff) in Thiobon, Senegal, on August 6, 2025. The festival is a pivotal rite of passage for Jola boys transitioning to manhood. Initiates prepare to enter the sacred forest on a spiritual journey that emphasizes respect for elders and women, community sharing, and ancestral wisdom.(Photo by Muhamadou Bittaye/AFP Photo)

Residents of Bouaké wave Ivorian flags during a visit by President Alassane Ouattara (not pictured) on August 6, 2025, one day before the country’s 65th Independence Anniversary.(Photo by Luc Gnago/Reuters)

Onlookers gather on a rooftop to view the crash site of an air ambulance plane that crashed into a residential area in Mwihoko, Ruiru, just outside Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 2025. The crash resulted in several fatalities.(Photo by Samson Otieno/AP Photo)

Gounouko masks from the south of Benin, specifically the Porto-Novo region, are showcased during a performance in the second edition of the Benin Mask Festival, in Porto-Novo, Benin, on August 3, 2025. (Photo by Charles Placide Tossou/Reuters)

Participants in Mr. & Ms. Kibera 2025, held to mark International Youth Day, have their makeup done in a classroom serving as the backstage area on church grounds in the Kibera informal settlement of Nairobi, on August 12, 2025. Mr. & Ms. Kibera annual pageant champions “bold voices, brilliant minds, and inspiring stories” emerging from Kibera, aiming to showcase youth leadership, resilience, and creativity in East Africa’s largest urban informal settlement, while providing a platform for young people to reshape the image of Kibera, and convey socially and politically conscious messages about their community’s future. (Photo by Luis Tato/AFP Photo)

Women wash laundry at the Renk transit center in South Sudan on August 9, 2025. The center hosts over 12,000 people who have fled the ongoing war in Sudan.(Photo by Adlai Coleman/AP Photo)

A model is reflected in the mirror applying makeup during the Mr. and Mrs. Kibera leadership contest, on International Youth Day, in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, August 12, 2025. (Photo by Brian Inganga/AP Photo)

Kenyan models pose for a photo backstage before they walk the catwalk during the Mr. and Mrs. Kibera leadership contest, held to mark International Youth Day, in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, 12 August 2025. International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations that takes place on 12 August. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The theme of this year’s IYD, is ‘Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond’, highlights the unique role of youth in translating global ambitions into community-driven realities. (Photo by Daniel Irungu/EPA)

Rozelda Kim, 21 (2nd R), reacts emotionally after being crowned Miss Kibera 2025 during the pageant’s finale in Nairobi on August 12, 2025.(Photo by Luis Tato/AFP Photo)

Nearly two million pilgrims gather in Touba, Senegal, on August 13, 2025, for the Grand Magal of Touba. The annual event commemorates the spiritual rank attained by Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, founder of the Mouride Sufi order, during his exile by French colonial authorities. On the 18th day of Safar, followers pray at the Great Mosque and pay respects at his tomb, marking the 131st observance of this pilgrimage.(Photo by Cem Ozdel/Anadolu via Getty Images)