Big Pic
Holy waters: Oromo Ethiopians in Addis Ababa this Saturday past splash themselves with water to mark Irreecha, the annual festival held to express gratitude for the blessings of Waaqa, the creator.
Photo: Michele Spatari/AFP
Galamsey is the popular Ghanaian term for what used to be small-scale artisanal gold mining. It is now often mechanised, illegal and perceived to be clandestinely bankrolling political bigwigs.
#StopGalamseyNow
Nearly 740 drone strikes have been conducted on African soil since the very first one that the US military conducted in Libya 13 years ago. Driven by fighting in Sudan, drone warfare on the continent has escalated dramatically in the past two years.
In February, somewhere in northwestern Ethiopia, more than 30 civilians were killed in a drone strike. But amid official denials and the fog of an underreported war, it was impossible to pinpoint the location of the massacre. After an exhaustive investigation, we can tell war crimes investigators exactly where to look.
All Protocol Observed.
Welcome to Issue 177 of The Continent.
In this week's issue: Geolocating a massacre in Ethiopia with @npub1q5eh...39hj. Digging for gold in Ghana. And a little bit of Africa in Buenos Aires.
Read it here: https://bit.ly/TC177
Half a century ago, as its empire crumbled, Britain held tight to the Chagos archipelago, which straddles one of the world’s most important maritime trading routes. The fading imperial power leased one of the islands, Diego Garcia, to the United States for a military base. Its inhabitants were brutally evicted and dumped in Mauritius and the Seychelles, with little more than the bags they could carry.
In some places, sporting talent is the best shot at a rags-to-riches story for children born in poverty. In Uganda’s capital, Kampala, music is a better bet.
Big Pic
New Year, New Me-skerem: An orthodox devotee prays at Bole Medhanialem Church in Addis Ababa during Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year holiday, which took place on Wednesday 11 September 2024. Happy 2017, Ethiopia!
Photo: Amanuel Sileshi/AFP