Africa Heartbeat

The historic city of Agadez, Niger, sits along the southern fringe of the Sahara, where nearly everything seems to take on the tan hue of the ubiquitous, powdery sand. The city, known as the gateway to the desert, began developing in the…

A young boy in the mainland city of Mbini, Equatorial Guinea, bounces a football off his head, no doubt imitating his favorite footballers. In many ways, he’s no different than millions of other boys and girls on the continent with an…

Kenya’s government is bringing some light — and hope — to Kibera, a sprawling slum on the outskirts of Nairobi. Population and area figures differ from source to source, but at least 200,000 people are believed to live there. Crime is no…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Westgate Shopping Mall was a symbol of Kenya’s growing well-heeled middle class: a vast market crammed with flat-screen televisions, imported wines, and chilled cabinets of cheese and meats. Then, in a burst of…

ADF STAFF They are called “born frees,” South Africans born after the nation’s transition from apartheid to democracy. On May 7, 2014, 20 years after Nelson Mandela became the first black president, the first group of born frees went to…

Adf staff A young boy sits on a stool, stares at a chalkboard, and writes in his notebook. His classroom is the porch of a home built during French colonial times in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR). His improvised school makes him…