In northern Mali, Islamist extremists are on a rampage, destroying Sufi Muslim shrines and historical treasures. In a Timbuktu library, a man has vowed to protect his precious manuscripts from the fundamentalist wrath that has taken over the city.
In Rwanda, where 60% of people live below the poverty line and land is scarce, burying the dead comes at too high a price. A new bill before Parliament would introduce cremation, a totally novel concept in this country.
During the month-long Ramadan fast, Muslims have to refrain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk. A look in Morocco, when an extra burden for those who can't indulge in their nicotine habit. But there may be a silver lining.
Around Africa's Great Lakes region, the precious metals industry is not getting the most out of its mines. One way to improve the industry would be to include more women in the work force -- but resistance runs deep.
In a culture where having a big family is a sign of wealth, it is very difficult to stem the population explosion that is threatening these countries' development and their inhabitants' health.
In Congo, too often aid gets diverted from those most needy to those best connected. The devastating rains this spring were a tragic case in point.
In the West African nation of Mali, the situation is rapidly disintegrating for large swaths of population as Islamist radicals intent on imposing religious law are spreading their power. On the ground in a nation in peril.
Five years after the discovery of a major offshore oilfield, people in Ghana are still banking on better times ahead. But foreign companies -- notably those from China -- are also poised to cash in. A visit to the rapidly expanding city of Sekondi-Takoradi, at the center of it all.
In Goma, in eastern DRC, families looking to cash in on the biggest dowry are pushing young people away from mariage. Some young people chose to live as unmarried partners, others break up and most young women stay at home with their parents...