THE ICON
A rising star, Freetown’s Mayor YVONNE AKI-SAWYERR has become the face of city leadership in Africa globally. She talks about what it will take to bring the city back from the brink of collapse

ON HEALTH
Listen to the youth for ideas on how we might move forward for a healthy planet, says TOLULLAH ONI, a public health expert

THE ARTLORD OF KABUL
Art activist and transparency advocate OMAID SHARIFFI on the importance of continuing his work despite the danger it poses for him and his colleagues in Kabul, Afghanistan

ARCHITECTURE MUST CHANGE!!
Architect-Novelist-Educator, and former dean of the Spitzer School of Architecture and founder of Johannesburg University’s Graduate School of Architecture LESLEY LOKKO on why now is a perfect time to re-orient knowledge production to Africa

ON THE LAW
Constitutional scholar SANELE SIBANDA argues that South Africa’s constitution needs to be more explicit on how the laws that govern emergencies work in emergencies

CONTEXT IS KING
THIRESH GOVENDER says architects and designers have been complacent to the systemic entrenchment of inequality. But, he argues, signals on how they can change their practice are all around them in cities like Johannesburg, where he’s based

MANCHESTER
A Manchester planning committee rejected plans for new massive co-living projects that housing advocates claim are bad for the city. Why did it reverse it months later?

BANGALORE
Lately, ACHAL PRABALA has noticed that temples, rather than much-needed sanitation facilities, seem to be the only new developments popping up around his neighbourhood

BERLIN
The German capital, under its leftist government, introduced rent-control initiatives that delighted many citizens but upset property investors who fought back — and won

DELHI
How exploitative lending practices and inadequate government support have ruined the dreams of transport workers

GUANGZHOU
Walking through Guangzhou, ZHUOFEI TANG is constantly reminded that while the pandemic has necessitated many changes, there’s always a surprise lurking around the corner in Old Town

HARARE
Confusing messaging on Covid regulations and their inconsistent enforcement has revealed a growing class

CAPE TOWN 
The city’s art scene has enjoyed a boom in the last decade. Covid-19-related closures have resulted in some soul-searching whether it was ever sustainable, and what purpose it serves

CAIRO
DALIA WAHDAN on how the national government’s massive construction programme has been wreaking havoc on citizens across the city

LAGOS
SHOLA LAWAL on howLagos’ growing Fintech sector is under threat from the city’s over-stretched infrastructure and difficulty of doing business in Nigeria