During a three-day summit at the White House, Trump met with the presidents of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal. While the summit was presented as a mutual dialogue on the new US foreign policy from "aid to trade," the agenda and discussions revealed enduring power asymmetries between Africa, its leaders, and the US/the West. As Ken Opalo argues, Africa cannot achieve structural transformation through the benevolence of external powers.

Through the Ukwanda Puppets and Design Arts Collective, the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape is participating in a global arts tour entitled The Herds. This project brings together artists and environmentalists who have created life-sized puppet animals journeying, both literally and figuratively, from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle in response to the climate crisis. The project aims to raise global awareness and inspire action towards climate justice.

• Musical legend Angélique Kidjo has made history as the first African artist to be honoured on the renowned Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Sudanese author Leila Aboulela has been awarded this year’s PEN Pinter Prize for her work on faith and migration that centres Muslim women’s lives. Judges described her work as “a balm, a shelter, and an inspiration.”
• Olympic champion Caster Semenya has won a partial legal victory in her ongoing battle against sex eligibility regulations that have excluded her from competitions since 2019.
• Dangote’s oil refinery plant plans to construct fuel tanks in Namibia. The facility will serve as a distribution hub for gas and diesel supply to Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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Image: Life-sized animal puppets at the University of Western Cape, South Africa. 7 July 2025. Photo credit: Professor Antoinette Handley.