From Kigali to the international catwalk

Sao Paulo's Fashion week -edition 52- stretched into Wednesday featuring designs based on fashion in the popular mobile-based game "Free Fire."

While most people stayed at home as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged New York, Ghanaian national Paul Ninson sifted through storage containers and struggling bookshops in order to build what he says has become the world's largest collection of African photography books. His collection now consists of more than 30,000 books. He plans to bring them back to Ghana and open a photography museum with help from a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than a million dollars in two days.

The European Union wants member states to halt air travel with South Africa and several surrounding countries over a new coronavirus variant. Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic were all quick to react.

Seven strong African women speak out about their experiences of violence and abuse to mark the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

South African papers vent their frustation over travel bans imposed after the country detected a new coronavirus variant. For l'Humanité, the Omicron variant is proof that "vaccine access for all is a global emergency". Other French papers examine the crisis in Guadeloupe and Martinique, puzzled by a proposal to give the territories more autonomy. Plus, a snow storm strands 61 people in a UK pub - a reminder that some lockdowns can be fun!

Fashion giants H&M and Zara are producing eco-collections that claim to reduce the negative aspects of fast fashion. Their brands, they say, are becoming more sustainable. But is it true? Or is it just greenwashing?

French fashion businesses here in France tend to go one of two ways: either they fail, or they thrive, before being bought up by a powerful luxury group. But some companies do manage to resist that fate – weathering economic crises, the challenges of a globalised economy and now the pandemic, all on their own. So how exactly do they do it and what makes them tick? We went to meet independent shoemakers Arche in the Loire Valley and Paris-based Weston to find out.

Blaming South Africa for the new COVID-19 variant is wrong. A global crisis needs a global response, says DW's Sertan Sanderson. Instead of finger-pointing and isolation, there should be more solidarity.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Tuesday⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

The accused — Mahamat Said Abdel Kani — faces a slew of charges, including persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts. The alleged militia leader rose to prominence amid a coup in Bangui in 2013.

In this edition of Encore!, the king of African pop Youssou Ndour speaks to us about his new album "Mbalax", in which he goes back to his roots. We also talk about the quest to award UNESCO World Heritage status to Congolese rumba. Plus, we visit a Paris exhibition where 20 artists explore the African philosophy known as Ubuntu – a concept embodied by the likes of Aimé Césaire, Fela Kuti and Nelson Mandela.

The death of Black designer Virgil Abloh at the age of just 41 has served as a reminder that fashion still has a way to go when it comes to diversity. Abloh, an African American, studied civil engineering and architecture, but was increasingly drawn to the world of music and later set up his own streetwear label, Off White. In 2018 he was named head of menswear at Louis Vuitton, becoming the first Black man to become the lead designer of a major French fashion house. For Abloh, fashion was inherently political; a means of furthering the fight against racism. We took a closer look at his legacy.