Brush up on your history at Long March to Freedom in Century City, one of South Africa’s most distinctive outdoor exhibitions. Featuring 100 life-size bronze sculptures, the exhibition pays tribute to the country’s most influential historical figures and freedom fighters.
From Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu to Walter Sisulu, Long March to Freedom takes visitors through pivotal moments in South Africa’s journey, paying homage to those who fought tirelessly for democracy.
South Africa’s Story in Bronze
Set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, this heritage tourism attraction is fun for all ages! As you wander among the 100 life-size bronze sculptures of liberation heroes, you can experience the country’s 350-year journey towards freedom and democracy.
Created by Dali Tambo, the project was inspired by a promise to his father, Oliver Tambo, to honour him and his peers. Rather than focusing on a single icon, the exhibition celebrates the collective efforts of those who shaped the nation. Since opening in 2019, the site has continued to evolve, with educational programmes bringing school groups face-to-face with the stories that shaped the nation.
Reflect and Unwind
After walking through the exhibition, visit the Rotary Peace Garden to reflect and take it all in. If you have time, try the curated wine-tasting experience featuring five wines from emerging Black winemakers, each accompanied by their inspiring stories.
Plan Your Visit
Whether you’re a history enthusiast or seeking something beyond the usual Cape Town attractions, Long March to Freedom is well worth a visit.
Ticket prices: South Africans and permanent residents: R20 for a self-guided tour; international visitors: R75 for a guided tour; children under 6: free.
For updated ticket prices and opening hours, visit here.
HBO Max just added some fantastic new additions to its movie library in February, and Watch With Us is excited to dig into them this weekend.
It was hard to pick only three favorites from the expansive list. From iconic comedies to beloved romance dramas and Old Hollywood classics, there’s a lot of great stuff to choose from.
Thankfully, we narrowed it down. Our first choice is Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola‘s ravishing biographical drama starring Kirsten Dunstas the eponymous French royal.
Fourteen-year-old Austrian archduchess Marie Antoinette (Dunst) marries the Dauphin of France, the future King Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), to ally with the two rival countries. Marie Antoinette thus follows Antoinette throughout her formative years, leading up to her ascension as the queen consort following the death of King Louis XV (Rip Torn) and the French Revolution. But at thePalace of Versailles, Antoinette is insistent on defying conventions and living a life of hedonistic pleasures, all while her marriage remains unconsummated, the people of France struggle and her public image deteriorates.
Marie Antoinette polarized critics upon release, some of whom felt that the depiction of Antoinette’s life as more like a pop video than a crucial piece of history diminished its significance. However, savvy viewers understood that it was meant to feel hyperactively unreal, that this lent itself to eventual cathartic reality and, of course, infamous tragedy. Sofia Coppola’s film is also, at its core, another of the director’s films about female isolation and loneliness. In the end, the film is more clever than you might think; at the very least, that soundtrack is outstanding.
‘The Shape of Water’ (2017)
In a covert government facility in 1960s Baltimore, mute, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) works as a cleaning lady, whose only friends are her coworker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and her closeted neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins). But Elisa finds unexpected companionship in the form of a new arrival at her workplace — a strange, humanoid amphibious creature (Doug Jones) from South America who is mostly bound to a water tank. Through their wordless communications, Elisa and the creature form a strong bond, but her new friend is being sought out for recapture by a ruthless colonel (Michael Shannon).
Guillermo del Toro‘s Best Picture-winning fantasy drama is an unconventional love story for the ages. Combining distinctive visuals with an emotional narrative and a fantastic ensemble cast, The Shape of Water sees the director firing on all cylinders. Of course, the real stars of the show are Hawkins and Jones, who manage a genuinely moving and even erotic relationship despite the intermingling of species and lack of language. But as The Shape of Water affectingly proves, love is something beyond language.
‘Malcolm X’ (1992)
Spike Lee‘s epic biographical drama charts the life of the controversial black activist Malcolm X, played by Denzel Washington in a career-best performance. The film sees Malcolm from childhood through his rise to power as a leading figure in the struggle for black liberation, touching on a number of key periods in Malcolm’s life. After hitting bottom in prison during the 1950s, Malcolm reemerges as a Black Muslim and a significant figure in the Nation of Islam. Though his career was tragically cut short after his assassination at Washington Heights’ Audubon Ballroom in 1965, he left behind a groundbreaking legacy.
With a runtime clocking at more than 200 minutes, MalcolmX may seem like a daunting experience to sit through. In reality, it is directed with such verve and tenacity that the runtime is finished before you know it. Lee gives the film an epic feel truly worth of its subject, and Washington portrays the man himself with both power and vulnerability — which ultimately landed him a nomination for Best Actor at the 65th Academy Awards. Ultimately, Malcolm X is a dramathat is both artistically rewarding and loyal to its subject.
Geneva, Switzerland, 30 January 2026-/African Media Agency(AMA)/-Julien Ranjaivonirina, a 63‑year‑old farmer living in the Fitovinany region, smiles as he reflects on his journey. Standing in front of his wooden house, he recounts how the hydrocele he had for several years limited his movements and prevented him from working as he wished. Today, after receiving care, he is gradually regaining his pace and daily activities. “It feels like I’ve been given a second life; I can finally resume my days as before.”
For many people in Madagascar, lymphatic filariasis remains a difficult disease to live with on a daily basis. Transmitted by mosquitoes, it disrupts the circulation of lymph and can cause persistent swelling known as lymphedema. In severe cases, the swelling can become severe and the skin may thicken. This advanced form is commonly known as elephantiasis. In some men, as in Julien’s case, the disease leads to hydrocele—a swelling of the scrotum caused by liquid accumulation. This condition can be extremely debilitating and lead to complications, making simple daily tasks challenging.
Despite major progress, lymphatic filariasis is still present in several regions of the country. In recent years, the number of endemic districts has significantly declined, from 96 between 2018 and 2020 to 87 in 2023, four of which are now in the post‑treatment phase. The 2023 national survey recorded 15 303 cases of lymphoedema and 14 069 cases of hydrocele. In the Fitovinany region, where Julien lives, the situation remains notable: in Manakara Atsimo, 2922 cases of lymphoedema were reported, while Vohipeno and Ikongo each still count several hundred cases. These figures illustrate the ongoing burden of the disease on families and rural communities, who already face numerous challenges.
To address these persistent issues, strengthening the health system and providing technical support remain essential. Since 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been working closely with the Ministry of Public Health to accelerate progress against lymphatic filariasis. This support is built on two pillars: interrupting transmission through mass drug administration and managing people already affected, particularly those living with lymphoedema and hydrocele. Thanks to this collaboration, Madagascar achieved full national coverage for the first time in 2023, followed by surveys to assess the effectiveness of interventions. In 2025, patient care was strengthened in 17 districts through additional training, supplies and follow‑up.
As part of this effort, WHO helped strengthen medical capacities by training 348 health professionals between September and December 2025, including 17 surgeons specialized in hydrocele management. These training sessions improved the quality of surgical procedures, enhanced patient safety and expanded access to specialized care in the most affected regions. In total, 61 people received surgery related to lymphatic filariasis in October 2025 in the districts of Tamatave (22 patients) and Manakara (39 patients).
Dr Yvette Ramanantsoa, head of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) at the Regional Directorate of Public Health in Fitovinany, highlights the importance of the response. “The fight against elephantiasis is an investment in human dignity and development. Elimination is possible, but it requires collective and sustained commitment.”
On the ground, this commitment translates into concrete actions: regular campaigns, community mobilization, active screening and free surgical interventions. Community health workers walk long distances to inform, reassure and guide patients, helping reduce stigma and improving access to care.
For WHO, the vision is equally clear. “It is together, hand in hand with the ministry and communities, that we move forward so that no one has to suffer in silence,” says Dr Patricia Rasoamihanta‑Martin, NTD programme lead at the WHO office in Madagascar. She emphasizes that beyond treatment, success depends on active community participation. “Given the severe consequences of this disease, particularly in rural areas, it is essential for everyone to understand the importance of prevention, participation in treatment campaigns and access to care. Community engagement and the sustained commitment of all actors are indispensable.”
Looking ahead, the next step is to continue progressing toward the elimination of lymphatic filariasis by 2030, consolidating achievements and ensuring their sustainability within the health system.
Progress is particularly visible among surgical teams. Thanks to WHO‑supported training, surgeons are seeing immediate benefits for patients. At the Regional Hospital Centre of Mananjary, Dr Rynah Rakotomamonjy, involved in patient care since 2008, explains that these sessions have improved surgical techniques, reduced complications and ensured smoother recovery. “After the operation, many express a sense of liberation; they feel they can live a more normal life again, without shame, and it feels like a fresh start.”
In Manakara, Dr Mampionondray Razafindratovonimanana, head of the surgery department, shares similar observations. He describes sometimes complex cases but notes significant improvements: reduced swelling, restored mobility, return to work and decreased stigma.
These advances directly transform the lives of affected individuals. Behind each intervention are personal journeys marked by waiting, doubt and hope of regaining a normal life. And it is in the villages that the impact of these surgical procedures becomes most visible: where patients regain autonomy, confidence and the ability to resume activities they had long abandoned.
In a nearby village in Fitovinany, 60‑year‑old Victor Ratovonirina provides a powerful example of the long path many patients must take before receiving care. Also a farmer, he explains that he lived with the disease for nearly ten years, initially believing it was linked to an injury sustained during a football match. Gradually, he lost strength and mobility and the disease eventually affected his social life and ability to work. Informed at the health centre that treatment was available, he registered and later underwent free surgery. “This operation changed my life: I feel relieved, I’m regaining my strength and I can look forward to returning to the fields,” he says.
For Julien too, the change is profound. Before his surgery, he struggled to work and felt diminished. After finally receiving the care he needed, he enjoys a simpler, lighter daily life. Sitting on a bench surrounded by his family, his gaze fixed on his field— a symbol of his restored routine—he confides: “Now I feel reborn, and I’m confident that tomorrow will be even better.” For the communities of Fitovinany and beyond, hope is no longer a distant promise: it now takes the form of transformed lives, regained abilities and restored dignity.
Federal authorities claim they have foiled what would have been a series of coordinated New Year’s Eve bombings targeting five different locations across Los Angeles.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrests of four alleged members of an extremist group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front, a pro-Palestinian anti-government organization, who investigators allege organized the thwarted terror plot.
Arrested were Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, who is 41. All four are charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to court filings accessed by Us Weekly.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said that additional charges are expected to be filed against Carroll, Page, Gaffield and Lai during a press conference on Monday, December 15.
“The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve,” Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged in a statement. “The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles.”
The plot involved placing explosive devices in backpacks that would be dropped at five sites. The chosen sites were associated with two U.S. companies, officials said without naming them.
Authorities claim that the four were arrested on Friday, December 12, after they were caught in the desert just east of Los Angeles, where they had planned to test out improvised explosive devices.
Agents found the four in possession of “precursor chemicals” and alleged that they were also going to assemble bombs at the desert site. A surveillance plane captured the moment the Los Angeles FBI’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and agents from the FBI moved in on the group to arrest them.
The Turtle Island Liberation Front also is accused of discussing pipe bomb attacks on ICE agents, which they were planning for January and February 2026. Carroll is alleged to have said the group “would take some of them out and scare the rest of them.”
The FBI released a series of photos from a search of Carroll’s home on Monday, which showed posters and materials associated with the group, including one reading “DEATH TO ICE” and another reading “DEATH TO AMERICA, LONG LIVE TURTLE ISLAND & PALESTINE.”
According to the criminal complaint, Carroll allegedly told an FBI informant that she has a “notebook where I wrote down multiple plans that never happened … so it’s like my terrorist diary.”
In the court filings, Carrol said that she had a contact who could find unregistered guns for the group. She also said a member of the Turtle Island Liberation Front is a former military service member who might be able to obtain weapon parts.
“The successful disruption of this plot is a powerful testament to the strength of our unified response,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, adding that work through allied agencies “prevented a potential tragedy and reaffirmed our shared commitment to safeguarding our communities.”
The FBI believes others could have been involved in organizing the terror plot and will continue to investigate the group.
A federal court has blocked most of President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The judges said the president overstepped his authority when he put tariffs on nearly every country in the world last month. Trump also appears increasingly frustrated with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s ongoing airstrikes in Ukraine. How could this affect any peace negotiations? And one of the largest right-wing political gatherings is getting underway in Eastern Europe.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Kara Platoni, Miguel Macias, Arezou Rezvani, HJ Mai and Lisa Thomson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Thousands of people believed to be illegals from Rwanda were expelled by the M23 from the key major town of Goma on Saturday.
On Monday, the M23 spokesperson, Willy Ngoma, presented 181 individuals claiming they were Rwandan subjects who were illegally in Goma.
Also presented were thousands of women and children believed to be family members of the culprits. According to witnesses, they were carried in trucks and their documents, issued by the Congolese authorities, were burned to ashes. The group claimed that the documents were bogus.
The majority of the families are from the Karenga region, located in North Kivu, which had been under the control of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Both Kigalia and M23 accuse the Congo government of supporting the FDLR, which has also committed numerous atrocities in the region.
According to some sources, most families lived in a displacement camp in Sake, a few kilometers from Goma.
Some 360 people were repatriated on Saturday into Rwanda, according to Eujin Byun, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR].
For decades, mineral-rich eastern Congo has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict and worsened an already acute humanitarian crisis.
The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts.
After it lost its status as a political party, TPLF says the ban on its activities constitutes a “serious threat” to the peace process in Ethiopia.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has denounced the withdrawal of its political party status by the Electoral Commission, in a letter to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
The party which ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, has been plagued by internal conflicts and has strained relations with Abiy Ahmed’s government.
The party says the ban puts the 2022 peace deal that ended two years of conflict in the northern Tigray region at risk.
In November 2022, members of the TPLF signed a peace agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, with representatives of the federal government. The conflict saw federal Ethiopian forces, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army pitted against TPLF rebels.
Authorities in Addis Ababa placed Tigray under lock and key, and humanitarian aid was blocked.
Tens of thousands of people were killed while millions were forced from their homes.
Owners and collectors of vintage cars in Egypt showcased their classic rides during a show in Cairo on Friday. A fleet of more than 50 cars in various colors and styles attracted passers-by during the show. The show was held on the same day as Egypt’s celebrations of Sinai Liberation Day.
It also marked the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Egyptian Automobile and Touring Club. Mohammed Askar, the vice-president of the Automobile and Touring Club, which organizes the show annually, said he considers Egypt’s collection of classical cars “an Egyptian treasure.” Nader Gohar, a vintage car owner, said came to the show with his classical green Alfa Romeo Spider — an Italian car that features American specs.
At the end of the show, the drivers paraded through the center of Cairo, crossing the Qasr El-Nil Bridge and drawing attention from onlookers, many of whom stopped to take photos and cheer.
Virunga National Park is one of the natural treasures of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and this year, it celebrates its 100th anniversary.
Located in North Kivu, this UNESCO World Heritage Site lies in a region torn apart by conflict for over 20 years and its conservation efforts face many security challenges.
At least 35% of the park’s 7,800 square kilometres are being illegally exploited, mainly for agriculture and charcoal production.
“Recently, near Rumangabo, our eco-guards were attacked by armed groups coming from Rwanda. Sometimes it’s the [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda], sometimes the M23. We are suddenly attacked during patrols by armed groups we don’t even recognize”, said Amos Paluku, an officer with the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN).
“We call on the international community to support us and to put pressure on these groups that keep attacking our rangers while they are doing their job.”
The threat spares nobody, even the most senior wardens. Emmanuel de Merode, the director of Virunga National Park, survived an assassination attempt in 2014. He was shot by armed men while he was driving alone on a road to Rumangabo, a camp near the park.
More than 300 eco-guards tasked with protecting the park have been killed by armed groups and poachers over the past two decades.
According to the ICCN, armed groups make around $30 million each year by exploiting resources from the park.
Repeated attacks have also led to the disappearance of species and ecosystems.
“I’ve covered many kilometers here, but sadly, because of the war, I found very few animals. I think the animals now sense the presence of humans as a threat”, said nature ambassador Blesing Muhiwa. “If people keep threatening the park, even more species and spaces will disappear.”
Virunga National Park is especially famous for its population of mountain gorillas. The park’s forests are home to more than a third of the global population of this endangered species.
The park also supplies 70% of Goma’s electricity needs and provides many jobs.
“It’s the most important park in the world, but also the one that has seen the greatest sacrifice. We should see Virunga as a symbol of resilience, reconstruction, and vision for the future. This park is not just about animals. Its ecosystems directly contribute to the wellbeing of the Congolese population”, said Emmanuel de Merode.
President Trump is set to impose sweeping tariffs on an array of countries. Liberal judge Susan Crawford was elected to the state Supreme Court in Wisconsin. And, the Trump administration has admitted to deporting a Maryland father by mistake.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, Acacia Squires, Anna Yukhananov, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
