Your first choice for impulsive decisions that leave your bank account in shambles the next day (via Mpasho News)

• This week in protests: Kenyans took to the streets to ask the government to #StopExtrajudicialKillings after the murders of three men involved in a lawsuit against the police force.  A massive fiscal crisis in Zimbabwe led to anti-Mugabe protests under the slogan #ThisFlag.  Nigeriens turned out against Boko Haram’s ongoing attacks in the Diffa region.

• The conflict in Darfur is being worsened by the government support for the nascent gold mining industry.  This is also a remarkable story about the fall of the Sultan of Darfur at the hands of the British in the early 1900s.

• In Nigeria, official divorce statistics may vastly understate the real rate of separation.  Elnathan John asks a thought-provoking series of questions about the value of black lives abroad vs black lives in Africa.  The first photos from the Borders Within: The Trans-Nigerian Project offer a beautiful look into life around the country.

• Essential reading: Afreada has a fantastic series of (free!) short stories from around Africa.  The Monkey Cage reviews Chi Adanna Mgbako‘s new book on sex worker activism in Africa.  And I would recommend Achille Mbembe’s essay “Africa in the New Century” to anyone looking for a smart introduction to contemporary African politics.

• In some much-needed hopeful news, Kenya has made great progress towards cleaning up the judicial system.  The Journal of Interrupted Studies will help academics whose research was disrupted by war to publish their work.  Quartz Africa has published a great list of 32 top African innovators.

• Video of the week: not quite my usual style, but I absolutely love Nigerian singer Kah-Lo‘s vocals on Riton‘s club hit “Rinse & Repeat”