Fashion trends For the past few fashion seasons, the tribal trend has been en vogue with inspirations from Africa leading the way. For their lines, designers drew from experiences on safaris, the colors and patterns worn by traders in the markets of Marrakesh and the intricate beadwork many African women and men wear to adorn themselves. Oscar de la Renta’s 2008 spring collection included raffia hats and geometric prints.

A professor of obstetrics and gynecology is building a hospital in Niger dedicated to repairing vesicovaginal fistulas in African women whose injuries in childbirth result in a lifetime of loneliness and poverty.

When Aaron Bodansky and Eric Silverman announced their summer plans to bike through Africa, their friends and family reacted with shock and concern. They feared for the students’ safety in what was assumed to be an unstable, poverty-stricken and disease-ridden part of the world. In an effort to combat such negative perceptions, Bodansky, a Washington University senior, and Silverman, a Skidmore College senior, founded their own non-profit organization called Cycle for Understanding.