Here’s a roundup of some of the stories that have captured Life & Soul Magazine’s attention this week:

1. Congolese special effects artist behind Avengers: Endgame and Guardians of the Galaxy – Award-winning, Congolese animator, Sidney Kombo Kitombo, has worked on some of the biggest-grossing Hollywood movies including Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Endgame, Gravity and others. He talks to BBC Africa about his passion for animation and inspiring young Africans to tell their own stories.

2. New £20m competition aims to chart a greener future for UK shipping – A new Department for Transport initiative will support development of zero emission vessels and infrastructure that can propel decarbonisation of shipping, Business Green reports.

3. Senegalese artist Omar Ba tackles politics and the pandemic with paint – When Senegal erupted in violent protests this month over perceived injustice and inequality, artist Omar Ba was tackling the issues in his own way, with paint on canvas, Reuters reports.

4. Women climbing to great heights in nature conservation – IOL meets Thandeka Mayiji-Rafu, a Johannesburg-native, leads teams of mostly women who clear alien vegetation in the Western Cape.

5. Farmer coaxes forest from the desert in Burkina Faso – Farmer Yacouba Sawadogo, who is well into his 70s, is hailed across his province as “the man who stopped the desert”. He won that title after tweaking a method of growing plants in pits to trap water – essential in the hardscrabble region fringing the Sahara, Reuters reports.

6. New project to help councils in England and France become more circular – Blueprint to a Circular Economy is an innovative cross-border project led by Essex County Council and aimed at helping local authorities in England and France transition to a circular economy, according to Circular. The new project, funded by the Interreg France (Channel) England programme, involves partner organisations across the local government, higher education and private sectors in England and France working in collaboration to increase recycling rates, reduce waste, create new jobs and encourage lasting behaviour change.

7. This UK start-up lets you subscribe to an electric car – Onto is offering an affordable way to try an electric vehicle with an all-inclusive electric car subscription, WEF reports.

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living.