Africa 54 - Sep 7, 2021| Ramaphosa Welcomes Zuma' Medical Parole, ECOWAS on Guinea & Tigray' Famine VOA Africa You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Managing editor Vincent Makori and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis. Top Stories: Video from the World Food Programme reflects the severe humanitarian situation in Tigray with supplies of food aid running out and the United Nations warning that a de facto blockade is bringing millions to the brink of famine. West African heads of state will hold a virtual summit on Wednesday to discuss the coup in Guinea, a spokeswoman for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said on Tuesday.West African countries have threatened sanctions over the overthrow of President Alpha Conde, who was serving a third term after altering the constitution to permit it, which his opponents called illegal. The soldiers who seized power in Guinea over the weekend have consolidated their takeover with the installation of army officers at the top of the country's eight provincial regions and various administrative districts. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday (September 6) welcomed the decision to place former President Jacob Zuma on medical parole due to his ill health.Last month, prison authorities said Zuma, serving a 15-month sentence in Estcourt prison for contempt of court, underwent unspecified surgery at an outside hospital where he had been sent for observation. He remained in hospital with more operations planned.The 79-year-old's eligibility for medical parole follows a medical report received by the Department of Correctional Services, it said in a statement.Addressing the media, Ramaphosa said the African National Congress (ANC) wished Zuma a quick recovery. South Africa's school dropout rate has tripled following disruptions to education brought on by the COVID pandemic. Educators and non-profits are now racing to intervene and encourage youth to re-enroll. Disabled fashion designers have long struggled against discrimination, especially in developing countries such as Malawi. To combat the problem, Malawian fashion brand House of Xandria on Saturday organized the country's first fashion show for people with disabilities. Acclaimed contemporary artist Appolinaire Guidimbaye employs used bullets to create messages of peace in Chad - a country recently threatened with insecurity. In 2002, VOA’s Kane Farabaugh – then a reporter for the U.S. military - visited Afghanistan in the early stages of America’s 20-year presence in the country. In 2001, Justin Tirelli, a fire and emergency medical services captain at the Arlington County Fire Department in Virginia, had been on the job only a few months. On September 11, he was called to work after a plane crashed into the Pentagon. Masks will be with us for a while longer, but even though our faces are covered, we can still smile.