What’s the image of Africa in many developed countries? Last Friday, editors here got a quick reminder of the portraits that dominate.

Our photo of the day feature targets a topic in the global conversation. In this case, we were looking for photos from African countries of the modern development – skyscrapers, for example – that is there for the seeing. Our choice was in response to the headlines over President Trump’s reportedly derogatory comments about the conditions in many US immigrants’ home countries.

We looked. And looked. We broke from our rule that the photo has to have been taken that day. We had recent Monitor photos of a new light rail system in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but they had already run. We were dismayed at the lack of diverse offerings from photo services.

In talking about the issue with our Africa bureau chief, Ryan Lenora Brown, she noted the high global awareness of conflict or poverty in a number of African countries, but the far lower profile of progress. For middle-class Africans, she said, “the comments struck a nerve because they rendered invisible a version of African life that is on the rise almost everywhere on the continent ­– of skyscrapers and five-star hotels, populated by doctors and lawyers and architects every bit as worldly as their counterparts.”

It was a lesson in making sure we’re seeing the full picture. 

Here are our five stories today, showing the power of vision, equality, and environmental protection at work.