The National Agency of Statistics and Demography of Senegal estimated that, in 2012, 25% of trials in felony court were of mothers charged with abortion–related crimes. In March 2011, a 14-year-old rape victim who got an abortion was arrested from the hospital. Camara called for the invocation of the Maputo Protocol. In 2014, a ten-year-old girl who had gotten pregnant from being raped by a neighbor was unable to get a legal abortion. Her mother, supported by AJS, brought the case to the state prosecutor, and the rapist was put in police custody. The girl gave birth to twins in February 2014.


Most women who have abortions experience complications, but 42% of these do not receive care. Complications are more common among rural and poor women. Health centers, district hospitals, and regional hospitals provide most of the country's post-abortion care (PAC). As of 2012, 856 facilities provide PAC. Most private providers are in Dakar Region. Only 4% of PAC providers are private.
The MOH has recommended that manual vacuum aspiration, surgical aspiration, and misoprostol be available at every level of healthcare facilities. Surgical treatments are only available at tertiary and district hospitals. All levels of providers offer digital treatments and post-abortion family planning. Surgical procedures use MVA or, uncommonly, electric vacuum aspiration. Medical treatments typically involve administering 200 μg doses of misoprostol at the provider's discretion, up to two hours. Ultrasound is required to confirm the outcome of misoprostol treatment. MOH guidelines offer both surgical and medical treatments for pregnancies under 12 weeks, with surgical treatments prioritized for those under 9 weeks. Women can receive contraceptive pills, condoms, or hormonal implants immediately, as well as intrauterine devices after the procedure is confirmed complete. In Dakar, most clients are satisfied with the PAC they receive and experience short waiting times. Nearly half say the procedure is extremely painful, and only one-third receive pain relief. Private pharmacies are the main supplier of medications such as misoprostol. As of 2017, public health providers get it from pharmacies, despite the government's 2014 invitation to tender for misoprostol. Pharmacists in Dakar have low knowledge of misoprostol and its use. Few stock it because it is unavailable, or they do not want to stock an abortifacient drug.
MVA is less available at lower-level health facilities. These facilities must refer patients to higher facilities if the procedure is needed. Some health officials limit the use of MVA method, which may be used to induce abortion. Some PAC providers instead use methods such as digital curettage or dilation and curettage (D&C), which are condemned by the WHO. Relatively few use D&C. Digital evacuation is common among health workers who are not trained in MVA, face high caseloads, lack access to MVA supplies, or view the method as easier.
Providers and health officials view MVA as an integral part of PAC that can be used at lower levels of the health system by nurses. However, the MOH's supply system is centralized in Dakar, which limits implementation. Several NGOs work with the MOH to support PAC. Many receive funding from USAID, which does not allow providing abortion services besides PAC, according to policies such as the Helms Amendment and the Mexico City policy. Some NGO workers have argued that PAC "isn't enough". Health authorities view PAC as a way to combat the unsafe abortion rate without facing political opposition to abortion.
Health workers are not required to tell legal authorities about cases of illegal abortions. The medical code of ethics and the 2005 reproductive health law protect patient privacy. However, some report cases to authorities to avoid being accomplices or believe it is required. Most women treated for complications of illegal abortions do not receive police attention. Health workers perform an interrogation that determine the patient's medical history and the chances they induced an abortion. Many are suspicious of women who arrive alone or at night or who are unmarried. Most PAC cases are either labeled as cases of miscarriage, or are left unspecified and treated as presumptive miscarriages. Some health workers choose to label abortions as induced only if the patient says so, to maintain professional ethics. Others deliberately label abortions as miscarriages to avoid legal investigations.
In Dakar, as of 2021, the average out-of-pocket cost of PAC is 51,427 francs (US$93.84). The cost is 66,020 francs ($120.47) in hospitals and 35,880 francs ($65.47) in health centers. Many clients are charged multiple payments. Most do not face waiting periods. The high cost leads to lower use of services, especially among poorer people. As of 2016, the average cost per patient for health facilities in Senegal is 15,814 francs ($26.68). Direct costs of staff and supplies comprise 64% of this cost. Direct costs are higher for severe complications. The remaining costs consist of constructing, equipping, and administrating a facility, which are higher for private facilities. That year, the estimated total cost to the health system of PAC was 275.6 million francs ($464,928).


Before Senegal's health system introduced PAC, the most common methods of uterine evacuation were D&C and digital curettage. Senegal, along with Burkina Faso, was one of the first countries in the region to decentralize post-abortion care from urban tertiary care centers to rural hospitals. It is known as a success story and the "PAC pioneer of West Africa". In the late 1990s, after the ratification of the ICPD, USAID supported the MOH in introducing PAC. It was part of the Ministry's strategy to reduce maternal mortality, which became government policy in the 1980s. PAC was introduced in 1997. The Ministry funded research into decentralizing PAC, which demonstrated effective use of MVA, followed by the use of medications to treat complications.
The MOH introduced MVA to more hospitals in a 2000–2002 collaboration with EngenderHealth and a 2003–2006 collaboration with Management Sciences for Health. The MOH developed an MVA distribution scheme independent of the Pharmacie Nationale d’Approvisionnement (transl. National Supply Pharmacy). The MVA training was limited to theoretical training for doctors and midwives at district and regional hospitals. Most public reproductive health facilities had been trained by 2006.


Some women who cannot get abortions commit infanticide. Some drown their babies in septic tanks or wells, strangle them, or starve them. The company that runs Dakar's Mbeubeuss Landfill discovered 39 infant corpses there in 2021. In February 2017, newborn corpses were found in the parking lot of Dakar's Léopold Sédar Senghor Stadium and at the market in Pikine. Media reports contribute to widespread awareness of infanticide. Rumors and suspicions of infanticide are common. The public condemns infanticide but largely understands its motivations.
According to a WHO report, infanticide comprise 38% of cases of detained women. The AJS found in 2015 that 19% of detained women were charged with infanticide, and 3% with abortion. In 2020, 43 women were prosecuted for either offense. In April 2022, 16 of the 83 inmates at Liberté-VI prison were charged with infanticide. In March 2018, 40% of the 58 women in the prison in Thiès were charged with infanticide. The typical jail sentence for infanticide is five years. It is the second-leading cause of imprisonment for women in Senegal.
Abortion rights groups such as the AJS and the MOH attribute infanticide to the lack of birth control and legal abortion. Some attribute it to religious, rather than legal, opposition to abortion. Infanticides are motivated by situations of rape, incest, forced marriages, poverty, adultery, and social hostility. Authorities say absent husbands are a factor. Women whose husbands leave the country often have extramarital relations that lead to unwanted pregnancies. Infanticide is more common in rural areas that are dense or have low literacy. In Dakar, as of 2006, the most likely women to be arrested for abortion or infanticide are below 25, have little education, are in polygamous marriages, are from poor peri-urban areas, or have experienced trauma. Few women in rural Senegal are aware of the country's few orphanages.


Actinote zikani is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae that is endemic to Brazil. Its habitat is the Brazilian Atlantic forest at an altitude of approximately 1,000 metres (3,280 ft), located in the Serra do Mar. Considered extinct after 1981, the species was rediscovered in 1991 in the state of São Paulo, in the southeast of the country.
The species is classified as critically endangered on the national red list of Brazil by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. It is one of two butterflies on the list of the 100 Most Endangered Species in the World published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Zoological Society of London in September 2012, the other being Parides burchellanus.


Between 1941 and 1942, the naturalist Romualdo Ferreira d'Almeida collected around ten specimens of a species of the genus Actinote at a forested area near Salesópolis in São Paulo and mistakenly attributed them to Actinote morio. According to the remarks of the naturalist J.F. Zikan, d'Almeida corrected his error and described the new species, Actinote zikani, whose characteristics he defined in 1951 (d'Almeida, 1951) based on the specimens he collected and a male reported by Roberto Spitz from Alto da Serra de Santos.


Actinote zikani has iridescent black and opaque wings, similar to Actinote morio. The dorsal and post-medial forewings both have faint yellow markings, and the hindwings have dirty orange markings. The butterfly has a wide clasper, and the clasper grows smaller towards the apex and takes on a triangular shape. One of the characteristics that distinguishes Actinote zikani from Actinote morio are the lighter wing colors that A. zikani typically has, in contrast to the darker wings that A. morio specimens usually exhibit.
Males have a mean forewing length of 33 millimetres (1.3 in), smaller than females which measure 37 millimetres (1.5 in). The mean dry weight of males is 0.41 g, and for females the mean dry weight is 0.74 g. Adults from zikani are usually larger than other species of the Actinote genus.
Actinote zikani eggs are usually yellowish in color when they are first laid, and will change to a red hue after approximately 2 hours have passed. After 16–17 weeks have elapsed since the eggs have been laid, they develop weak horizontal rib markings.
When a specimen is in its early instar phase of development, it develops a smooth, brown head and is pale in color. Later during this phase, specimens take on a yellowish shape, and near the end of this developmental phase are blackish in color, including on the appendages. Pupae are a yellow-green hue after molting, and after several hours change to be more whitish in color.


The activity of A. zikani varies and depends in particular on weather conditions. It begins at sunrise each morning, as the sun illuminates the tops of the forest trees. The butterfly begins by flapping its wings to warm them in the sun before flying away. Flight activity seems to decrease as soon as the sun is veiled.
Males fly more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) above the ground along the road where they were observed, or even above the canopy in the forest. They attack any flying insect located less than a meter from them before rising very quickly or performing a long straight flight of more than 100 metres (330 ft). The small males have been observed attacking other lepidopteran species as large as Morpho hercules.
The host plant of the caterpillar would be one of the sixteen species of Asteraceae discovered during surveys carried out in the Serra do Mar, in particular climbing lianas of the genus Mikania, notably Mikania obsoleta.


Mating in A. zikani occurs without any known display of courtship. The seeking male follows a female, and after flying 2 to 5 metres (6.5 to 16.5 ft) in a line about 2 metres (6.6 ft) above ground they make a controlled spiralling flight to the ground, following which the male grasps the female's abdomen with his valvae, forcing copulation on the ground, which may last more than 30 minutes.


During observations on the species, it was observed that A. zikani is male-dominated, with a sex ratio of 1.7 males for every female specimen being documented in November 1993.


The habitat in which the species was rediscovered in 1991 consists of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. The plant environment is mainly made up of bamboos and species of the genus Tibouchina. The stem and trunk of most of the plants are covered with epiphytic mosses and ferns and sixteen species of the Asteraceae family recorded nearby could be, for some of them, the host plants of the Actinote zikani larva.


Actinote zikani is known only in Brazil. The only known distribution area concerns a region of the state of São Paulo, between the towns of Salesópolis and Paranapiacaba around Alto da Serra de Santos, Paranapiacaba and Estação Biológica de Boracéia. The species is also mentioned more anciently in the south of the State of Minas Gerais by its describer, Almeida and a male specimen of the genus Actinote with whitish circular ornamentation was observed in Penedo in the State of Rio de Janeiro in the low hills of the Serra do Itatiaia, but without certainty as to its belonging to the species.


While the species was described in 1951 on the basis of a small number of specimens discovered ten years earlier, field research carried out between 1985 and 1990 to identify new specimens in the typical habitat in April–May and November–December turned out to be a failure. The only evidence of existence of the species is said to be a male specimen observed by Keith Brown in 1981 at the roadside of a rainforest at 1,000 metres (3,280 ft) above sea level between Tapiraí and Sorocaba in the south of the state. Therefore, considered extinct, the species was observed again on March 16, 1991 at the summit of the Serra do Mar 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of the city of Santos in São Paulo during a routine visit carried out by Ronaldo Bastos Francini and André Victor Lucci Freitas.
The species was described again in an article published by Francini, Freitas and Brown in the Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society in 2005. The specimens were discovered in the municipality of Santo André (State of São Paulo) near the town of Paranapiacaba along a 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) southwest/northeast-oriented concrete block paved road that follows the mountain range between two telecommunications towers on the peaks of Serra do Mar at 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above sea level.
More than 160 hours of observation were carried out until 2004 near Paranapiacaba and specimens were collected for morphological studies then marked using a small circle of waterproof paper then released. This marking method has also been used successfully, notably on Actinote pellenea and Actinote mamita.


As early as 1981 and given the rarity of the species, Brown proposed adding A. zikani to the list of species threatened with extinction in Brazil. The species is declared critically endangered by the Secretariat of the Environment in 1998 and the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil in 2003. A. zikani was included by the IUCN in the 100 Most Endangered Species in the World report, and is one of two butterfly species on the list.


The Action at Nineveh was a cavalry action that occurred on November 12, 1864, during the American Civil War. A Union cavalry division led by Brigadier General William H. Powell defeated a Confederate cavalry brigade commanded by Brigadier General John McCausland. The fight took place in Nineveh, Virginia, near the road from Newtown to Front Royal, which is known as the Front Royal Pike. Nineveh is located in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley south of Winchester and north of the Shenandoah River in Warren County.
Powell's 1st Brigade was sent south on the Front Royal Pike to search for Confederate cavalry. Commanded by Colonel William B. Tibbits, the brigade encountered a portion of Confederate Major General Lunsford L. Lomax's cavalry commanded by McCausland. The Confederates slowly pushed the 1st Brigade back, but Tibbits sent a messenger to notify Powell of the situation. Repelling the attackers twice, Confederate leadership believed they had driven the Union cavalry away. Powell, riding with his 2nd Brigade, brought it to the front while the 1st Brigade moved to the rear. The 2nd Brigade charged, resulting in a short clash that ended with the Confederates being chased for 8 miles (12.9 km). Powell captured all of McCausland's artillery (two guns), the ammunition train, numerous small arms, and took over 150 prisoners.
Two men received the Medal of Honor for their undertakings in this action. Private James F. Adams from Company D of the 1st West Virginia Cavalry received his award for the capture of the state flag of the 14th Virginia Cavalry. Sergeant Levi Shoemaker from Company A of the 1st West Virginia Cavalry received his award for the capture of the flag of the 22nd Virginia Cavalry.


On October 19, 1864, a Union army defeated a Confederate army in the Battle of Cedar Creek in the American Civil War. The battle took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. The Confederate Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Jubal Early, appeared to be victorious early in the battle. During the afternoon, Major General Philip Sheridan rallied his troops for a victory, and Union cavalry played an important role in both saving the army during the morning and the counterattack in the afternoon. Following the battle, Early's army reorganized further south at New Market, while Sheridan's army stayed on site until it moved north to Kernstown on November 9.
At New Market, Early received reports from his scouts concerning Sheridan's November 9 movement. While Sheridan's purpose was to have a shorter line of supply and better winter quarters, Early believed that Sheridan could be detaching some of his troops to eastern Virginia. Early moved his army north from New Market to Middletown. Sheridan became aware of Early's movement before noon on November 12, and countered with his cavalry. On Sheridan's right (west), the Union cavalry divisions commanded by Brigadier General Wesley Merritt and Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer were sent south where they would oppose cavalry commanded by Major General Thomas L. Rosser. On Sheridan's left (east), Brigadier General William H. Powell was sent with his division south on the Front Royal Pike. His cavalry expected to oppose cavalry commanded by Major General Lunsford L. Lomax.
Rosser's cavalry was driven back and required assistance from Lomax. While a portion of Lomax's division left to provide the assistance, McCausland's brigade remained at Cedarville on the Front Royal Pike. McCausland's position enabled his cavalry to protect Early's troops at Middletown from having their Valley Pike escape route cut off if the Union cavalry was able to circle behind. Between Cedarville and Newtown on the Front Royal Pike was the small community known as Nineveh. Located in Warren County, Nineveh is one of the county's oldest communities. Earlier in the 19th century it had been known as Stoney Point.


Brigadier General William H. Powell called his division Second Cavalry Division, Department of West Virginia, and on November 12 it consisted of two brigades.


1st Brigade was commanded by Colonel William Badger Tibbits of the 21st New York Cavalry Regiment. It consisted of three cavalry regiments: the 8th Ohio, 14th Pennsylvania, and the 21st New York cavalries.
2nd Brigade was commanded by Colonel Henry Capehart of the 1st West Virginia Cavalry Regiment. For the day's action, it consisted of three cavalry regiments: the 1st West Virginia, 3rd West Virginia, and 1st New York. The three regiments were commanded in this action by Major Harvey Farabee, Lieutenant Colonel John Lowry McGee, and Colonel Alonzo W. Adams, respectively. A fourth cavalry regiment, the 2nd West Virginia, was stationed in Martinsburg at the time and absent for the action. Capehart and the 1st West Virginia Cavalry had already fought in numerous battles in Virginia and West Virginia. They had been armed with Spencer repeating rifles since 1863. The 1st New York Cavalry was also very experienced, and by the end of the war it had participated in nearly 230 battles and skirmishes. It was also known as the "Lincoln Cavalry".


Brigadier General John McCausland commanded the Confederate brigade in the action at Nineveh on November 12. He submitted a "brief report of the engagement" on November 13, and did not list the units under his command. The units listed below are based on Union Brigadier General William H. Powell's November 17 report. A year earlier, some of these units had been involved in the Battle of Droop Mountain, where the Confederate Army had been nearly surrounded—and fled the battleground in defeat as a second Union force threatened to cut off its escape route.


14th Virginia Cavalry Regiment - This regiment was listed as part of McCausland's Brigade (which was commanded by John McCausland) during the previous month at the October 19 Battle of Cedar Creek. It fought in the Battle of Droop Mountain.
16th Virginia Cavalry Regiment - This regiment was listed as part of McCausland's Brigade during the previous month at Cedar Creek. In addition to Cedar Creek, it had experience fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg. This regiment did not directly participate in the Battle of Droop Mountain, but it was part of the rear guard as the Confederate Army fled.
17th Virginia Cavalry Regiment - This regiment was listed as part of McCausland's Brigade during the previous month at Cedar Creek. In addition to Cedar Creek, it had experience fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg.
21st Virginia Cavalry Regiment - This regiment is listed as being part of Bradley T. Johnson's Brigade in the previous month's Battle of Cedar Creek.
22nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment - This regiment is listed as being part of Bradley T. Johnson's Brigade in the previous month's Battle of Cedar Creek.
62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry Regiment - This regiment is listed as part of Imboden's Brigade for the previous month's Battle of Cedar Creek.
Lurty's Battery - This artillery battery had two guns (artillery pieces). It is listed in the order of battle for the previous month's Battle of Cedar Creek, and also fought in the Battle of Droop Mountain.


Descriptions of the action at Nineveh differ somewhat on the cause of the victory. One point of view revolves around leadership and direct participation by the division commander, another blames negligence by Confederate leadership, and a third credits the size of the Union force. All points of view agree on the end result.


The morning of November 12 began with Powell's division resting near Winchester. Colonel Tibbits and his 1st Brigade began a probe south on the road to Front Royal. Near the small community of Nineveh, they began fighting with a Confederate brigade commanded by Brigadier General McCausland. The fighting did not go well for Tibbits' soldiers, and they began falling back. According to a letter written by Colonel Capehart, McCausland was using a "heavy line of dismounted skirmishers". An orderly was sent north to notify Powell of the situation.
Hearing the news, Powell immediately gathered his remaining available cavalry, which consisted of three regiments from Capehart's 2nd Brigade. They moved south on the Front Royal Pike at a trot. After about eight miles (13 km), they met Tibbits' brigade falling back in a hard fight. Powell formed the Second Brigade in battle formation, with the 3rd West Virginia Cavalry riding on the left, the 1st New York in the middle, and the 1st West Virginia on the right. The 1st Brigade passed to the rear in intervals, and then the 2nd Brigade moved to the front. McCausland's soldiers were posted on high ground with two well-posted artillery pieces.


Powell was said to be on the field and guiding the battle formation. He instructed the two West Virginia regiments to move around the Confederates as if in a flanking maneuver, while the 1st New York maintained the front line. The New Yorkers charged and overran the Confederates, who either surrendered or retreated. At the same time, the two West Virginia regiments on the flanks moved toward the center.
Colonel Adams of the 1st New York was personally involved in apprehending the first of the two artillery pieces captured. Three companies from the 1st West Virginia Cavalry captured the other gun. The two artillery pieces captured were said to be 12-pounder howitzers.
The Confederates were chased south across both branches of the Shenandoah River and through the town of Front Royal—a distance of about eight miles (13 km) that was covered by the faster horses in 40 minutes. The chase was led by Colonel Adams of the 1st New York and a lieutenant from Capehart's staff. Those with slower horses picked up prisoners and abandoned Confederate property. Union Major General Alfred T.A. Torbert reported that the Confederates were pursued two miles (3.2 km) south of Front Royal.


The journal of Confederate Captain Jedediah Hotchkiss' describes the Action at Nineveh as happening "late in the p.m." at Cedarville. It concluded that after repulsing two attacks, McCausland believed he had driven the Union cavalry away. McCausland's brigade paused to eat, and was caught unprepared by a third attack. McCausland was driven through Front Royal, and lost two pieces of artillery.
Two Union soldiers had experiences that agree with Hotchkiss. A soldier from Company E of the 1st New York Cavalry, which was positioned on the left end of the middle regiment, wrote about his company's reconnaissance mission before the 2nd Brigade attacked. He said that the Confederate soldiers "looked at us in astonishment, and did not fire one shot". On the Union right, a soldier from the 1st West Virginia Cavalry noted that McCausland's fighters were dismounted and stood without a skirmish line—something the Union soldiers thought "was strange".
At least one historian agrees that McCausland was caught unprepared as his soldiers relaxed, ate, and fed their horses. Robert K. Krick wrote that McCausland's soldiers ignored "the basic disciplinary and security measures necessary in disputed country". Lieutenant General Early punished some of the soldiers "for misbehavior before the enemy on Nov. 12th 1864" by publishing their names, having them forfeit their horses, and transferring them from the cavalry to the infantry.


McCausland's report agrees that two Union attacks were repulsed, and claims Powell's division was driven back two miles (3.2 km) until it was reinforced by a "command supposed to be a division". He said the Union force charged and broke his lines, and mentions the loss of two lieutenant colonels. He reported that his retreat ended at Front Royal, and the fight lasted from noon until 3:30 pm. His report also said that the "men and officers behaved with great gallantry".


The November 12 confrontation at Nineveh has been classified as an action in Frederick H. Dyer's A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Two men from the 1st West Virginia Cavalry were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the fight. Private James F. Adams, from Company D, received his medal for "Capture of State flag of 14th Virginia Cavalry (C.S.A.)". The other medal winner was Sergeant Levi Shoemaker from Company A. His citation is "Capture of flag of 22d Virginia Cavalry (C.S.A.)". The performance of Capehart's 2nd Brigade did not go unnoticed. General Sheridan was soon calling it "the fighting brigade". Later in 1865, the nickname became "Capehart's Fighting Brigade".
Union casualties for the Nineveh action, plus actions fought by other cavalry divisions on the same day closer to Newtown, totaled to 184 killed, wounded or captured/missing. Powell's November 17 report listed his casualties (a subset of the 184) as two killed and 15 wounded.
Powell's November 17 report said Confederate casualties were 20 killed, 35 wounded, and 161 captured. In addition to the two artillery pieces, two caissons, two wagons, and one ambulance were captured. Fleeing Confederate soldiers also left numerous small arms behind. McCausland's November 13 report said 10 soldiers were killed, 60 were wounded, and 100 captured—but also said that he "cannot state exactly the number of men killed, wounded, and missing, and the above may be considered as the nearest approximation that can now be made."
A newspaper account, and Major General Torbert in his November 12 report, said McCausland was slightly wounded. Other Confederate casualties included Lieutenant Colonel John A. Gibson of the 14th Virginia Cavalry, who was wounded at Nineveh and left behind in Cedarville. That regiment's Major Benjamin Franklin Eakle was also wounded and captured on that day at Cedarville. The 22nd Virginia Cavalry's Lieutenant Colonel J. T. Radford was mortally wounded. A newspaper report claimed that Colonel Milton J. Ferguson of the 16th Virginia Cavalry leaped from his horse and ran into a woods to escape capture—losing his mount and equipment.


Adélaïde-Hautval Hospital (French: Hôpital Adélaïde-Hautval) was a public hospital in Villiers-le-Bel, in the Val-d'Oise department of France. Operated by the Assistance publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), it opened in 1965 under the name Hôpital Charles-Richet and specialised in elder care. The hospital formed part of the Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Nord Val de Seine group and offered 285 beds across acute care, rehabilitation, long-term care, and EHPAD services before its closure in 2019.
Originally named after the Nobel Prize-winning physiologist Charles Richet, the hospital was renamed in 2015 following public controversy over Richet's support for eugenics and racist theories. After an internal review, AP-HP concluded that Richet's published views were incompatible with the values of the public healthcare system. The hospital was subsequently renamed in honour of Dr Adélaïde Hautval, a French physician recognised for her resistance during the Nazi occupation and her defence of Jewish patients at Auschwitz.
The hospital ceased all clinical services in 2017, but the site continued operating as a transitional EHPAD until late 2021, when it was closed due to infrastructure deficiencies and the high cost of renovation. In 2023, a new 7,300 m² multiservice gerontological platform was inaugurated on the same grounds by the non-profit operator ARPAVIE. The facility includes a 110-bed EHPAD, day centres, caregiver support services, and home care programmes. In parallel, parts of the former hospital site were sold to Grand Paris Aménagement and are being redeveloped into an eco-district with 370 housing units, scheduled for completion in 2028.


The hospital was inaugurated in 1965 under the name Hôpital Charles-Richet. It was constructed as a pavilion-style facility, consisting of 15 buildings spread across 8.3 hectares of wooded land on Rue du Haut-du-Roy in Villiers-le-Bel. The buildings covered a total surface area of 37,570 square metres, were designed to feel more personal and less institutional for geriatric care. Its services included acute care, rehabilitation, long-term care, palliative medicine, and support for dependent elderly residents (known as Établissement d'hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes EHPAD).


In the early 2010s, public concern grew over the hospital's namesake, Charles Richet, a Nobel Prize-winning physiologist whose later works expressed support for eugenics and racist theories, notably in La Sélection humaine and L'Homme stupide. While his scientific contributions had once justified naming a hospital in his honour, a 2014 petition brought renewed attention to his published views.
In response, the AP-HP, the public hospital trust that operates hospitals across the Paris region, initiated an internal review of Richet's writings to assess whether these concerns were based on outdated readings of his work. In a public statement, the organisation concluded that the tone and content of the texts were incompatible with the values of the public healthcare system. Although Richet's scientific work had long been valued, the AP-HP noted the "intolerable" nature of his eugenic ideas and acknowledged that his writings may have contributed to harmful ideologies in the interwar period. The agency also cited the symbolic importance of aligning public institutions with ethical standards, particularly in light of France's republican and humanist values.
Following the review, AP-HP Director General Martin Hirsch and the mayor of Villiers-le-Bel, Jean-Louis Marsac, jointly agreed to remove Richet's name. In early 2015, the hospital was renamed in honour of Adélaïde Hautval (1906–1988), a French physician known for her moral resistance under Nazi occupation. Imprisoned at Auschwitz for defending Jewish patients, Hautval was later recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.


In May 2015, Hirsch announced a long-term transformation plan for the Adélaïde-Hautval Hospital, citing severe infrastructure deficiencies and the prohibitive €105 million cost of renovations. The plan included the progressive closure of the hospital, with all services to be transferred to nearby modern facilities, both within the AP-HP network and at regional partner hospitals. These included Beaujon, Bichat Claude-Bernard, Bretonneau, and Louis-Mourier (within the Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Nord Val de Seine group), as well as public hospitals in Gonesse, Aulnay-sous-Bois, and Eaubonne-Montmorency.
The transition began in 2016, with 285 beds progressively reassigned and medical services redeployed in coordination with the regional health agency (Agence régionale de santé ARS) for Île-de-France. By March 2017, the full redeployment was completed, and the site no longer served as a hospital. Parts of the former hospital buildings were then used as temporary shelter for migrants.
The premises continued to house an EHPAD with 184 residents, which remained in operation as part of a transitional arrangement. Originally intended to close in 2017, the closure was postponed multiple times first to 2019, then to 2021. That facility was eventually closed on 15 October 2021 to allow for the construction of a new geriatric care platform on the same site.


In 2023, the non‑profit group ARPAVIE inaugurated a significantly expanded multiservice gerontological platform on the former hospital site, now officially listed at 1–3 rue Hélène Bertaux. The 7,300 m² facility was developed by Icade for CDC Habitat, co-funded by the Banque des territoires, the French Government, the Val-d'Oise departmental council, and the Agence régionale de santé Île-de-France. Operated by ARPAVIE, the platform includes a 110-bed EHPAD, two Pôles d'activités de soins adaptés (daytime care units for cognitive disorders), a 20-place day centre, a 20-place temporary accommodation unit, a Plateforme d'accompagnement des aidants (caregiver support centre), and home-based services via a combined nursing and assistance service (SPASAD) and a 50-place in-home nursing service (SSIAD). Several staff from the former hospital were rehired as part of an agreement with AP-HP, maintaining institutional continuity.

Successor facilities and multiservice platform


In parallel with the construction of the new geriatric platform, parts of the former 8.2-hectare hospital site were transferred to Grand Paris Aménagement, a public urban planning and development agency, which announced plans to redevelop the surrounding land into an eco-district with approximately 370 housing units, a community garden while preserving architectural elements. Partial demolition was scheduled to begin by 2024.
The new neighbourhood, scheduled for completion by 2028, will include a mix of residential units, local services, green space, and improved public transport. Of the 370 planned homes, only 18 percent will be reserved for social housing, with the majority aimed at owner-occupiers as part of a wider strategy to diversify the area's demographic profile. The site will also be served by a high-capacity bus line linking Villiers-le-Bel to Villepinte and Roissy, with a planned central station to host shops and amenities.
Although several outdated hospital structures are being demolished, others are slated for preservation and rehabilitation. The project places emphasis on low density and ecological integration, aiming to obtain eco-district certification. Feedback from residents during public consultation supported the overall plan, though concerns were raised regarding parking, traffic, and the nature of future commercial spaces. Environmental activists criticised the project as profit-driven arguing it prioritised real estate investment over community needs. Authorities nonetheless confirmed that the redevelopment would proceed.


The Afonso Henriques Theatre (or Dom Afonso Henriques Theatre; Portuguese: Teatro Dom Afonso Henriques), was the main entertainment center of Guimarães from 1853 until its replacement by the Jordão Theatre in the late 1930s.
Over its 90-plus years, the Afonso Henriques Theatre was the central venue for entertainment in Guimarães, hosting a wide variety of performances that fulfilled the cultural needs of the city. It remained the focal point for the city's events, including festivities and important community gatherings, until its successor was constructed in 1937. Its performances and shows influenced the development of the surrounding area, mainly by partly aiding the construction of the Santos Passos Church.


The building's facade was symmetrical and featured three stories. The ground floor consisted of a series of rectangular doorways, seven in total, each with a simple stone frame. The central doorway was more prominent as it featured a double-stone frame with a curved top.
On the first floor, the central section had a square window surrounded by a strip of granite. Flanking this central section were three pairs of windows, each set within a granite frame. On top of them were small circular windows with a granite frame which connected with the square windows below.
The second floor mirrored the first in its window arrangement, with rectangular windows above each of the lower floors. The central section had a balcony with an iron railing, supported by corbels and accessed by a door with a decorative stone frame. The outermost windows on this floor also featured iron railings and granite balconies. The roof was paved with roof tiles and it was separated from the facade by a cornice with two stone urns at its extremities. The central part was shaped like a semi-circle and it had a stone coat of arms under it.
In its interior the theatre had two closed cabinets, 38 boxes in three levels, 176 audience seats and 60 gallery seats.


Before the construction of the theatre, the Count of Vila Pouca Theatre was located at the Campo da Feira. Shows and plays were performed regularly at this theatre to aid the construction efforts of the Santos Passos Church while under construction.
The Count of Vila Pouca Theatre was burnt down on the night of 18 January 1841, leaving Guimarães without a permanent theatre. Even during its active years, this theatre was never meant to serve the 7,000 people which lived in the city at the time and, since 1836, the progressive forces of Guimarães demanded the creation of a project to construct a theatre which could accommodate the city's needs.


In 1853, construction of a new theatre started at the Campo da Feira after 12 years without a permanent theatre in the city. During its construction on 5 July 1854, five people died after an accident involving the collapse of the scaffolding. On 31 May 1855, it was reported the construction of the theatre was being accelerated so its inauguration could occur on the night of the succession of King Pedro V.
This theatre was inaugurated with a masquerade ball on 12 August 1855, and was baptized with the name of Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, making official the name Theatro Dom Affonso Henriques, later modified due to various orthographic reforms.


The theatre, similar to its predecessor, also contributed to the completion of the Santos Passos Church by donating funds received from plays and magic lantern slide shows. On 22 April 1863, the play "O Veterano Mateus", the song "O Sebastianista", and the comedy "A Actriz" were played exclusively to raise money for the construction of the church's bell towers. Many were in attendance and the city's music played outside the theatre.


The first 10 years of activity of the Afonso Henriques Theatre were very busy, with over 220 theatrical performances by national theatre companies. Compared with other two big cities at the time, Coimbra and Aveiro, Guimarães was the city, between these three, which welcomed the most professional theatre companies to its theatres. This was unexpected as both Coimbra and Aveiro had multiple theatrical locations, while Guimarães only had the Afonso Henriques Theatre.
On 26 February 1866, the Artistic Association of Guimarães was installed at the Afonso Henriques Theatre and remained there until their headquarters were transferred to the Gil Vicente Theatre a few decades later.
Periodic inspections were regularly conducted at the theatre, as documented in a logbook which recorded events from 2 August 1856 to 30 June 1875. This logbook revealed the theatre was frequently rented for a variety of events, including theatrical shows, masquerade balls, and both dramatic and comedic plays. It also revealed the number of events held decreased throughout the years.
By order of the administrative authority, the theatre was inspected on 11 April 1888, with nothing unusual to report. The theatre was the gathering place of the NFC and spectators of the Pregão, one of the festivities of the Nicolinas, once it was concluded. The Afonso Henriques Theatre was also the place where students gathered on 21 November 1895 to revive the Nicolinas festivities after decades of non-existence.
In Guimarães, the first permanent cinematographic screening room was opened in March 1909, on the premises of the theatre. Later, in January 1912, the company which owned the cinematic equipment and screening room at the Gil Vicente Theatre relocated to the theatre, evolving in 1914 to the "Cinema High-Life". In November 1919, businessman Luís do Souto transformed the old theatre into a fully operational cinema, named "Vimaranes-Cine", ignoring the already unfavorable conditions present at the time.


On 6 May 1933, the Diário do Governo published decree n°22:498. This decree, made by the Ministry of Internal Administration, granted authorization to the Câmara municipal of Guimarães to expropriate the Afonso Henrique Theatre, to extend the S. Dâmaso Street to the Campo da Feira. On 18 February 1936, the Câmara Municipal of Guimarães met in extraordinary session to create a solution to the lack of a proper theatre in the city. The original idea was to keep the theatre standing since the street approved in the 1933 decree was not built. No solution to the problem emerged from this meeting, and rumors soon began to circulate about the reconstruction of the old theatre being stuck. The decision to close the theatre was also in part to its deteriorating condition dating back to 1919, when it was described:


Guimarães has a theatre like all the lands of this world, a theatre named after Afonso Henriques.
However, this one offers no guarantees against disaster. Apart from the fact that it has nothing, absolutely nothing, that should be required in a theatre, it currently has the serious inconvenience of not having a single wooden plank that hasn't shown signs of old age.


The whole place is rotten. One day it'll all fall down and poor of those who are having a party inside when that happens.
The theatre ceased activities and was closed in 1936, however, in September of the same year, it was temporarily repurposed to house families whose homes were going to be demolished on a project to restore the area in and around the Guimarães Castle and the Paço dos Duques, and could not afford to buy a new one. After many complaints the families were promised by the city council to be moved to a different location before the start of the Gualterianas of 1938.


On 29 July 1938, it was announced at the O Comércio de Guimarães that the theatre had become a "shameful inn", and would be indefinitely closed after the relocation of said families. In August of the same year, after almost two years of serving as a shelter to these families, the theatre permanently closed, and plans to reconstruct it were abandoned as the construction of its announced successor, the Jordão Theatre, had already begun in February 1937.
The theatre was destroyed sometime between 1943 and 1949, with its last appearance in a photograph in 1943. By 1949, three houses had already been built on the site, which were later demolished in early 1961, alongside many other buildings, including the São Dâmaso Church, on a project to widen the São Dâmaso Boulevard. The location of the theatre is currently occupied by a street and garden.


Afraflacilla tarajalis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Afraflacilla that lives around the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The spider is externally similar to the related Afraflacilla fayda, Afraflacilla mushrif and Afraflacilla roberti. The female is particularly hard to identify, although the large copulatory openings on its the external part of its copulatory organs, or epigyne, and, internally, its relatively short and wide tube-like spermathecae help to distinguish it. It is a small spider, measuring between 4.08 and 6.03 mm (0.16 and 0.24 in) in length. The female is generally light grey, sometimes darker and brownish, and have brown or orange stripes and a blackish spot on the rear part of body, its opisthosoma. The male is darker, greyish or brownish, and also has a dark stripe running down its opisthosoma, which is otherwise brown, reddish-brown or reddish-orange. It is this pattern that helps the spider hide amongst Tamarix trees that it lives amongst and after which it is named.


Afraflacilla tarajalis is a species of jumping spider, a member of the family Salticidae, that was first described by Jesús Miñano and Rafael Tamajón in 2017. They allocated it to the genus Afraflacilla, first circumscribed by Lucien Betland and Jacques Millot in 1941. Subsequently absorbed into the genus Pseudicius based on the similarity between the genera by Jerzy Prószyński in 1990, the genus was reinstated by Marek Zabka in 1993. This was supported by Prószyński in 2017.
The genus had been made a member of the tribe Heliophaninae, which is ubiquitous across most continents of the world. Wayne Maddison renamed the monotypic tribe from Heliophaninae to Chrysillini in 2015. The tribe is a member of the clade Saltafresia within the subfamily Salticoida. In 2017, Prószyński allocated the genus to the Pseudiciines group of genera, which he named after the genus Pseudicius. They can be distinguished from other jumping spiders by their flattened and elongated body and characteristic colour patterns.


Afraflacilla tarajalis is a small spider that shows little sexual dimorphism. The female has a total body length of between 4.19 and 4.61 mm (0.16 and 0.18 in), although when pregnant this can extend to 6.03 mm (0.24 in). The spiders are generally light grey, sometimes darker and brownish, although they often are marked with several brown or orange stripes and a blackish spot at the rear of the opisthosoma. his pattern gives the spider a cryptic appearance and helps it camouflage itself on the branches of Tamarix trees, after which it is named. The cephalothorax is generally dark brown. The carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is covered in very short orange, reddish-brown and white hairs that form alternating light and dark stripes. The edges are orange with browner areas near the spider's eyes. There are eight or ten bristly tubercles below the eyes that are used for stridulation. There are two spines on the tibia of the front legs and the femur has the tubercles that form the other part of the stridulatory organs. The chelicerae are brown.
The top of the female's opisthosoma is covered in short brown, grey and reddish hairs that form light and dark stripes. To the rear of the abdomen, these are replaced by a narrow zigzag shape and two conjoined spots. The underside of the abdomen is covered in white hairs that have a green tinge. It has distinctive copulatory organs. The epigyne has large copulatory openings that lead to simple insemination ducts that follow a path of three successive loops and terminate in relatively short and wide kidney-shaped spermathecae. The branch for the scent gland is very short and straight, leading from the first loop behind the copulatory funnel. The ducts to the accessory glands are large, with thicker walls than in other species in the genus.
The male is similar in the size to the female, with a cephalothorax that is between 1.88 and 2.18 mm (0.07 and 0.09 in) long and 1.69 and 1.91 mm (0.07 and 0.08 in) wide and a total length between 4.08 and 4.42 mm (0.16 and 0.17 in). It is greyish or brownish, darker than the female, particularly in its cephalothorax and legs. There is a white line on the spider's face, that reaches to the clypeus and an orange marking near the eyes. The stridulatory organs are larger than the female. The chelicerae and labium are very dark brown, nearly black.
The male's opisthosoma is marked with a very dark stripe that runs down the middle that is bordered by white bands. Outside this are narrow bands of brown or reddish-brown hairs, the sides being reddish-orange. Its front legs are longer and darker than the others, and thicker than the equivalent on the female. The male's copulatory organs are distinctive. The pedipalps are light brown and covered in small white hairs. It has a darker cymbium. There is a spike called a retrolateral tibial process that projects from a broad base two-thirds of the way up the palpal bulb and terminates in a pointed tip. The bulb is an elliptical oval with a bulge near the bottom. The embolus is shorter than other members of the genus.
The species is similar to others in the genus, many of which have been previously allocated to the genus Pseudicius. It has a particularly similar morphology to Afraflacilla asorotica and Afraflacilla wadis, although this varies between specimen. Those female examples that are most similar also have simpler arrangements of their insemination ducts. The females are also similar to Afraflacilla fayda and Afraflacilla mushrif found on the Arabian Peninsula and Afraflacilla roberti found in equatorial Africa. The female can be distinguished by its widely separated copulatory openings funnel-shaped insemination ducts and the shape of the spermathecae. The male is identified by the size of its embolus.


Afraflacilla spiders live mainly in Africa south of the Sahara although some species have been seen in Europe. Afraflacilla tarajalis lives in many countries around the Mediterranean Sea and has been observed in Greece, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The holotype was found on the bank of the river Guadalquivir near Córdoba, Spain in 2000. Other examples were found nearby. Others have been seen in Almería, Ciudad Real, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Murcia. The first time the spider had been seen living in Morocco was in 2010, near Beni Ansar, and in Portugal was in 2014, near Alcoutim. The spider was also observed in Crete, near Faistos, in 2013.
The spider lives in a range of environments. It is commonly seen near rivers. It thrives in forests of Tamarix trees, the first specimen being found living on Tamarix gallica. This is recalled in the specific name. These trees are known in Spain as tarajales or tarayales. Others have been seen on a sandy ridge of a coastal lagoon. The spider lives in areas of human habitation. One specimen was found in Bobadilla railway station.


"Afraid" is a song by the American musicians 2hollis and Nate Sib, released on January 30, 2025, by Interscope Records. Released while Sib was opening for 2hollis' Leg Two Tour, it was written by the duo as 2hollis handled its production. It is the first song 2hollis and Sib recorded together.
"Afraid" is a glitchy song that blends emo vocals with elements of cloud rap, electropop, and EDM. Its sonic palette includes synthesizers, emo melodies, a fast tempo, a piano line during the chorus, and bass. Lyrically, the song delves into commentary on the duo's fears, troubles with navigating fame, among other topics. The song was well-received by music critics, several of whom deemed it one of the best songs of its release week. The song was released alongside a music video.


After the release of his third studio album, Boy, in June 2024, 2hollis signed with Interscope Records, who released his single "Gold" in October. 2hollis and Nate Sib premiered "Afraid" on Zane Lowe's show on the Apple Music 1 radio station; it was officially released by Interscope Records on January 30, 2025. Sib served as the opening act for 2hollis' Leg Two Tour while the song was released; the two debuted the song on the tour. Sib's song "Take It Slow" preceded "Afraid" on January 17. 2hollis and Sib both wrote the song; 2hollis handled the song's production and mixing, while Mike Tucci mastered it. The song was released alongside a music video, which depicts the duo performing in an abandoned warehouse and mall. It is the first song that 2hollis and Sib have recorded together.


"Afraid" is 2 minutes and 58 seconds long. It is a glitchy song that blends emo vocals with elements of cloud rap, electropop, and EDM. The track's production consists of skittering and glitchy synthesizers, emo melodies, a fast tempo, and a piano line during its chorus. Davy Reed of The Face compared the song to the duo the Hellp and described its drum pattern as "simple" and "danceable". Paolo Ragusa from Consequence said the track has a "restless energy", as well as "accessible flavorings and [a] rousing groove". Lyrically, the duo open up about their fears, the challenges of navigating fame, among other topics. Underneath their crooning exists pulsating bass. Elaina Bernstein for Hypebeast described their vocals as "atmospheric" and its production as "internet-era".


"Afraid" was ranked among the best songs of its release week by Consequence, The Face, Uproxx, and Hypebeast. Ragusa felt the song's variety of elements showcased that 2hollis and Sib are "firmly in their own lane" and that the duo's chemistry is showcased on the song. Reed said "you might just hear it in a strobe-lit arena one day". Bernstein called it a "classic 2hollis cut". For Triple J, Courtney Fry wrote that the song "subverts […] expectations of genres" and "will make you want to drop everything and send it". Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx said the song "is as glitchy as it is catchy". For HotNewHipHop, Cole Blake reported that the song received positive reception from fans under its music video on YouTube.


2hollis – songwriter, producer, mixing, vocals, bass, synthesizer, guitar, percussion drums
Nate Sib – songwriter, vocals
Mike Tucci – mastering


Africa, Op. 89, is a fantasia for piano and orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns. Composed in 1891 during a stay in Egypt, this concertante piece is marked by its mosaic-like structure and interplay of various themes, blending African musical elements with European compositional techniques.
Written during a period of personal grief following his mother's death, Saint-Saëns dedicated Africa to the pianist Marie-Aimée Roger-Miclos, to whom he had pledged a new composition. The work is held in a single movement and calls for outstanding technical virtuosity, agility, and a certain lightness of touch from the soloist, also reflecting Saint-Saëns's own formidable pianistic skill.
The premiere on 25 October 1891 was met with great acclaim, and subsequent performances took place around the globe, Saint-Saëns even considering it a signature work.


Following the loss of his mother in 1888, a devastated Camille Saint-Saëns contemplated suicide. Saint-Saëns had made a commitment to compose a new piece for pianist Marie-Aimée Roger-Miclos, and in a letter dated 20 September 1889 confessed to her to being struck by grief following his mother's death and unable to write a composition of any importance.
Battling his severe depression, Saint-Saëns sought solace in his favorite retreats, Egypt and Algeria. It was during this time that he found inspiration for Africa, a fantasia which draws heavily from North African influences. Saint-Saëns began the composition in March 1891 while he was in Cairo and completed it within a month, though continuing working on the orchestration in Algiers in June. The score was first published in Paris by his longtime publisher Auguste Durand: in October 1891, an arrangement for two pianos was the first to be published, orchestral parts were prepared in November, the piano solo version was completed in December, and the orchestral score appeared in February 1892. In a letter to Durand, Saint-Saëns described the work as a derivative of the Suite algérienne, Op. 60, and expressed his hope that it might overshadow his Rhapsodie d'Auvergne, Op. 73, as it was "more developed".
Despite Saint-Saëns's apprehensions about the piece's performance challenges, Roger-Miclos enthusiastically took on the work, expressing her confidence in her ability to master it. The premiere was held on 25 October 1891 at the Concerts du Châtelet in Paris, performed by Roger-Miclos and conducted by Édouard Colonne. Subsequent performances took place throughout Europe and in the United States, often with Saint-Saëns himself at the piano.


Africa features various African musical elements that are incorporated into a European compositional framework. Parts of the piece are written in what is likely the nawâthar mode, a musical scale frequently used in Egyptian music:


According to musicologist Jann Pasler, the work can be divided into four parts and contains several distinct themes, which he tags as "A" through "I." The themes display a range of moods and textures and create the mosaic-like structure of a fantasia. They vary from aggressive (E and G), which are to be played marcato and fortissimo, to more folk-like and dance-like themes (H and I) that evoke a contrast with the more assertive themes. The succession of themes also recalls Arabic Nuba, a North African multi-movement music form. The piano and orchestra often alternate their articulation of the theme or its fragments, creating a varied sonic landscape.


Africa begins with an interpretation of a tune heard by Saint-Saëns in Biskra (Theme A), a gateway settlement to the Sahara Desert. The theme, which is based on the musical traditions of the Chaoui people, begins with the oboe repeatedly emphasizing E, and then evolves into syncopated rhythmic patterns that play on the offbeats, creating a sense of instability.


After developing into a lengthy piano cadenza ad libitum, Saint-Saëns modulates to a different key and creates Western counterpoint between the piano and other instruments. He then introduces Theme B (Andante espressivo) in E♭ major, characterized by its folk-like tonal melody. It is performed slower and is more lyrical, offering a stark contrast in tempo, mood and character compared to the rest of the piece. The simplicity of the harmonic progression (I–I7–I, I–III–I, and III–III7-I) suggests that Saint-Saëns sought to emphasize its compatibility with Western music.


Rhythmic ostinati are also introduced to portray African rhythms in the composition. In the Meno allegretto section, a rhythmic motif (Theme C) presents a structure over which Saint-Saëns expresses himself freely with rapid octave descents and arpeggios.


Theme D is distinguished by its dance-like melody, the melismas of the oboe's high A, and the rhythmic ostinato on weak beats in the low register. These four themes give rise to a quasi-closed rondo structure (ABACDA) in the first part of the music.


With the second part of the piece, the focus shifts to the more aggressive themes E and G. These motifs are intended to be performed marcato and fortissimo, and particularly Theme E governs this section. Theme E utilizes the Arabic scale Maia (D♭, E♭, F, A♭, B♭, C) and oscillates around D♭, generating an assertive, aggressive atmosphere. However, this aggressiveness eventually dissipates as it modulates to G major and transforms into a variant, E', marked leggiero e tranquillo, before vanishing into chromatic arabesques and a long chromatic scale.


Theme F is a complex motif primarily consisting of triplet sixteenth notes in G major, alluding to a "swarm of drunken wasps". Theme F also serves to prepare the assertive theme G.


The third part forms a second rondo-like arch. With its binary, well-balanced rhythms, Theme G has a bombastic quality that makes it easy to remember. Like theme E, G becomes more lyrical later in G'. Theme A returns and is momentarily superimposed on themes E and G.


The third part also introduces Themes H and I, which pass quickly but add a folk-like quality to the overall atmosphere. These motifs bring a sense of playfulness and tranquility amidst the aggressive musical elements. Theme H is developed almost as if by Bach, evoking a dance:


Theme I is played only in the orchestra and turns in place within a fourth, with a bare tremoli accompaniment and a simple repeating rhythm in the low bass.


In the final part, Saint-Saëns explores the virtuosic capabilities of the piano once more, accentuating light and nimble playing. The section opens with an Animato, characterized by rapid sixteenth notes played in oscillating octaves, high on the piano, and fortissimo. As this initial intensity subsides, the aggressive Theme G is reintroduced in the bass, delivered marcato. Themes A can then be heard beneath G, followed by Theme E in thick chords. This forceful progression of Themes A, E, and G is momentarily offset by a softer return of the lighter Theme F, played leggierissimo in thirds. The piece concludes with a rapid return of the aggressive motifs A, E, and G, followed by the lighter motif F, and finally ends with seven percussive G-major chords.


Africa is scored for solo piano and an orchestra consisting of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, timpani, triangle, cymbals, and strings. Saint-Saëns also made arrangements of the piece for two pianos and for piano solo.
The piano part is highly virtuosic and demands technical brilliance and agility from the performer. The piece features rapid passages, intricate cross-rhythms, and extensive use of the entire range of the piano. Saint-Saëns, who was an exceptional pianist himself, clearly wrote the piece to show off the talents of the pianist. The varying timbres, textures, and tempi also demonstrate the piece's virtuosity; in correspondence, Saint-Saëns has also highlighted the "lightness" and "suppleness" required to play Africa.


Africa's premiere was a triumph for Saint-Saëns. A reviewer for the journal L'Art musical praised the composition for its "exquisite finesse", its "captivating and stylish finish", and its "truly ingenious details in the orchestration". Africa was performed around the world, including Cambridge (1893), London (1913), Rio de Janeiro (1903), and New York (1906). In much of his correspondence during this period, Saint-Saëns frequently expressed his satisfaction with the piece and its performances, proclaiming that Africa "fits me like a glove, I play it effortlessly, without worry". When Africa was played in April 1893 in Algeria, the audience called for an encore. Despite the piece's African influences, an Algerian critic nonetheless deemed it quintessentially French.
In 1901, a reviewer for the journal Le Ménestrel also praised Marie-Aimée Roger-Miclos, the dedicatee, for her performance of the work, highlighting "her delicate and light hands" in the finale, "pianissimos of an exquisite velvety-softness," and "elements kept in the shadows needed for preserving the quasi-dreamlike, even veiled character of certain Moorish songs."
In Germany, where Saint-Saëns had not been for many years, Africa was less well received, perhaps also due to political resentments. Following a performance in Berlin in October 1906, which also included the fifth piano concerto (The Egyptian), Ernst Eduard Taubert wrote in Die Musik: "These African-Arabian motives, this geographical music, delivered especially in such large doses, really are of less interest to the public who attend these concerts." Likewise, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung reported that Saint-Saëns performed his works "in the most consummate manner imaginable under his masterful hands" but that did not make them "any more interesting."
Alfred Cortot wrote of Africa: "One might be tempted to see this piece as a less picturesque and less flavorful response to certain passages of the Egyptian Concerto, perhaps precisely because it leans toward a more active virtuosity. There's a similar attention to outward appearances in the choice of themes, which are oriental only in a derivative sense; a matching melodic contour that even extends to using a motif common to both pieces; and a similarity in the timbral relationships between the piano and the orchestra."


Africa is among the first compositions that were recorded featuring its composer as the soloist; a 78 rpm recording made on 26 June 1904, where Saint-Saëns improvises on the work's cadenza, gives an idea of his pianistic technique.
Recordings of the work include:


"After Midnight" is a song by the American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan from her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). It became available as the album's third track on September 22, 2023, when it was released by Island and Amusement Records. Roan wrote "After Midnight" with Casey Smith and the song's producer, Dan Nigro. It is a pop, disco, neo-disco, dance, and funk track with lyrics about nightlife and Roan's experience with bisexuality.
Some music critics praised "After Midnight" as catchy and for its sexually provocative lyrics, while others considered it unremarkable. Commercially, it reached number 22 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in the United States, where it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Roan included the song in the set lists of her second concert tour, the Midwest Princess Tour (2023–2024), and Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour in 2024. She performed it at several music festivals throughout 2024.


Chappell Roan left her hometown in Willard, Missouri, and moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue a career as a singer; she met the producer Dan Nigro there and they started collaborating by the end of 2020. In 2023, he launched his Island Records imprint, Amusement Records, and signed her as the first artist on the label. Nigro produced every track on Roan's debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess; it was inspired by her life in both the Western United States and the Midwestern United States. "After Midnight" is the third track on the album, which was released on September 22, 2023. In the United States, the song reached number 22 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart dated August 24, 2024. "After Midnight" received gold certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America and the Australian Recording Industry Association. In March 2025, the Official Charts Company revealed that it was Roan's tenth-biggest song in the United Kingdom based on streams and digital downloads.


Roan wrote "After Midnight" with Nigro and Casey Smith; the former two contributed background vocals. Nigro recorded the track at Amusement Studios in Los Angeles, assisted by Austen Healey. Serban Ghenea provided audio mixing, while Bryce Bordone worked as the mixing engineer. "After Midnight" was mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in Edgewater, New Jersey. Nigro additionally provided drum programming and played guitar, keyboards, percussion, and synthesizers. Musicians who played instruments include Sterling Laws (drums) and Jared Solomon (bass guitar).


"After Midnight" is 3 minutes and 24 seconds long. It is a sensual disco, neo-disco, dance, funk, and pop song, where Roan sings in the whistle register. The track incorporates subtle synths and gentle piano. Roan was inspired to write "After Midnight" after moving to Los Angeles at the age of eighteen and realizing that "everything good happens after midnight", which opposes her father's saying: "Nothing good happens after midnight". The song explores themes of sexuality, desire, nightlife, bar fights, and being a "freak in the club".
The lyrics explore Roan's experience with bisexuality; she sings in the refrain, "I kinda wanna kiss your girlfriend if you don't mind", before changing the lyrics later in the song to "I kinda wanna kiss your boyfriend if you don't mind". The first verse mentions her internalized shame regarding her sexuality during her adolescence ("My mama said, 'Nothing good happens/ When it's late and you're dancing alone'/ She's in my head saying, 'It's not attractive/ Wearing that dress and red lipstick'"). In the pre-chorus, she expresses her freedom and comfort with her sexuality, despite her family's thoughts on it ("This is what I wanted/ This is what I like/ I've been a good, good girl for a long time/ But baby, I like flirting/ A lover by my side").


Music critics praised "After Midnight" for its memorable tune and sexually-charged lyrics. Adam Maidment of the Manchester Evening News described it as a "chant-worthy anthem", and Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic praised the song as catchy for its funky production and heavy use of synthesizers. Eric Bennett of Paste considered it one of the tracks that emphasize Roan's brilliance while delivering sexually suggestive lyrics, and Elise Shafer of Variety similarly highlighted the sexually provocative lyrics. Screen Rant's Lacey Cohen praised "After Midnight" as "catchy, with a steady drum beat and fun lyrics", and listed it at number eleven in a ranking of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess's fourteen tracks. In February 2025, Gigwise's Casey Monroe and Collider's Ryan Louis Mantilla both deemed it one of Roan's best songs. In a less enthusiastic review, Olivia Horn of Pitchfork considered "After Midnight" unremarkable, but appreciated Roan's whistle tones as "lovely". Hannah Dobrogosz from BuzzFeed dubbed it "flirty, fun, energetic, freaky, and cheeky", although she did not personally connect with the song; she placed it last in her ranking of the album's tracks.


Roan included "After Midnight" in the set list of her second headlining concert tour, the Midwest Princess Tour (2023–2024). She performed it as part of her set list for Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour in 2024, where she served as an opening act. She additionally played the track at several music festivals throughout 2024, including Boston Calling, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits.


Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.


After the Rain: A Hopeful Christmas is a Christmas benefit concert television special by Filipino recording artist Regine Velasquez. It originally aired on December 13, 2009, in the Philippines on GMA Network. The charity event was organized by the GMA Kapuso Foundation to raise money, relief, and awareness in response to the loss of life and human suffering that resulted from Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy). It was directed by Louie Ignacio and executive-produced by Wilma V. Galvante and Joseph Paolo Luciano. The special was performed to a live audience of more than 800 typhoon victims, who were also among the aid recipients.
The program was interspersed with various interviews that showcased stories of grief, heroism, and overcoming adversities following the natural disaster. These were accompanied by tribute numbers, which included popular holiday standards. After the Rain featured performances by guest musicians, including Pops Fernandez, Kuh Ledesma, Jaya, Kyla, Jay R, and La Diva. Various celebrities also appeared and made commentaries in the special.


In September 2009, Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) became the most devastating tropical cyclone to hit Manila. During the 2009 Pacific typhoon season, a state of calamity was declared by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, encompassing most of Luzon. Ondoy caused widespread flash flooding and power interruptions in the nearby cities and provinces. It resulted in 464 fatalities and caused infrastructure and agriculture damage estimated at ₱11 billion. Approximately 244 evacuation centers sheltered 70,124 people who had become displaced.
Initial plans for a Christmas benefit concert television special were announced by GMA Network on November 10, 2009, two months in the aftermath of Ondoy. Entitled After the Rain: A Hopeful Christmas, the two-hour musical documentary featured Regine Velasquez and aired on December 13, 2009; it was described as an "homage to the Filipino spirit that has remained resilient despite the seemingly unending odds". It featured performances to a live audience of more than 800 typhoon victims, who were treated to a dinner party before the event and later received aid packages. After the Rain was spliced with a series of interviews that showcased grief, heroism, and overcoming adversities after the typhoon struck. The singer collaborated with various musicians and special guests for the special. During a press conference for the program, Velasquez commented:


The purpose of this concert is to uplift their spirit a little bit. It's very important. Because right now, some people may think, the typhoon is already over, [it's been] how many months ... they still [need help] ... I think one of the reasons why GMA did this is, we wanted them to feel a little bit happy, and make them forget whatever problems they are going through.
GMA and its social program and outreach division, the GMA Kapuso Foundation, organized the production. Joseph Paolo Luciano served as executive producer, while Louie Ignacio directed it. Darling de Jesus was the supervising producer, with Paul Chia and MeAnn Regala as associate producers. Juel Balbon was in charge of floor production and Grace Toralde as head editor. Bang Arespacochaga was the program manager and Wilma V. Galvante was in charge of the executive production. Raul Mitra was chosen as the musical director. Guest performers included Pops Fernandez, Kuh Ledesma, Jaya, Kyla, Jay R, and La Diva. Various actors and other celebrities made commentaries, such as Dingdong Dantes, Richard Gutierrez, Marian Rivera, Mel Tiangco, and Mike Enriquez.


The special featured three stories documented through a series of video presentations and interviews. The first, showcased a couple who carried on with their wedding plans amidst heavy rainfall and significant flooding. In the second feature, it focused on a father who lost his wife and kids as a result of drowning. The final story centers around the rescue of residents from an orphanage, the House of Refuge, which suffered heavy flooding due to levee breach.
Velasquez performed eleven production numbers, which included a collection of classic Christmas songs. She opened the program with a medley of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and "Silent Night" backed by the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus. The featured stories were spliced with accompanying musical numbers where Velasquez was joined by guest performers. These numbers included Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which was mashed with the Wonder Girls's "Nobody", the show tune "Home" from the 1974 Broadway musical The Wiz, and Twila Paris's "The Warrior Is a Child". She also sang the Filipino holiday standards "Tuloy Na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko" and "Kumukutikutitap". "Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?" was performed with Eva Castillo and Kyla, while Tyler Collins's "Thanks to You" was a duet number with Jay R. Velasquez and La Diva did a rendition of Barry Manilow's "I Made It Through the Rain". The show closed with a performance of the gospel song "Light of a Million Mornings".


"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" / "Silent Night"
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" / "Nobody"
"Home"
"The Warrior Is a Child"
"Tuloy Na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko"
"Kumukutikutitap"
"Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?"
"Thanks to You"
"I Made It Through the Rain"
"Light of a Million Mornings"


Credits adapted from the special itself.
Band members


The Agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan respecting the District of Zanghezour was a peace agreement between the short-lived Armenian and Azerbaijani republics signed on 23 November 1919 in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi) and brokered by Georgia. The peace treaty came as a result of an unsuccessful Azerbaijani military campaign to absorb the Armenian-controlled Zangezur region, with the aim of forming a link with the Azerbaijani-controlled Nakhichevan. Despite the peace agreement, Azerbaijan in March 1920 again moved its forces westward to attempt to capture Zangezur, however, was stopped due to an Armenian rebellion in Nagorno–Karabakh and the country's sovietisation in April.


In 1918, following the collapse of Russian authority in the South Caucasus (due to the events of the Russian Revolution) and after the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire (which occupied parts of the Russian Caucasus), the newly established Armenian and Azerbaijani republics engaged in a two-year war over their territorial ambitions. The disputed regions were principally Nakhchivan, Zangezur, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
During the Ottoman army's invasion of the South Caucasus in 1918, Nakhchivan was occupied and its Armenian population expelled or massacred in an extension of the Armenian genocide. Following the Ottoman withdrawal from the region, the local Muslim-dominated Republic of Aras was established and existed until its capitulation to Armenian–British forces in May 1919; Nakhchivan was then incorporated into Armenia, which briefly allowed for the repatriation of expelled Armenians. After two months of Armenian governance, the region fell again to local control during the Muslim uprisings against Armenian rule in July 1919, not being regained by Armenia until July 1920. During the 1919 uprising in Nakhchivan, a further 10,000 Armenians were massacred and 45 of their villages were razed by local Muslims. Following the conclusion of the Turkish–Armenian War, Nakhchivan became a protectorate of Soviet Azerbaijan, namely, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
Zangezur was under the control of a local Armenian council in 1918 which successfully resisted Azerbaijani–Ottoman, and later Azerbaijani–British incursions until its incorporation into Armenia in 1919. In late 1919, Azerbaijan launched an attack on Zangezur, but failed to capture the region.
Nagorno-Karabakh, similarly to Zangezur, was self-governed by its Armenian population since the collapse of Russian authority, however, its key city of Shusha was occupied by Azerbaijani–Ottoman forces in late 1918. After the Ottoman withdrawal from the South Caucasus, the British under the command of General Thomson supplanted their forces in the region and in temporarily assigning Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan helped subjugate the local Armenian council to assent to Azerbaijani authority pending the result of the Paris Peace Conference.


From 1918, Armenian partisan commanders Andranik Ozanian and Garegin Nzhdeh brought about a "re-Armenianization" of Zangezur through the expulsion of tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis, and destruction of tens of villages. These factors, coupled with the restrictions imposed by local Armenians on Muslim shepherds taking their flocks into Zangezur, served as the casus belli for Azerbaijan's campaign against Zangezur in late 1919.
Following the British withdrawal from the South Caucasus, the Azerbaijani Army and Kurdish militias led by the brother of the Governor-General of Karabakh, Sultan bey Sultanov launched a campaign to capture Zangezur on the dawn of 4 November 1919, confident in their success after subjugating the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Mughan Soviet Republic. Despite meeting success on all fronts and routing local forces, the Azerbaijanis suffered heavy casualties and retreated on 9 November.


In Tiflis on 23 November 1919, prime minister Alexander Khatisian of Armenia and prime minister Nasib bey Yusifbeyli of Azerbaijan under combined British and American diplomatic pressure signed a peace treaty under the auspices of foreign minister Evgeni Gegechkori of Georgia and Colonel James Rhea of the United States. UCLA historian Richard G. Hovannisian describes the agreement as "basically a declaration of intent". The terms the two states agreed to were as follow:


That the government of Armenia and Azerbaijan pledge themselves to stop the present hostilities and not resort to force of arms.
That the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to take effective measures for repairing and re-opening, for peaceful traffic, the roads leading into Zangezur.
That the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan pledge themselves to settle all controversies, including boundaries, by means of peaceful agreements pending the decisions of the conference convened in the following paragraph. In case this is not possible, then to select a neutral party as arbiter, whose decisions, both governments agree to abide by, said neutral party for the present being col. James C. Rhea, U.S. Army.
That the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan pledge themselves to immediately appoint an equal number of delegates to meet in conference in Baku on Wednesday, 26 November, and to sojourn to Tiflis on 4 December, where the meetings of the conference will discuss all questions which are the cause of dispute or friction between the two Governments and will have full authority to settle all such questions by agreement or arbitration.
That this agreement becomes effective on the date of signing and becomes permanent when ratified by the parliaments of the two governments, and the prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan hereby bind their respective governments to faithfully support and carry out all the details of the above agreement, in evidence of which they place their respective signatures to this agreement, ...


After signing the agreement, Azerbaijan withdrew its forces from Zangezur – despite the deescalation, Azerbaijan alleged that the Armenian army was plundering and destroying Muslim villages in the region through the use of artillery. From 11–12 March 1920, Azerbaijan dispatched ninety railway trucks of soldiers from Baku in preparation for another attack against Zangezur; according to Armenian military officials in the region, "there was hard evidence in hand that Azerbaijan intended to move against Zangezur on March 25".
In March 1920, days before the second attack was to occur, the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh rebelled against provisional Azerbaijani rule with Armenian support. The rebellion was unsuccessful and led to the destruction of the Armenian quarter of Shusha by Azerbaijani soldiers—by April, Armenian forces were in control of the countryside, though were eventually ousted from the region by the Red Army. In 1921, the region was set to become an autonomy within Soviet Azerbaijan.
In 1920, the region was invaded by units of the Red Army who sought to establish a link with the Turkish Nationalists after Sovietising Azerbaijan, however, were mostly repelled; effectively, this made the agreement moot as it eliminated Azerbaijan's independence. In early 1921, shortly after Armenia had been sovietised, an anti-Soviet revolt spread to Zangezur and remained active until July of that year when the rebels fled to neighbouring Iran after receiving assurances that the region "would become a permanent part of Soviet Armenia."


Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar al-Juʿfī (Arabic: أبو عبد ﷲ المفضل بن عمر الجعفي), died before 799, was an early Shi'i leader and the purported author of a number of religious and philosophical writings. A contemporary of the Imams Ja'far al-Sadiq (c. 700–765) and Musa al-Kazim (745–799), he belonged to those circles in Kufa whom later Twelver Shi'i authors would call ghulāt ('exaggerators') for their 'exaggerated' veneration of the Imams.
As a money-changer, al-Mufaddal wielded considerable financial and political power. He was likely also responsible for managing the financial affairs of the Imams in Medina. For a time he was a follower of the famous ghulāt leader Abu al-Khattab (died 755–6), who had claimed that the Imams were divine. Early Imami heresiographers and Nusayri sources regard al-Mufaddal as a staunch supporter of Abu al-Khattab's ideas who later spawned his own ghulāt movement (the Mufaḍḍaliyya). However, Twelver Shi'i sources instead report that after Ja'far al-Sadiq's repudiated Abu al-Khattab in 748, al-Mufaddal broke with Abu al-Khattab and became a trusted companion of Ja'far's son Musa al-Kazim.
A number of writings—collectively known as the Mufaddal Tradition—have been attributed to al-Mufaddal, most of which are still extant. They were likely falsely attributed to al-Mufaddal by later 9th–11th-century authors. As one of the closest confidants of Ja'far al-Sadiq, al-Mufaddal was an attractive figure for authors of various Shi'i persuasions: by attributing their own ideas to him they could invest these ideas with the authority of the Imam. The writings attributed to al-Mufaddal are very different in nature and scope, but Ja'far al-Sadiq is the main speaker in most of them.
A major part of the extant writings attributed to al-Mufaddal originated among the ghulāt, an early branch of Shi'i Islam. A recurring theme in these texts is the myth of the world's creation through the fall from grace of pre-existent "shadows" or human souls, whom God punished for their disobedience by concealing himself from them and by casting them down into the seven heavens. The Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla (Book of the Seven and the Shadows, 8th to 11th centuries) develops the theme of seven primordial Adams who rule over the seven heavens and initiate the seven historical world cycles. The Kitāb al-Ṣirāṭ (Book of the Path, written c. 874–941) describes an initiatory "path" leading believers back through the seven heavens towards God. Those who grow in religious devotion and knowledge climb upwards on the chain of being, but others are reborn into human bodies, while unbelievers travel downwards and reincarnate into animal, vegetable, or mineral bodies. Those who reach the seventh heaven and attain the rank of Bāb ("Gate") enjoy a beatific vision of God and share the divine power to manifest themselves in the world of matter.
Among the extant non-ghulāt texts attributed to al-Mufaddal, most of which were preserved in the Twelver Shi'i tradition, two treatises stand out for their philosophical content. These are the Tawḥīd al-Mufaḍḍal (al-Mufaddal's Tawhid) and the Kitāb al-Ihlīlaja (Book of the Myrobalan Fruit), both of which feature Ja'far al-Sadiq presenting al-Mufaddal with a proof for the existence of God. The teleological argument used in the Tawḥīd al-Mufaḍḍal is inspired by Syriac Christian literature (especially commentaries on the Hexameron), and ultimately goes back to Hellenistic models such as pseudo-Aristotle's De mundo (3rd/2nd century BCE) and Stoic theology as recorded in Cicero's (106–43 BCE) De natura deorum. The dialectical style of the Kitāb al-Ihlīlaja is more typical of early Muslim speculative theology (kalām), and the work may originally have been authored by the 8th-century scribe Muhammad ibn Layth. Both works may be regarded as part of an attempt to rehabilitate al-Mufaddal as a reliable transmitter of hadiths in the Twelver Shi'i tradition.


Al-Mufaddal was a non-Arab mawlā ("client") of the Ju'fa, a tribe belonging to the South-Arabian Madhhij confederation. Apart from the fact that he was a money-changer based in Kufa (Iraq), very little is known about his life. He probably managed the financial affairs of the Shi'ite Imams Ja'far al-Sadiq (c. 700–765) and Musa al-Kazim (745–799), who resided in Medina (Arabia). Using his professional network, he actively raised funds for the Imams in Medina, thus also playing an important role as an intermediary between the Imams and the Shi'ite community. His date of death is unknown, but he died before Musa al-Kazim, who died in 799.
At some point during his life, al-Mufaddal's relations with Ja'far al-Sadiq soured because of his adherence to the teachings of the Kufan ghulāt leader Abu al-Khattab (died 755–6). Abu al-Khattab had been a designated spokesman of Ja'far, but in c. 748 he was excommunicated by the Imam for his 'extremist' or 'exaggerated' (ghulāt) ideas, particularly for having declared Ja'far to be divine. However, al-Mufaddal later recanted and cut of all contact with the Khaṭṭabiyya (the followers of Abu al-Khattab), leading to a reconciliation with Ja'far.
This episode was understood in widely different ways by later Shi'i authors. On the one hand, early Imami (i.e., proto-Twelver Shi'i) heresiographers report the existence of a ghulāt sect named after him, the Mufaḍḍaliyya, who would have declared Ja'far to be God and al-Mufaddal his prophet or Imam. It is not certain whether the Mufaḍḍaliyya really ever existed, and if they did, whether they really held the doctrines attributed to them by the heresiographers. Nevertheless, al-Mufaddal was also highly regarded by the members of other ghulāt sects such as the Mukhammisa, and several of the writings attributed to him contain ghulāt ideas. He was even accused in some hadith reports of having tried to contaminate Ja'far's eldest son Isma'il with the ideas of Abu al-Khattab. In addition, most works attributed to al-Mufaddal were preserved by the Nusayris, a ghulāt sect that survives to this day and that sometimes regarded al-Mufaddal as a Bāb (an official deputy of the Imam and a "gateway" to his secret knowledge).
On the other hand, later Twelver Shi'i sources often insist that al-Mufaddal never gave in to heresy, and they often emphasize that it was al-Mufaddal who was appointed by Ja'far to lead the Khaṭṭabiyya back to the right path. Some of the works attributed to al-Mufaddal, like the Kitab al-Ihlīlaja and the Tawḥīd al-Mufaḍḍal, explicitly refute those who would deny the exclusive oneness (tawḥīd) of God. These works may have been written in order to rehabilitate al-Mufaddal within the Twelver tradition and to prove his reliability as a hadith transmitter. But even among Twelver scholars there was dissension. For example, while al-Shaykh al-Mufid (c. 948–1022) praised al-Mufaddal as a learned person and a trustworthy companion of the Imams, al-Najashi (c. 982–1058) and Ibn al-Ghada'iri (fl. first half of the 11th century) denounced him as an unbelieving heretic.


The Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla (Book of the Seven and the Shadows), also known as Kitāb al-Haft al-sharīf (Noble Book of the Seven) or simply as Kitāb al-Haft (Book of the Seven), 8th–11th centuries, is perhaps the most important work attributed to al-Mufaddal. It sets out in great detail the ghulāt myth of the pre-existent "shadows" (Arabic: aẓilla) whose fall from grace led to the creation of the material world. This theme of pre-existent shadows seems to have been typical of the 8th-century Kufan ghulāt: also appearing in other early ghulāt works such as the Umm al-kitāb, it may ultimately go back to Abd Allah ibn Harb (d. after 748).
Great emphasis is placed throughout the work on the need to keep the knowledge received from Ja'far al-Sadiq, who is referred to as mawlānā ("our lord"), from falling into the wrong hands. This secret knowledge is entrusted by Ja'far to al-Mufaddal, but is reserved only for true believers (muʾminūn). It involves notions such as the transmigration of souls (tanāsukh or metempsychosis) and the idea that seven Adams exist in the seven heavens, each one of them presiding over one of the seven historical world cycles. This latter idea may reflect an influence from Isma'ilism, where the appearance of each new prophet (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Muhammad ibn Isma'il) is likewise thought to initiate a new world cycle.
A central element of the Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla is the creation myth involving pre-existent "shadows", which also occurs in many other ghulāt works with slightly different details. According to this myth, the first created beings were human souls who initially dwelt in the presence of God in the form of shadows. When the shadows disobeyed God, he created a veil (ḥijāb) in which he concealed himself as a punishment. Then God created the seven heavens as a dwelling place for the disobedient souls, according to their sin. In each of the heavens God also created bodies from his own light for the souls who arrived there, and from the souls' disobedience he created the Devil. Finally, from the offspring of the Devil God created the bodies of animals and various other sublunary entities (masūkhiyya).


The Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla consists of at least eleven different textual layers which were added over time, each of them containing slightly different versions of ghulāt concepts and ideas. The earliest layers were written in 8th/9th-century Kufa, perhaps partly by al-Mufaddal himself, or by his close associates Yunus ibn Zabyan and Muhammad ibn Sinan (died 835). A possible indication for this is the fact that Muhammad ibn Sinan also wrote two works dealing with the theme of pre-existent shadows: the Kitāb al-Aẓilla (Book of the Shadows) and the Kitāb al-Anwār wa-ḥujub (Book of the Lights and the Veils). Shi'i bibliographical sources also list several other 8th/9th-century Kufan authors who wrote a Kitāb al-Aẓilla or Book of the Shadows. In total, at least three works closely related to al-Mufaddal's Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla are extant, all likely dating to the 8th or 9th century:


Muhammad ibn Sinan's Kitāb al-Anwār wa-ḥujub (Book of the Lights and the Veils)
an anonymous work called the Kitāb al-Ashbāh wa-l-aẓilla (Book of the Apparitions and the Shadows)
another anonymous work also called the Kitāb al-Aẓilla (Book of the Shadows).
Though originating in the milieus of the early Kufan ghulāt, the Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla was considerably expanded by members of a later ghulāt sect called the Nusayris (now called the Alawites), who were active in 10th-century Syria. The Nusayris were probably also responsible for the work's final 11th-century form. However, the Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla was not preserved by the Nusayris, but by the Syrian Nizari Isma'ilis. Like the Umm al-kitāb, another ghulāt work that was transmitted by the Nizari Isma'ilis of Central Asia, it contains ideas which –despite being largely unrelated to Isma'ili doctrine– influenced various later Isma'ili authors starting from the 10th century.


The Kitāb al-Ṣirāṭ (Book of the Path) is another purported dialogue between al-Mufaddal and Ja'far al-Sadiq, likely composed in the period between the Minor and the Major Occultation (874–941). This work deals with the concept of an initiatory "path" (Arabic: ṣirāṭ) leading the adept on a heavenly ascent towards God, with each of the seven heavens corresponding to one of seven degrees of spiritual perfection. It also contains references to typical ghulāt ideas like tajallin (the manifestation of God in human form), tanāsukh (metempsychosis or transmigration of the soul), maskh/raskh (metamorphosis or reincarnation into non-human forms), and the concept of creation through the fall from grace of pre-existent beings (as in the Kitāb al-Haft wa-l-aẓilla, see above).
The philosophical background of the work is given by the late antique concept of a great chain of being linking all things together in one great cosmic hierarchy. This hierarchical system extends from the upper world of spirit and light (populated by angels and other pure souls) to the lower world of matter and darkness (populated by humans, and below them animals, plants and minerals). Humanity is perceived as taking a middle position in this hierarchy, being located at the top of the world of darkness and at the bottom of the world of light. Those human beings who lack the proper religious knowledge and belief are reborn into other human bodies, which are likened to 'shirts' (qumṣān, sing. qamīṣ) that a soul can put on and off again. This is called tanāsukh or naskh. But grave sinners are reborn instead into animal bodies (maskh), and the worst offenders are reborn into the bodies of plants or minerals (raskh). On the other hand, those believers who perform good works and advance in knowledge also travel upwards on the ladder, putting on ever more pure and luminous 'shirts' or bodies, ultimately reaching the realm of the divine. This upwards path is represented as consisting of seven stages above that of humanity, each located in one of the seven heavens: