That's all from BBC Africa Live today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

A reminder of today's wise words:

Click here to send your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this still from Krotoa, a film telling the story of a Khoi girl in 17th Century South Africa, which has won its ninth international award - this time for Best Narrative Feature at the Montreal International Black Film Festival:

Image source, Penguin Films

Tamasin Ford
BBC Africa, Monrovia

Image source, AFP

The only word on voters’ lips in Liberia's capital Monrovia is peace.

Schoolteacher Christine Urey, 42, queued in the sun at the Lutheran church in the Sinkor area of the city and said: "We are all just happy there is no violence."

There are thousands of election observers across the country as people vote in the third election since the end of a 14-year civil war in 2003.

Kadiatu Kamara, of the Manu River Union Peace Network, told me that keeping the peace is paramount because if "Liberia sneezes, the whole region catches a cold".

Image source, Tamasin Ford

This election could be the first peaceful handover of power in more than 70 years. As President Ellen Johson Sirleaf voted in Bomi County, two hours north of the capital, she said Liberia was ready for this transition of power.

The National Election Commission (NEC) held a press conference this afternoon and said so far there had been no reports of violence.

Officials admitted the process had been disorganised and there were delays in getting ballot boxes to polling stations in some areas because of the rain and bad roads.

But they said turn out was expected to be high.

Ms Sirleaf is stepping down at the end of her two terms, and 20 candidates are in the race to succeed her.

Ex-football star George Weah and Vice-President Joseph Boakai are the main contenders.

See earlier post for more details

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

A Somali man has been sentenced to life in prison in Italy for murdering and torturing dozens of migrants in Libya.

Osman Matammud, 22, was arrested last year after being recognised by chance in Milan.

Witnesses said he had beaten people to death and let others die from a lack of food and water.

Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa often spend time in camps in Libya while waiting for relatives to pay more money to traffickers who take them on to Europe.

Image source, AFP

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool football club forward Sadio Mané could be out for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty with Senegal.

Mané, 25, was substituted in the 89th minute of a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Cape Verde on Saturday.

He is set to miss Premier League games against Manchester United and Tottenham and both Champions League group fixtures against Maribor.

Mané has scored three goals in five league appearances so far this season.

Senegal, who are top of their World Cup qualifying group, face two crucial games against South Africa on 10 and 14 November, which Mane is also likely to miss.

Read the full BBC Sport story here.

Jose Tembe
BBC Africa, Maputo

Mozambique has announced new measures to tackle the sale of contraband fuel, which it says costs the economy about $600m (£455m) every year.

Tax Authority Chairwoman Amelia Nakhar says a contract will be finalised by the end of this month to label all petroleum products, "distinguishing which are for internal consumption and which are in transit to neighbouring countries".

Natural resources account for a significant amount of Mozambique's gross domestic product, and the discovery of gas fields off Mozambique's coast in 2011 is set to transform the economy of one of Africa's poorest nations.

Image source, AFP

Dickens Olewe
BBC Africa

Image source, Reuters

Veteran Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga's decision to withdraw from the 26 October presidential election re-run could be a strategy on his part to exit the political scene on his own terms.

The annulment of President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory in the 8 August election was a much-needed political high for Mr Odinga.

He felt vindicated for challenging the election and pushed for changes to the electoral system as a condition for his participation in the re-run.

The electoral commission has rejected the changes he demanded, largely because of contractual agreements with the companies providing key services for the election.

With President Kenyatta's party having won a majority of MPs in both houses of parliament, it is likely that Mr Odinga was headed for another defeat.

That would be too much for a man who has been nicknamed "the enigma".

The legal consequences of Mr Odinga's withdrawal are unclear.

Constitutional lawyers disagree on the way forward and whether the 26 October election can still take place and if, despite his withdrawal, Mr Odinga will still be on the ballot.

Although many Kenyans are jaded by the never-ending political drama, they will now have to belt-up for a drive further into uncharted territory.

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia will devalue its currency, the Birr, by 15% from tomorrow in a bid to boost exports, the central bank is quoted by the state-linked Fana Broadcasting Corporate news site as saying.

Income from exports had fallen in recent years because of low global commodities prices, contributing to a shortage of foreign exchange, AFP news agency reports.

London-based Capital Economics researcher John Ashbourne told the agency that the devaluation would raise the costs of key imports like fuel and machinery, but would give agricultural exports - including coffee and cut flowers - an edge over East African competitors like Kenya.

Some Kenya election watchers see Raila Odinga's decision to boycott this month's re-run of the presidential vote as a gamble:

Opposition supporters are praising Mr Odinga's guile:

While others say it shows a lack of wisdom:

And a Kenyan taxi driver uses recent political events to put a curious passenger in his place:

Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has entered into crisis talks with its lawyers to discuss opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) leader Raila Odinga's decision to boycott the 26 October presidential election re-run.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta was in buoyant mood at an election campaign rally in the southern town of Voi earlier today.

Reuters news agency quotes him as saying:

Image source, EPA

Image source, Issa Abdul

Kenya is in an unprecedented situation - a presidential vote annulled by the Supreme Court in August over irregularities, a re-run ordered for October, and now that vote is being boycotted by the opposition.

Constitutional lawyer Nelson Havi has been spelling out likely scenarios:

The electoral commission declared President Uhuru Kenyatta the winner the August poll, with 54% of the vote to the 45% of his main rival, Raila Odinga.

The opposition candidate successfully challenged the result in court.

Read: Kenya heading for constitutional crisis

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta says that the 26 October election re-run will go ahead.

He was speaking at rally in the coastal city of Mombasa.

Opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga has announced that he will boycott the poll.

Mr Kenyatta is running for a second term.

Photos of him on the campaign trail has been posted on his Twitter account:

Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says it has taken the necessary steps to guarantee a credible presidential election re-run.

Soon after the opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) announced that it was pulling out of the 26 October poll, the IEBC posted on Twitter a letter it sent to Nasa:

Image source, AFP

Kenya's main opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) says it will hold demonstrations across the country following its decision to boycott the 26 October presidential election re-run.

The demonstrations would be held tomorrow under the slogan, "No reform, no elections", it said.

Nasa has demanded a raft of reforms - including the sacking of election commission officials - before new elections take place.

The Supreme Court annulled President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory over Nasa candidate Raila Odinga in the 8 August election, saying the poll was marred by irregularities.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Odinga said:

Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has told an ongoing press briefing that he is pulling out of the 26 October presidential election re-run.

Mr Odinga says his withdrawal from the race will give the electoral commission enough time to undertake reforms that will help deliver a more credible election.

The Supreme Court annulled the 8 August election citing irregularities and illegalities.

The opposition coalition Nasa has been pushing for several changes to be made on the electoral system before the re-run.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

The president of Malawi, Peter Mutharika, has launched an investigation into the killing of at least five people alleged to be vampires.

A curfew has been imposed in the south of the country in an effort to stop vigilante groups from attacking those suspected of obtaining and drinking human blood.

The UN has pulled its staff out of the area.

This is not the first time Malawi has been affected by rumours of vampire activity.

Belief in witchcraft is common, especially in rural areas.

Pimped-up minivans are everywhere in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, but Tsarah Arts says she is the only woman designing them.

Our colleague Mark Sedgwick filmed Tsarah at work on her latest paint job.

"You have to be creative and come up with a unique design," she says.

Tsarah's mother encouraged her passion from a young age, telling her "you can make it if you believe in yourself".

Usman Minjibir
BBC Hausa, Abuja

Authorities in northern Nigeria’s Kaduna State say more than 20,000 primary school teachers will be dismissed as they failed to pass examination tests meant for their pupils.

This is coming amid apprehension that most primary and secondary schools in Nigeria are churning out half-baked students.

Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai said qualified teachers would be employed to replace the dismissed teachers.

It is unclear when this will happen.

A senior official in the state told the BBC that more tests would also be carried out in the coming weeks for secondary school teachers to determine their suitability.

Analysts say the figures are a terrible reminder of the deplorable state of education in Nigeria, where it is alleged that the hiring of teachers has always been politicised.

See earlier post for more details

Image source, AFP

Monkeypox has spread from Nigeria's south-eastern Bayelsa State to the commercial capital, Lagos, and five other states, a senior health official has confirmed to BBC Pidgin's Daniel Semeniworima.

The outbreak first hit Bayelsa State, where 13 infected patients, among them are three adults and one child, were quarantined last week.

Other southern states now affected are Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River, the head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said.

Monkeypox is a rare smallpox-like disease, which is not usually fatal to humans.

Read: BBC Pidgin

Tamasin Ford
BBC Africa, Monrovia

Businesses are closed in Liberia's capital, there’s no traffic on the roads, it’s almost like Sunday - until you go to the schools and churches hosting the polling centres.

Image source, Tamasin Ford

People have been queuing since the early hours of this morning to vote in elections.

Here in Monrovia it seems everyone is either at the polling stations or at home. Almost half the population, more than two million people, has registered to vote.

The one thing people are talking about is peace. This is the first election since the war policed by Liberia’s security forces instead of the United Nations - a big test for the country.

Last night President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called on the nation to go to the polls peacefully, saying:

See our earlier post for more details