Sweat club that helps a community heal

People participate in fitness training at outdoor courts before sunset in Bujumbura. These exercise clubs are a familiar sight now across the city and have helped heal divisions in the community. Photo: AFP

It's a Tuesday in Burundi's biggest city, and like every week just before sundown, crowds young and old huff and puff in lockstep as a coach shouts encouragement and blasts his whistle.

"Tired?!" he yells at the dozens of men and women jumping on the spot in a large circle, lifting his voice above the pop and Afrobeats blasting from nearby speakers at the weekly exercise club.