After sunset, parts of Lake Tanganyika can transform into a remarkable sight.
Numerous lights appear across the dark water, sometimes making the lake look like a distant city glowing at night.
But the lights are not coming from buildings.
They belong to fishing boats.
Fishing under the lights
Lake Tanganyika stretches across Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Zambia.
Fishing communities around the lake have long used lights at night to help catch small fish, particularly sardine-like species that form an important part of local diets and livelihoods.
The lights attract tiny organisms and fish towards the surface. Fishers can then use nets to make their catch.
From the shoreline or surrounding hills, the many fishing lights scattered across the water can create a striking nighttime scene.
One of Africa’s great lakes
Lake Tanganyika is also extraordinary beyond its nighttime fishing tradition.
It is the second-deepest lake in the world, after Russia’s Lake Baikal, and one of the world’s oldest freshwater lakes.
The lake supports millions of people living around its shores through fishing, transport and other economic activity.
So when Lake Tanganyika begins to glow after dark, those distant lights represent something much more practical than a light show.
They are fishermen at work.