AFRICA Lightning/Mask and Grid

So to start off I want a mask/lightning image in the shape of the african continent, I have lifted a template off google images and imported it to adobe illustrator, and then used the image trace tool. The lightning was made via turning the centre transparent and the outline white, I then drew lines on both ends to complete the illusion. As for the mask, I took a few steps back and coloured the space around the continent black, so I can apply some sort of 3d effect when we zoom in to the shrunken down compositions.

The grid was applied in after effects as an in software effect. Simple and easy.