Skip to content

Riffs, rage and racers: Africa's top shots

Natasha Booty
BBC News

A selection of the week's best photos from across the African continent and beyond:

ESA ALEXANDER / REUTERS Silhouettes of people are visible in the foreground. Below them a fires curves along the rim of a mountain.ESA ALEXANDER / REUTERS
People watch as wildfires rage across parts of Table Mountain National Park in South Africa on Sunday.
LUIS TATO / AFP A Catholic nun prays during a Requiem Mass in honour of Pope Francis. She wears a red, patterned tunic and pinned to her clothing is a portrait of the late Pope.LUIS TATO / AFP
On Friday, four days after Pope Francis' death, nuns and other believers pray for the late pontiff at the Holy Family Basilica church in Kenya's capital city.
IHSAAN HAFFEJEE / GETTY IMAGES Women line up with their back against the wall of the catwalk. Most are dressed in shades of blue, while the woman at the front wears a mustard-yellow dress with elaborate white detailing at the cuffs.IHSAAN HAFFEJEE / GETTY IMAGES
These designs by Rubicon are showcased by models on the second day of South Africa Fashion Week, in Johannesburg on Friday.
TIM MOSENFELDER / GETTY IMAGES A man dressed in red smiles as he plays the guitar, looking straight into the camera.TIM MOSENFELDER / GETTY IMAGES
Abdourahamane Ibrahim plays with his brothers in their band Etran de L'Aïr at the New Orleans Jazz Festival on Sunday. The musical family hails from Agadez in Niger.
CHEDLY BEN IBRAHIM / GETTY IMAGES A female demonstrator raises a placard reading ''the caged the just, we break the rust'' while demonstrators shout slogans against Tunisia's President Kaïs Saïed.CHEDLY BEN IBRAHIM / GETTY IMAGES
Protesters demand the release of lawyer Ahmed Souab in Friday in Tunis, labelling his trial "a farce". He is one of 40 prominent critics of the president who have been sentenced on conspiracy and terrorism charges.
AFP Hundreds of people gather at Place de la Nation Ouagadougou waving flags and showing their support for Capt Ibrahim Traoré.AFP
Supporters of Burkina Faso's military leader rally in the capital on Wednesday, after the junta claimed it had foiled a "major" coup plot originating in Ivory Coast.
JOSPIN MWISHA / GETTY IMAGES People dance on stage wearing basketball jerseys and baggy trousers.JOSPIN MWISHA / GETTY IMAGES
The Kivu Dancers' Collective perform on International Dance Day in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The event went ahead despite the fact the city has been captured by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, and the devastating violence suffered by civilians in the conflict.
ED RAM / GETTY IMAGES Somalia's national flag - bright blue with a white, five-pointed star in the middle - is blown by seawinds. The background boats are visible.ED RAM / GETTY IMAGES
Boats, fishermen and swimmers enjoy Lido beach in Mogadishu on Friday as the Somali flag flutters overhead.
PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP Two men in white karate suits engage in combat on mats. Spectators look on from the edges.PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP
On Sunday, karate enthusiasts in Freetown competes in a version of the martial art called kyokushin. It has been growing in popularity in Sierra Leone for the past decade.
FETHI BELAID / AFP A man strokes and holds a camel around the head. The camel appears relaxed and its eyes are closed.FETHI BELAID / AFP
A herder hugs one of his camels in Douz in Tunisia on Thursday. The area is home to a large oasis with palm trees that produce masses of dates each year.
NICOLAS REMENE / AFP People covered in long straw costumes dance in unison.NICOLAS REMENE / AFP
Kumpos figures from Senegal's southern region of Casamance dance during a climate action project in the capital, Dakar, on Sunday...
NICOLAS REMENE / AFP People wear elaborate costumes, some are chrome and futuristic in appearance, Others feature lots of hanging layers and attenae.NICOLAS REMENE / AFP
Also taking part is the Danuu collective, seen here in dazzling costumes.
MATTHEW CHILDS / REUTERS Kenya's Sabastian Sawe crosses the finish line to win the men's elite race. The ribbon falls as he runs through it, and Buckingham Palace is visible in the background.MATTHEW CHILDS / REUTERS
Kenya's domination of the annual London marathon continues, with 29-year-old Sabastian Sawe triumphing in the men's race on Sunday. The winner of the women's elite race was Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, who broke the women's world marathon record by 26 seconds.
ALEX GRIMM / GETTY IMAGES A detailed view of the trophy and the official match ball as people play football at Beau Vallon beach. The sun is low is the sky above the sea in the background.ALEX GRIMM / GETTY IMAGES
And on Sunday the trophy and official match ball are displayed on a local beach ahead of the Fifa Beach Football World Cup in the Seychelles.

More from the BBC on Africa:

Getty Images/BBC A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

BBC Africa podcasts