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Legends and newborns: Africa's top shots

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

Issouf Sanogo / AFP Barefoot boys in football kits play football on a sandy pitch in Abidjan. Palm trees can be seen in the background - Wednesday 26 February 2025.Issouf Sanogo / AFP
On Wednesday, a boy attempts to outrun his opponents on a sandy football pitch in Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan.
Dario Belingheri / Getty Images Cyclists in professional kit ride on the road in a vertical line in Abu Dhabi - Saturday 22 February 2025.Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier from Eritrea has the same goal in mind as he leads the pack during the seventh UAE Tour on Saturday.
AFP Residents stand by a collection of picturesque houses that are squeezed together on an incline in Bukavu, DR Congo - Thursday 27 February 2025.AFP
Residents of Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, gather for a meeting on Thursday organised by the M23, a rebel group that has taken over the city.
Jemal Countess / Getty Images John Legend performs on stage in Kigali with instrumentalists and two backing singers. Legend wears a white and blue tunic - Friday 21 February 2025.Jemal Countess / Getty Images
At a Global Citizen concert last Friday in neighbouring Rwanda, US musician John Legend commands the spotlight.
Nicky J Sims / Getty Images A model stands on a red carpet wearing a collared shirt with a grey blazer and skirt. Musicians perform around her. London, UK - Sunday 23 February 2025.Nicky J Sims / Getty Images
Thousands of miles away, a model at London Fashion Week on Sunday presents garments from British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker.
Olympia de Maismont / AFP Three boys walk away from the camera, wearing yellow trousers and shirts with a blue hats. Market traders sell goods nearby in Jos, Nigeria - Thursday 27 February 2025.Olympia de Maismont / AFP
Also catwalk-worthy? These mustard yellow school uniforms are spotted on the streets of the Nigerian city of Jos on Thursday.
Cem Ozdel / Getty Images A man in a green tunic runs a vacuum cleaner over the mosque's carpet. The mosque's opulent-looking pillars, walls and ceiling are in shot - in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday 27 February 2025.Cem Ozdel / Getty Images
On the same day in Senegal, staff at Dakar's Massalikoul Djinane Mosque, the biggest mosque in West Africa, prepare for the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Cem Ozdel / Getty Images A couple - wearing white and gold outfits - gaze at each other white holding a newborn baby in Banjul, The Gambia - 15 February 2025.Cem Ozdel / Getty Images
Photographer Cem Ozdel shared images this week from a recent trip to The Gambia where he attended a Ngente ceremony, which is held to name babies - blending Islamic culture with local traditions, and involves shaving the newborn's head...
Cem Ozdel / Getty Images Women holding plastic buckets stand in water on a beach facing the camera - behind them can be seen traditional Gambian fishing boats, Tanji Beach, The Gambia - 12 February 2025.Cem Ozdel / Getty Images
He also witnessed the arrival of fishing boats in Tanjeh and the women waiting to unload the catch.
Arda Kucukkaya / Getty Images Three lions - two male, one female, lying down on dry grass in South Africa, Saturday 22 February 2025.Arda Kucukkaya / Getty Images
On Saturday, two lions and a lioness in South Africa unwind in the shade in a Johannesburg safari park.
Rogan Ward/Reuters A silhouette of a paddler steering their canoe down a river as the sun sets behind them in Ximba, South Africa, 21 February 2025.Rogan Ward/Reuters
And in another serene scene from South Africa, a paddler heads down a river on Friday as the sun sets during the Dusi Canoe Marathon.

From the BBC in Africa this week:

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

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