Fire, fronds and flax: Africa's top shots

  • Published

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

A girl walks past a wall painting depicting schoolgirls reading books. It is a tribute to schoolgirls who were abducted from their homes in Chibok a decade ago.Image source, SODIQ ADELAKUN / REUTERS
Image caption,

This girl walks past a mural in Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, on Monday.

A woman sits in a room surrounded by photos and pieces of colourful quote cards. In front of her is a curtain made of turquoise netting.Image source, KIM LUDBROOK / EPA
Image caption,

On Wednesday, parts of Alexandra township in South Africa are adorned with art fashioned from found objects and rubbish. Some items, like the net, will be re-used to clear litter from a nearby river.

Two men weave a life-sized animal from corrugated cardboard. The effect is surprisingly life-like.Image source, SEYLLOU / AFP
Image caption,

Crafting cattle from cardboard, The Hoard is a travelling show in Senegal that uses the power of puppetry to raise awareness of the climate crisis. Here they are on Friday preparing for a performance.

A girl smiles while listening to a sermon during a Palm Sunday mass. She is wearing a pink dress and wearing a crucifix necklace made from dried palm leaves.Image source, SODIQ ADELAKUN / REUTERS
Image caption,

Palm Sunday sees worshippers gather at the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Lagos...

Woman wearing a crown made of palm leaves holds up three burning sticks.Image source, WAEL HAMZEH/EPA
Image caption,

On the same day thousands of miles away in Lebanon, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians also mark Palm Sunday...

Children wear matching clerical gowns, in the same shade of mauve.Image source, GERALD ANDERSON / GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,

There are similar scenes at the Legio Maria Church in Nairobi, Kenya. According to the Bible, it is the day when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem, and marks the start of the Holy Week before Easter Sunday.

A lifelike reproduction of a skeleton is laid out on black felt, with small explanatory notecards arranged near its head and shoulders.Image source, EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP
Image caption,

On Tuesday in South Africa we see a reproduction of "Little Foot", one of the oldest and most complete skeletons of humankind's ancestors.

A woman dressed in a suit sands next to a portrait of  woman dressed in a white blouse and black skirt.Image source, BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP
Image caption,

Pieces by Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo grace the walls of London's Gagosian Gallery on Friday as part of his first UK solo exhibition.

Women smile and chat. They are wearing Amazigh-style silver headchains as yellow beaded necklaces and yellow scarves on their heads.Image source, ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT / AFP
Image caption,

People gather in Morocco's southern reaches in the Sahara Desert for the Nomad Festival on Friday...

Men dressed in blue boubous and matching headwraps compete for the ball using wooden sticks.Image source, ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT / AFP
Image caption,

The following day at the festival sees men compete in a hockey match.

A man shields his eyes with glasses as he welds pieces of metal together.Image source, GERALD ANDERSON / GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,

On the same day in Nairobi, talented artisans transform scrap metal into cars, robots and stoves at this workshop.

A man holds two flags in his hands near the conference call - Russia's and Mali's.Image source, AFP
Image caption,

Many Malians have been angered by Algeria's accusation that their forces shot down an Algerian army drone close to the border...

People sit and stand in a conference hall, listening to events.Image source, AFP
Image caption,

Here in the capital city of Bamako, on Sunday, people take part in a summit called by the National Youth Council of Mali. The banner in the background calls for an Africa that is united, not divided.

A woman wears a red veil over her head, as if in mourning. She is surrounded by protesters holding up cardboard placards.Image source, MARCO LONGARI / AFP
Image caption,

Protesters demand that South Africa declares a national disaster over the staggering rates of femicide and gender-based violence. Wearing a red veil is Khumo Maake, an activist who works for the Check Mate group which wants dating apps to perform mandatory ID checks on users for safety reasons.

Stone walls, columns and glass roof panes are damaged.Image source, AFP
Image caption,

Precious artefacts held at Sudan's National Museum in Khartoum have been destroyed in the civil war. The city was held by RSF paramilitaries for almost two years, before the Sudanese army regained control in recent weeks...

An aerial satellite image shows grey smoke and red fire in Zamzam camp.Image source, MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES / REUTERS
Image caption,

The vast Zamzam refugee camp, which was home to about half a million people, was torched by RSF paramilitaries in recent days. Tens of thousands of already destitute people have had to flee their makeshift homes, some collapsing from thirst and exhaustion after walking days on end...

Fried crickets are piled on top of each other in a container.Image source, JORIS BOLOMEY / AFP
Image caption,

Fried crickets are among the meagre provisions available at the Touloum refugee camp in Chad on Friday. At least 13 million people have been forced from their homes in Sudan since the war began two years ago, says the UN.

A man holds long reeds while harvesting in a field. Above him the sky is a bright blue, with white clouds.Image source, MAHMOUD ELKHWAS / GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,

And on Monday in northern Egypt, farmer harvest flax. The versatile material is used to make banknotes, fabric and feed livestock.

A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaImage source, Getty Images/BBC

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

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

Related topics