Trees, tresses and teamwork: Africa's top shots

Natasha Booty
BBC News

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

A boy walks past a wall with a woman's face painted on it. She has a green afro which blends into the trees growing behind the wall, giving the illusion that the trees are part of the artwork.FEISAL OMAR / REUTERS

Branches graze the top of this mural in eastern Mogadishu, Somalia, on Tuesday.

A woman wearing a white-and-gold swimming costume and matching which hairband swims upside-down in an artistic manner. She is competing in an event called the Women's Solo Free.QUINN ROONEY / GETTY IMAGES

Guinea's Alexandra Mansare-Traoré, 25, competes at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Sunday.

A woman wearing a form-fitting pink and red outfit sings into a microphone on stage. On the set behind her is a sunset-coloured screen, stage lights and some plants.KRISTY SPARROW / GETTY IMAGES

Tems takes to the stage at Paris' Lollapalooza festival on the same day. The Grammy award-winning Nigerian star is hosting an event next month in Lagos to help more young women break into the music industry...

A woman wearing combat trousers and a bikini-style top waves her microphone in the air.KRISTY SPARROW / GETTY IMAGES

Also at Lollapalooza, a day earlier, was Cape Verdean singer Ronisia.

A man in a red vest lifts large dumbells above his head. A man wearing a blue top stands behind him, supporting his arms as he lifts the heavy weights. GERALD ANDERSON / ANADOLU / GETTY IMAGES

Kenyan bodybuilders train at this gym in the Mathare neighourhood of Nairobi on Monday.

Two women wearing matching yellow football jersey's hug on the pitch.ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Ghanaian footballers Josephine Afua Kyerewaa Bonsu and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah celebrate a goal against host nation Morocco at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday. They narrowly missed out on a place in the final, losing 4-2 on penalties. Morocco will take on Nigeria for the trophy on Sunday.

Two jockeys stand next to their horses. They both wear balaklava and are wrapped up in blankets.FREDRIK LERNERYD / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

People gather at the feet of the Maluti Mountains on Saturday...

A young jockey poses for a portrait. People stand in the background behind him, and the mountains rise in the distance.FREDRIK LERNERYD / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

They are taking part in an annual horse race after the King of Lesotho's birthday.

Men and boys dressed in white and red Amazigh clothing stand in a row.ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

The day before in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, local people take part in the Ahidous National Festival which encompasses Amazigh storytelling, music and games.

A man wearing academic robes stands on stage and smiles.OJ KOLOTI / GALLO IMAGES/ GETTY IMAGES

On Monday in South Africa, Malusi Gigaba of the African National Congress is one of two politicians presented with an honourary PhD in Public Management and Governance at the University of Johannesburg.

A view shows dilapidated balconies on Alexandria’s corniche. MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY / REUTERS

Dilapidated buildings affected by rising seas and coastal erosion cling to the shoreline of Alexandria, in northern Egypt, on Saturday.

Men smile as they pass large bricks along to their colleagues on the building site. Behind them are building in their early stages.GERALD ANDERSON / ANADOLU / GETTY IMAGES

Builders get to work constructing new homes in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday.

Two children on board a train stand at the window and wave.MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY / REUTERS

These children are among families who fled the civil war in Sudan to reach Egypt, but are now reportedly volunteering go home. This train is taking them south from Cairo to Aswan on Monday on the first leg of their journey back.

A woman with cropped hair that is dyed blonde stands with her back to the camera. She wears the Zimbabwe kit, which is bight orange with a small Zimbabwean flag at the nape of the neck.BEN MCSHANE / SPORTSFILE / GETTY IMAGES

Francisca Chipare of Zimbabwe looks on during the Women's T20 International Series against Ireland in Dublin on Sunday, which the African side went on to lose.

People chant, shout and wave banners during a march.MUHAMADOU BITTAYE / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Anti-corruption protests called by Gambians Against Looted Assets (Gala) draw thousands of participants on Wednesday in Banjul.

Moroccans chant slogans and wave the Palestinian flag during a march to express their solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Rabat.ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

On Saturday, Moroccans march in support of Palestinians living in the Gaza strip. The UN's humanitarian chief says people in Gaza are being subjected to forced starvation by Israel, which Israel denies.

A large sepia-toned mural of a smiling Nelson Mandela covers the side of a building. A woman stands and smiles in one of the windows as she poses for a photo.ESA ALEXANDER / REUTERS

This mural of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela is unveiled in Cape Town on Friday as part of Mandela Day celebrations.

Men wearing matching khaki trousers and coloured beads around their necks stand in formation with batons. Behind them, the sun is setting. The earth is a rich red colour.LUCAS LEDWABA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

And on Saturday in South Africa's Limpopo province, men return home after taking part in a rite of passage.

From the BBC in Africa this week:

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

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