Parties, pyres and pharaohs: Africa's top shots

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

A woman stands on the beach in Zanzibar holding a bunch of seaweed in her hand. In the distance not far away there is a small sailing boat.Image source, NESE ARI/ ANADOLU / GETTY IMAGES
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On Wednesday, women harvest seaweed on the shores of Zanzibar.

Riders wait for a best bike look contest during a bicycle gathering and competition on June 14, 2025 in Alabama, a township outside Klerksdorp, South Africa. Image source, Per-Anders Pettersson / Getty Images
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These boys watch a biking contest in South Africa's Alabama township on Saturday...

A woman dressed in red stands on stand with her arms in the air.Image source, SIYABONGA SOKHELA / GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES
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On the same day in the city of Durban, singer MaWhoo performs at a Youth Day rally. The public holiday is held on 16 June in honour of black students killed by police during the 1976 Soweto Uprising, which marked a turning point in the struggle against the racist system of apartheid.

Two women clap their hands and dance on stage facing the audience.Image source, PAT BATARD / HANS LUCAS / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
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Beninese great Angelique Kidjo is joined on stage by Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho at a concert in southern France on Sunday.

Firefighters look on as a fire blazes above the roadside. They have lorries and hose pipes which they are readying for use.

Image source, BRENTON GEACH / GALLO IMAGES/ GETTY IMAGES
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Strong winds help spread forest fires in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday.

A man shields his face and runs away from a tear gas canister.Image source, THOMAS MUKOYA / REUTERS
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Tear gas is fired on Tuesday in the streets of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, where police are being criticised for a brutal crackdown on people protesting against the death in custody of 31-year-old blogger Albert Ojwang.

A man wearing a fancy dress, pharaoh-style hat smiles and talks on the phone during the match.Image source, ANGELA WEISS / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
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Fans of top Egyptian football club Al-Ahly put on a brave face as their side lose 2-0 to Palmeiras of Brazil, in the Fifa Club World Cup on Thursday. Bad weather stopped play for 40 minutes at one point.

Nigerian professional MMA fighter Richard Muzaan climbs the fight cage and shouts to fans after winning.Image source, TOYIN ADEDOKUN / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
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In Lagos on Friday, Richard Muzaan of Nigeria triumphs over Burkina Faso's Israël Mano to take the MMC lightweight title at the African Knockout Championship.

A man stands close to colourful paintings.Image source, ANOUK RIONDET / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
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Moroccan writer and artist Tahar Ben Jelloun admires his paintings at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat on Tuesday.

Gideon Appah stands next to his works at 'Gallery 1957' in Paris.Image source, JOEL SAGET / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
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Gideon Appah, a Ghanaian painter based in Accra, poses alongside his pieces on display at a gallery in France on Monday.

Kenyan police officers watch as a large pyre made up of rifles and other guns is set on fire.Image source, THOMAS MUKOYA / REUTERS
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In Kenya on Friday, security forces look on at the ceremonial burning of some of the 7,000 illegal firearms regional forces say they have seized from criminals.

Bishops dressed in black and purple cassock rise from their seats, as the Pope stands at the front of the room and addresses them.Image source, EPA / EFE
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The Catholic Church's new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, holds an audience with Madagascar's bishop in the Vatican on Monday.

A woman curtseys for the camera as she and others walk through a bright blue passageway designed to replicate the streets of Chefchaouen.Image source, VCG /GETTY IMAGES
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Chinese tourists visit what is billed as a life-size replica of Morocco's famously colourful city of Chefchaouen. It has been recreated in an outdoor park in northern China.

 Women carry their loads either on their heads or on their backs as they continue their daily life on one of the world's poorest countries and a small nation in West Africa in Lome, Togo on June 13, 2025. Image source, OMER URER / ANADOLU / GETTY IMAGES
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And on Friday, street vendors cater to passers-by in Togo's capital, Lomé.

From the BBC in Africa this week:

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

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