A selection of the week’s best photos from across the African continent and beyond:
EPA
Revellers flood Cape Town’s streets on Saturday for Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year), a vibrant annual festival rooted in the South African city’s slave history…
EPA
Dressed as minstrels, people strum banjos and sing songs dating back to the 1800s…
Esa Alexander / Reuters
…bold dance moves are an important part of the festivities as well.
Nipah Dennis / AFP
On Tuesday, John Mahama wields the state sword following his inauguration as Ghana’s new president in the capital, Accra.
Khaled Desouki / AFP
Early Thursday morning, tourists in Egypt board hot air balloons in the southern city of Luxor.
Khaled Desouki / AFP
The day before, in the same city, newly unearthed archaeological discoveries at Queen Hatshepsut’s valley temple go on display…
Ahmad Hasaballah / Getty Images
Over 1,000 decorated stone blocks were discovered.
Tony Karumba / AFP
A Kenyan man is detained by police during a demonstration on Monday in the capital, Nairobi, demanding the release of government critics abducted in the country.
Marco Longari / AFP
In Benin, a Kokou initiate – a devotee of the warrior god in traditional religion – is covered in red palm oil mixed with maize flour, while gin is drizzled over their head during a ceremony at the annual Vodun festival in Ouidah…
Marco Longari / AFP
An Egungun, a visible manifestation of the spirit of departed ancestors, visits the community during the festival which celebrates the country’s Vodun heritage.
EPA
EPA
Esa Alexander / Reuters
Nipah Dennis / AFP
Khaled Desouki / AFP
Khaled Desouki / AFP
Ahmad Hasaballah / Getty Images
Tony Karumba / AFP
Marco Longari / AFP
Marco Longari / AFP
Getty Images/BBC