Africa's week in pictures: 23-29 May 2025


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

ZOHRA BENSEMRA / REUTERS Men play soccer near a graffiti mural showing a woman with a perfectly round Afro, in Yoff, a neighbourhood of Dakar.ZOHRA BENSEMRA / REUTERS

It’s time for football on Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal, where these men play on sand near the beach.

MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY / REUTERS A man holds a pile of freshly picked apricots in his hands.MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY / REUTERS

Farm workers harvest apricots in northern Egypt on Sunday, which is not a day of rest in the Muslim-majority country.

OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES Guests react while dancing on the dance floor at Paper Nightclub in Abuja.OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Women take to the dancefloor on a night out in Nigeria’s capital city…

OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES A customer poses for a photo in a decorated selfie room at Paper Nightclub in Abuja. OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

This club in Abuja has various selfie booths for customers to enjoy.

KAYLA BARTOWSKI / GETTY IMAGES A girl stands on stage and speaks into a microphone. She holds a yellow board showing her name, country of origin, and the National Belling Bee branding.KAYLA BARTOWSKI / GETTY IMAGES

Eleven-year-old Ghanaian spelling whizz Cyleane Equra Ama Quansah competes at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the US on Tuesday. The event attracts contestants aged between 8 and 14 from across world.

ALET PRETORIUS / GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES Children in dark tracksuits and monochrome bucket hats stand together in room in front of a mural.ALET PRETORIUS / GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES

City of Pantsula group members gear up ahead of the Hillbrow Street Parade on Saturday…

ALET PRETORIUS / GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES Children in matching white and black outfits huddle together during a rehearsal in a room.ALET PRETORIUS / GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES

Dancers, musicians and residents come together for the event each year in the South African city of Johannesburg.

SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP / GETTY IMAGES A man and a woman pose for photographers as they walk down a red carpet.SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

French-Algerian couple Karim Benzema and Lyna Khoudri set tongues wagging on Thursday with their first red carpet appearance together….

SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP / GETTY IMAGES A man and a woman smile as they walk down a red carpet and pose for photographers.SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

The footballer and actress were attending the Cannes Film Festival.

JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES A woman wearing a tennis visor stares intently at the ball as she prepares to strike it with her racket.JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Mayar Sherif of Egypt eyes the ball in her tennis match against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova on Monday during the French Open in Paris.

BILLEL BENSALEM / NURPHOTO / GETTY IMAGES Two women stand in front of a mural wearing the haik - a modest gown covering most of the body typically worn in North Africa.BILLEL BENSALEM / NURPHOTO / GETTY IMAGES

On Sunday, women strolling the streets of Algeria’s capital take in a mural praising local football team MC Alger.

RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP / GETTY IMAGES Men dressed in matching suits dance and sing in unison.RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Members of a South African Isicathamiya group sing their hearts out on stage during a showcase in Durban on Saturday. Isicathamiya is a distinctive, a capella chorus style said to originate from migrant Zulu communities.

HUGH KINSELLA CUNNINGHAM / GETTY IMAGES A group of men walk in the rainforest, pointing and gesticulating as they decide which way to go.HUGH KINSELLA CUNNINGHAM / GETTY IMAGES

Rangers use trackers to check up on a herd of elephants on Friday in the vast Upemba National Park, in south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Wildlife here is vulnerable to poachers and armed groups.

JEWEL SAMAD / AFP / GETTY IMAGES A shopkeeper waits for customers outside his store in a market area in Rabat.JEWEL SAMAD / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

It’s a slow Wednesday for this shopkeeper waiting for customers in Morocco’s capital city, Rabat.

MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES A merchant carves a tuna fish at his stall at the fish market in Tripoli.MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

This large tuna is among the fish on sale at a market in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Friday.

ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP / GETTY IMAGES Giant African land snails feeding on mangos, lettuce and cucumber. ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Giant African land snails feed on mangos, lettuce and cucumber as they are shown off at the International Exhibition of Agriculture and Animals Resources in Ivory Coast on Sunday.

JOEL SAGET / AFP / GETTY IMAGES A man wearing a denim jacket and copious silver jewellery covers his mouth with his hands and feigns a shocked expression.JOEL SAGET / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

French-Cameroonian singer Yamê poses for the camera at a photocall in Paris on Tuesday.

Reuters Women wearing Ovaherero attire chant and sing at the official ceremony in Windhoek.Reuters
AFP / GETTY IMAGES A smiling woman is given a bouquet of flowers by people who are smiling and embracing her.AFP / GETTY IMAGES
SUMAYA HISHAM / REUTERS Kelly Smith, the mother of Joshlin Smith, wipes the corner of her eye during her sentencing at the Western Cape High Court in Saldanha Bay.SUMAYA HISHAM / REUTERS
FETHI BELAID / AFP / GETTY IMAGES Tunisian Saluki hunting dogs play on a beach in Cap Angela, in the Bizerte region. They are tall, lightweight muscular dogs similar in appearance to greyhounds.FETHI BELAID / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

And on Friday a trio of Saluki dogs gambol on a beach in Tunisia.

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