Africa's week in pictures: 30 December 2022 - 5 January 2023

6 January 2023

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

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Swimmers in Tunisia's coastal town of Nabeul take a New Year's Day dip in the Mediterranean.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, In the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, some see in 2023 with an outdoor prayer service...

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, While others in the city celebrate the new year by spinning burning steel wool to create a shower of sparkles.

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, A young boy gets his face painted in Cape Town, South Africa, in readiness for Monday's annual Cape Minstrel Carnival, back after a two-year break caused by Covid...

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Different troupes parade through the streets and perform for the thousands of visitors in a tradition that dates back to the days of slavery.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Monday also sees an annual hunting festival in the Gambian capital, Banjul, as people compete for the title of best animal heads, masques and costumes.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Catholic mourners in Uganda come together at the Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs in Namugongo following the death of Pope Benedict XVI on 31 December.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, In some rare images coming from Eritrea, on Tuesday a photographer snaps the statue of the Virgin Mary in a shrine inside the trunk of a baobab tree in the town of Keren...

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Pupils make their way to school on Friday in Eritrea's Durfo valley, which is just outside the capital, Asmara.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, A woman in Senegal collects cockles in the Saloum Delta on Tuesday - the three-river delta is listed as a UN world heritage site for its natural beauty and the way it represents the traditional coastal lifestyle of shellfish gathering and fishing.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, A Sudanese palm-leaf weaver uses her traditional basket-making skills on Wednesday in the village of al-Saqqai, about 60km (37 miles) north of the capital, Khartoum.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, A woman in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, has her hands painted with henna to get ready for a festival on Friday.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, After a tough day at work on Tuesday, an Egyptian farmer sits down for a cigarette and a cup of sweet tea.