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:

People attend swimming event on the first day of new year as daily life continues in Nabil, Tunisia on January 01, 2023

Getty Images

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

Nairobi residents gather outside the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (K.I.C.C) for the new years radical prayers on January 01, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya

Getty Images

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

A reveller spins burning-steel wool to spread sparks of fire during the New Year's Eve celebrations in Nairobi, Kenya January 1, 2023

Reuters

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

Junior Lambrechts has his face painted in preparation for the Cape Minstrel Carnival in Cape Town, South Africa January 2, 2023

Reuters

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...

The T.V Stars from Heideveld in action during the Tweede Nuwe Jaar celebration in Bo-Kaap on January 02, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Klopse parade is back after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19. About 20 000 performers and tens of thousands of audience members flocked to the city to see the performances which dates back to the days of slavery in the Cape

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

Members of the 'Ekum Baba' escort their hunting costume during the annual hunting festival in Banjul on January 2, 2023. - This hunting festival occurs every new years in Banjul. The two groups 'Ekum Baba' and 'Odilleh' come to the streets of Banjul every year to battle for the title of best animal heads,masques and costumes

AFP

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.

Catholic faithful gather inside the Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs to pray after receiving news about the death of former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in Namugongo, Kampala, Uganda, on December 31, 2022

AFP

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.

A view of the statue of the Virgin Mary inside of the Mariam Dearit shrine on January 02, 2023 in Keren, Eritrea. Mariam Dearit is a Shrine or church named for the Virgin Mary and is constructed in the trunk of a 500 year old, 75 foot baobab tree. The site which is just two kilometres outside of the city of Keren is a destination for devout pilgrims of all faiths

Getty Images

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...

School children travel a path to their homes in the Durfo valley eight kilometers outside of the city of Asmara on December 30, 2022 in Asmara, Eritrea. The region is marked by high mountains and deep valleys which are often enveloped in thick clouds during midday as clouds make their way inland from the Red Sea and the port city of Massawa which is a few hours beyond Durfo by car.

Getty Images

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

A woman collects cockles along the edge of the Sine Saloum Delta in Simal on January 3, 2023. - The Sine Saloum Delta is a recognised world heritage site, celebrated for its mangroves, bird life and rich culture of fishing, salt mining and agriculture

AFP

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.

A Sudanese woman weaves palm leaves (al-Zaaf), a traditional skill of making baskets, food trays and other household items, in the village of Al-Saqqai, some 57km north of the capital Khartoum, on January 4, 2023

AFP

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.