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Pelicans, prayers and people power: Africa's top shots

Natasha BootyBBC News

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

News imageChris Jackson / Getty Images A female performer smiles in a pink and blue headdress - with pink sequins around her eyes and pink lipstick poses at a carnival in Cape Town ahead of the 2024 Earthshot Prize - Wednesday 6 November 2024Chris Jackson / Getty Images
Carnival-goers don big and bright costumes in Cape Town on Wednesday...
News imageChris Jackson / Getty Images Carnival performers in traditional multi-coloured South African costumes and hats smile. They are also have a stripe of red face paint over their eyes and white markings painted on their cheeks, forehead and chin - Cape Town, South Africa - Wednesday 6 November 2024Chris Jackson / Getty Images
The South African city is home to multiple parades each year.
News imageJermone Favre / EPA Climate activist and organiser of the 4th Women's March for Climate, Khady Camara (L), dressed in purple addresses participants in Dakar, Senegal - Saturday 2 November 2024Jermone Favre / EPA
Climate activist Khady Camara leads a women's march in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday ahead of the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan. One of their banners reads: "Soum district has had no clean drinking water since 2015."
News imageSiphiwe Sibeko / Reuters A woman in a stripped shirt with a towel over her shoulder shouts and holds up empty tear gas cannisters at a protest in Maputo. Behind her is the Mozambican flag - Thursday 7 November 2024Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters
On Thursday, this woman voices her outrage and holds up tear-gas canisters fired by security forces at protesters in Mozambique. Election observers say they found evidence of vote-tampering during October's general election, and opposition demonstrations continue.
News imageAmaury Falt-Brown / AFP Men sit on the floor covered with mats around a dish placed on a silver platter. They are sharing the food, eating with their hands, in Omdurman, Sudan - Friday 1 November 2024Amaury Falt-Brown / AFP
Men eat after Friday prayers at a mosque ridden with bullet holes in the Sudanese city of Omdurman...
News imageAmaury Falt-Brown / AFP A bearded army soldier, viewed from behind, scans the frontline with binoculars through a broken window in Khartoum, Sudan - Sunday 3 November 2024Amaury Falt-Brown / AFP
Days later across the River Nile in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, an army soldier looks for RSF paramilitaries. Both sides in the civil war are accused by rights groups of committing atrocities against civilians.
News imageLaura Morosol / AFP Change Alliance supporters in mainly red, purple T-shirt hold flags as they gather to attend a campaign rally - bunting in the party colours - purple, yellow, red and blue - can also be seen in Port Louis, Mauritius - Sunday 3 November 2024Laura Morosol / AFP
Supporters of Mauritius' opposition Change Alliance join a election rally in the capital, Port Louis, on Sunday.
News imageTeresa Suarez / EPA People walk past 10 framed photographs of different braided hairstyles hung on a wall painted maroon during the Paris Photo fair at the Grand Palais in Paris, France - Wednesday 6 November 2024Teresa Suarez / EPA
A photo series of intricate braiding and threading styles shot by Nigeria's JD Okhai Ojeikere is on display in Paris, France, on Wednesday.
News imageAnthony Kwan / Getty Images Whitney Peak, with long curly hair and wearing a grey jean jacket with a Chanel logo broach pinned to it, waves - Tuesday 5 November 2024Anthony Kwan / Getty Images
Ugandan-Canadian model and actress Whitney Peak attends a fashion show in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
News imageMohamed Hossam / EPA Several female models with long hair tied back on a podium - one with a robe with lots of old ties attached to it in Cairo, Egypt - Tuesday 5 November 2024Mohamed Hossam / EPA
On the same day in Egypt, models sport clothes made from recycled materials at the World Urban Forum in the capital, Cairo.
News imageLegnan Koula / EPA A woman is seen throw the cross of gravestone as she bows her head and clasps her hands in Abidjan, Ivory Coast - Friday 1 November 2024Legnan Koula / EPA
Friday is All Saint's Day, and a moment for prayer and reflection for this woman visiting a cemetery in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
News imageAmos Gumulira / AFP A group of female refugees perform on stage, holding up material that matches their skirts as part of a traditional cultural dance at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, Malawi - Saturday 2 November 2024Amos Gumulira / AFP
Women who are refugees living in central Malawi dance at the Tumaini Festival on Saturday...
News imageAmos Gumulira / AFP A woman in a black top with bright pink short hair sings into a microphone during the Tumaini Festival at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, Dowa, Malawi - Saturday 2 November 2024Amos Gumulira / AFP
Malawian musician Jetu, 72, also performed at the event - which is billed as the world's only music festival at a refugee camp.
News imageJulien de Rosa / AFP Laureate of the Prix Goncourt literary prize, Algerian writer Kamel Daoud waves from a window of Drouant Restaurant Paris, holding up his book. A street sign for Rue Gaillon can be seen on the wall to the left of the window - Monday 4 November 2024 Julien de Rosa / AFP
On Monday, Kamel Daoud wins France's top literary award - the Prix Goncourt - for a book which has been banned in his native Algeria. The novel is called Houris and centres on Algeria's civil war.
News imageJulien de Rosa / AFP Rwandan-French writer and singer Gael Faye, whose image is also reflected in a mirror, poses with his book Jacaranda in Paris, France - Monday 4 November 2024Julien de Rosa / AFP
At the same awards ceremony, France's Prix Renaudot went to Gael Faye for his latest novel Jacaranda. Faye was born and raised in Burundi by a Rwandan mother and French father.
News imageYamak Perea / Getty Images Chidimma Adetshina attends the Miss Universe Catrinas Gala wearing a sequined pink dress and a Nigeria sash - Friday 1 November 2024Yamak Perea / Getty Images
Miss Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina wears a floral headdress at the the Miss Universe Catrinas Gala in Mexico on Friday.
News imageNic Bothma / Reuters A protester with dreads, a beard and wearing orange lensed sunglasses shouts at Kalk Bay Harbour in Cape Town, South Africa - Thursday 7 November 2024 Nic Bothma / Reuters
On Thursday, anti-monarchy protesters oppose Prince William's visit to South Africa where he was promoting an environmental award.
News imageCem Ozdel / Getty Images Hands touching the beak of a pelican, which has a red eye, in Saint Louis, Senegal - Saturday 2 NovemberCem Ozdel / Getty Images
A pelican which has become a local celebrity in Senegal's city of Saint Louis is pictured on Saturday outside a retired fisherman's house, where he has lived for the last five years.
News imageRodger Bosch / AFP A group of African penguins rest or walk on a beach with boulders in Simon's Town, South Africa - Friday 1 November 2024Rodger Bosch / AFP
And in Cape Town on Friday, endangered African penguins rest on a beach.

From the BBC in Africa this week:

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