This week’s best photo picks from across the continent and beyond:
James Ottway/Reuters
A competitor warms up on stage as he prepares for a slapping contest in the town of Kagiso, west of South Africa’s main city of Johannesburg, on Sunday.
James Ottway/Reuters
In a real fight, anyone who retreats will be punished.
Yannick Foley/AFP
Also on Sunday, a man dressed in a costume and mask was surrounded by spectators at a festival in Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin…
Yannick Foley/AFP
During the Porto-Novo Mask Festival, dozens of people wearing masks of different styles paraded through the streets.
Gerald Anderson/Getty Images
Residents of a slum in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, fed and petted a cat and its kittens on Tuesday.
Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images
Egypt’s Olympic artistic swimming team wowed spectators the next day with daring aquatic somersaults and tosses – but the team finished only 10th at the Paris Games.
AMOS GUMULILA/AFP
The sounds of Malawi’s military band filled the streets of the capital, Lilongwe, on Friday, marking the start of next year’s election period.
Siyakambu/AFP
Chinese armed forces attended Ivory Coast’s 64th independence parade on Wednesday in Grand-Bassam, a tourist resort 42 kilometers (26 miles) east of Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan.
Feti Belaid/AFP
Iraqi singer Khadim Saher performed at the Carthage International Festival on the outskirts of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, on Saturday night.
Moise Kasereka/EPA
People laid wreaths early Saturday in the town of Kibati in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for the seven victims of the July 15 bombing…
Moise Kasereka/EPA
During the ceremony, one mourner became emotional.
Birrel Bensalem/Getty Images
The International Pizza Festival got underway in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, on Monday, with 50 contestants vying for the top three spots.
Aytac Unal/Getty Images
The next day, Algerian Olympic boxer Imani Khelif defeated Thailand’s Janjam Suwannapin to advance to the gold medal match.
Hamza Zait/Getty Images
In her hometown of Biban-Mesbah, fans of the Algerian welterweight boxer celebrated her victory.
James Ottway/Reuters
James Ottway/Reuters
Yannick Foley/AFP
Yannick Foley/AFP
Gerald Anderson/Getty Images
Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images
AMOS GUMULILA/AFP
Siyakambu/AFP
Feti Belaid/AFP
Moise Kasereka/EPA
Moise Kasereka/EPA
Birrel Bensalem/Getty Images
Aytac Unal/Getty Images
Hamza Zait/Getty Images
Getty Images/BBC
