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Piercings and prayers: Africa's top shots

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

Rajesh Jantilal / AFP A man with piercings gives blessings during the annual Hindi festival Thaipoosam Kavady in a township in Durban, South Africa - Monday 10 February 2025Rajesh Jantilal / AFP
On Monday, a pierced man gives blessings during the annual Hindu festival Thaipoosam Kavady in Durban, South Africa...
Rajesh Jantilal / AFP A man spreads out his arms to show off the limes and flowers attached in his back for the Thaipoosam Kavady festival in Durban , South Africa - Monday 10 February 2025Rajesh Jantilal / AFP
People attach limes and flowers to their bodies with sharp rods and hooks to show their devotion and gratitude to Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity...
Rajesh Jantilal / AFP A man with objects pierced on his chest dances in a trance during the Thaipoosam Kavady festival in Durban , South Africa - Monday 10 February 2025Rajesh Jantilal / AFP
Devotees sometimes dance in a trance.
Abubaker Lubowa / Reuters Motorcyclists ride out into the streets of Kampala, Uganda, during a planned anti-corruption demonstration - Monday 10 February 2025Abubaker Lubowa / Reuters
In Uganda on Monday, supporters of Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son President Yoweri Museveni, ride to parliament during an anti-corruption demonstration.
Khaled Desouki / AFP Two Egyptian women pour a cheese mixture over a wooden mat to prepare it at a community centre in Giza, Egypt - Wednesday 12 February 2025Khaled Desouki / AFP
On Wednesday, two Egyptian women prepare traditional cheese at a community centre in Giza, Egypt.
Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP An image of a man wrapped in the DR Congo flag while he attends a protest in Belgium - Saturday 8 February 2025Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP
A man wrapped in the Democratic Republic of Congo flag attends a demonstration in Belgium on Saturday to protest against the ongoing conflict in the central African country.
Hardy Bope / AFP Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo wears a green religious attire as he stands at the pulpit in a church at Notre Dame du Congo Cathedral in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa - Sunday 9 February 2025Hardy Bope / AFP
The next day in the DR Congo itself, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo prays for peace with congregants at the Notre Dame du Congo Cathedral in the capital, Kinshasa.
Christian Velcich / AFP A dance troupe holding a float of a dragon weave it through the streets in Johannesburg, South Africa - Saturday 8 February 2025.Christian Velcich / AFP
The Chinese community in South Africa, the largest on the continent, ushers in the Lunar New Year with a dragon float in Johannesburg on Saturday...
Christian Velcich / AFP Two young women wearing traditional Chinese attire sit inside a massage parlour in Cyryldene, the Chinese district of Johannesburg, South Africa - Saturday 8 February 2025.Christian Velcich / AFP
While two young women wearing traditional attire sit inside a massage parlour in Cyryldene, the Chinese district.
Isabel Infantes / Reuters King Godwin Bebe-Okpabi of the Ogale wears a green and silver traditional outfit as he attends the first day of a trial in London in a lawsuit against Shell over alleged oil pollution in Nigeria - Thursday 13 February 2025Isabel Infantes / Reuters
King Godwin Bebe-Okpabi of Ogale attends the opening day on Thursday of a court case in London in a lawsuit against Shell over alleged oil pollution in Nigeria.
Mohamed Messara / EPA Two groomers trim the hairs off a puppy in a mobile pet salon in Tunisia - Wednesday 12 February 2025Mohamed Messara / EPA
On Wednesday, a pampered pup gets a trim in a mobile pet salon in Tunis, Tunisia.

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