Africa’s week in pictures: 3

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

EPA

Revellers flood Cape Town’s streets on Saturday for Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year), a vibrant annual festival rooted in the South African city’s slave history…

EPA

Dressed as minstrels, people strum banjos and sing songs dating back to the 1800s…

Esa Alexander / Reuters

…bold dance moves are an important part of the festivities as well.

Nipah Dennis / AFP

On Tuesday, John Mahama wields the state sword following his inauguration as Ghana’s new president in the capital, Accra.

Khaled Desouki / AFP

Early Thursday morning, tourists in Egypt board hot air balloons in the southern city of Luxor.

Khaled Desouki / AFP

The day before, in the same city, newly unearthed archaeological discoveries at Queen Hatshepsut’s valley temple go on display…

Ahmad Hasaballah / Getty Images

Over 1,000 decorated stone blocks were discovered.

Tony Karumba / AFP

A Kenyan man is detained by police during a demonstration on Monday in the capital, Nairobi, demanding the release of government critics abducted in the country.

Marco Longari / AFP

In Benin, a Kokou initiate – a devotee of the warrior god in traditional religion – is covered in red palm oil mixed with maize flour, while gin is drizzled over their head during a ceremony at the annual Vodun festival in Ouidah…

Marco Longari / AFP

An Egungun, a visible manifestation of the spirit of departed ancestors, visits the community during the festival which celebrates the country’s Vodun heritage.