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Africa's week in pictures: 12-18 May 2023

A selection of the best photos from across Africa and beyond this week:

News imageDANIEL BELOUMOU OLOMO/ AFP Dancers prepare on the sidelines of the intercommunity cultural meeting organised in Bali district, in Douala, on May 13, 2023.DANIEL BELOUMOU OLOMO/ AFP
Dancers prepare to perform at a cultural event held in Cameroon's main city Douala on Saturday to promote national unity.
News imageIhsaan Haffejee/ Getty Images A dancer performs at International Dance Open South Africa held at Nelson Mandela Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa on May 13, 2023.Ihsaan Haffejee/ Getty Images
While this dancer performs on the same day at a theatre named after anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, a symbol of racial and ethnic unity, in the South African city of Johannesburg.
News imageShabait.com In Eritrea, camel riders are seen on Tuesday in Gash-Barka region as they gear up for Independence Day on 24 May in the one-party state.Shabait.com
In Eritrea, camel riders are seen on Tuesday in Gash-Barka region as they gear up for Independence Day on 24 May in the one-party state.
News imageKhaled Elfiqi/ EPA A model presents a creation by Egyptian fashion designer Waseem Khadra during the first edition of the Egypt's Fashion Week at Agriculture Museum in Giza, Egypt, 13 May 2023.Khaled Elfiqi/ EPA
In the Egyptian city of Giza, the focus is on fashion. A model presents a creation by local designer Waseem Khadra...
News imageKhaled Elfiqi/ EPA Models present creations by Egyptian fashion designer Waseem Khadra during the first edition of the Egypt's Fashion Week at Agriculture Museum in Giza, Egypt, 13 May 2023. The first edition of Egyptian Fashion Week is taking place from 12 to 15 May with over 70 Egyptian designers showing their collections on and off the runway.Khaled Elfiqi/ EPA
More than 70 designers showcased their collections in the first-ever Fashion Week in Egypt.
News imageFadel Dawod/ Getty Images Mohamed Ghaly, 56 years old, a simsimiya maker in Port Said on May 15, 2023. It is the Pharaonic instrument of the kanara, and it was very similar to the current harp instrument, except that it is smaller in size and has seven strings made of animal intestines.Fadel Dawod/ Getty Images
While in Port Said, Mohamed Ghaly is busy making a simsimiya, a Pharaonic instrument similar to a harp.
News imageStefano Rellandini/ AFP Malian director Souleymane Cissé poses on the sidelines of the 76th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 16, 2023.Stefano Rellandini/ AFP
Regarded as one of the greatest African filmmakers of all time, Mali's Souleymane Cissé poses at the beach in Cannes in France on Tuesday.
News imageAntonin Thuillier/ AFP Nigerian actress Chika Ike arrives for the opening ceremony and the screening of the film "Jeanne du Barry" during the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 16, 2023.Antonin Thuillier/ AFP
While Nigerian actress Chika Ike arrives for the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival held each year in the French city.
News imageIssouf Sanogo/ AFP Ivorian writer Marguerithe Abouet, author of comic book "Aya de Yopougon" poses for a photo during the Abidjan International Book fair in Abidjan on May 13, 2023.Issouf Sanogo/ AFP
Ivory Coast writer Marguerithe Abouet showcases her comic book at the Abidjan International Book Fair on Saturday.
News imageNic Bothma/ Reuters Women take part in a mothers climate justice protest organised by climate action group Extinction Rebellion in Cape Town, South Africa, May 13, 2023.Nic Bothma/ Reuters
On the same day in the South African city of Cape Town, these women express their concern about climate change in a protest ahead of Mother's Day.
News imageHassan Ali Elmi/ AFP A boy dives into floodwater in Beledweyne, central Somalia, on May 14, 2023.Hassan Ali Elmi/ AFP
Climate change seems to be a long way from the mind of this young boy as he dives into floodwater in Somalia's Beledweyne city on Sunday...
News imageHassan Ali Elmi/ AFP Two days earlier, these men walk through a flooded street in Beledweyne. Men walks through floodwater in Beledweyne, central Somalia, on May 12, 2023. The Shabelle River has burst its banks in Beledweyne, in central Somalia, forcing thousands of people to abandon their homes, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and submerging markets and hospitalsHassan Ali Elmi/ AFP
The famous Shabelle River burst its banks and submerged the town.

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