QUESADA, Spain (AP) — Some much need rain was not going to ruin Holy Week for Alfonso del Río Martínez and his fellow Christians in the southern Spanish village of Quesada.
So when there was a break in the wet weather, they completed their annual act of spiritual devotion by parading a float bearing Christ and the Virgen through the streets of their town of some 5,000 people.
The rains during Holy Week were a blessing for large swaths of Spain suffering from chronic drought, even if they put a serious damper on the country’s intensely celebrated Easter. Many cities, towns and villages had to cancel Holy Week processions due to the persistent storms that pelted the Iberian Peninsula.
When the drops did start to fall near the end of Saturday’s procession in Quesada, a plastic tarp was quickly produced and draped over the crucifix that was being borne on the shoulders of local men and women.
Del Río called the shower that fell over the procession a “miracle” for the area, where olive orchards essential to the local economy have been hit hard by the lack of water.
“We have been through two years of drought that have left the two reservoirs that we have here completely dry, and we were asking for water desperately,” said Del Río, president of the association for Quesada’s parishes participating in the processions.
“At the same time, we had been waiting for it to rain all year and it just had to rain over these seven days. (But) we have all accepted it without any complaint since the rain is more than welcome.”
The scene of dozens of people bearing large wooden floats on their backs to parade elaborately decorated statues of Christ and/or the Virgen has been reproduced each Holy Week since Medieval times across Spain. The festivities attract the faithful but also many people who just want to experience the occasion.
While the processions take place over just a handful of days, preparations are a year-round affair. So missing out completely on the event can be a real disappointment for those involved.
Seville, which draws in thousands of spectators each Holy Week for the spectacle, had to cancel processions this past week due to the persistent rain for the first time in over a decade.
In Logroño, in northern Spain, porters were left distraught and some in tears when told that their procession had been called off.
While a letdown for many, the rain was undoubtedly a huge relief for many more — and farmers especially, who have seen serious restrictions placed on irrigation.
The faithful have tried to combat the drought by appealing to divine intervention, even in a deeply traditional Roman Catholic country that is quickly growing more secular. In Catalonia, the northeastern region around Barcelona, some village parishes have revived the faded practice of holding a special Mass and procession in hopes for rain.
Spain’s total water reserves were at 57% capacity before the Holy Week rains, but with drastic differences between the wet northern Atlantic coast and the parched northeast Mediterranean and south. While reservoirs of Spain’s northern Atlantic area were at or near 90% capacity, Catalonia was down to just 15% and parts of the south were just above 20%.
The storm front that unleashed downpours over Spain during Holy Week was behind the winds and big waves that lashed the coastline Friday, when four people died after falling into the sea.
___
Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed to this report.
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PROCIDA, Italy (AP) — Italy is known for the religious processions that take over towns big and small throughout the year when Catholic feast days are celebrated. But even in a country where public displays of popular piety are a centuries-old tradition, Procida’s Holy Week commemorations stand out.
The picturesque island in the Bay of Naples, often overlooked thanks to its more famous neighbors Ischia and Capri, hums with religious fervor in the days before Easter. Islanders young and old take part in processions reenacting Holy Thursday, when Christ presided over the Last Supper with his apostles, and commemorating his Good Friday crucifixion.
This year’s events began Thursday evening, when boys and men dressed all in white and wearing crowns of thorns reenacted the Last Supper in the Sant’Antonio Abate church, blessing loaves of bread that were then distributed to islanders.
The commemorations culminated with a dawn procession Friday along the seaside road and through Procida’s narrow, pastel-hued streets.
Preparations for the events actually began weeks ago, with the construction of three dozen Carnival-like floats that are paraded through town, each one depicting a biblical scene. They are built from scratch by island artisans in the old unused prison and then assembled overnight in the prison courtyard.
Accompanied by a haunting funeral dirge performed by local musicians, the final floats of the procession include a statue of the Madonna known as the Addolorata, and an 18th-century wooden crucified Christ, lying on his back and covered with a black veil.
If they aren’t participating directly in the processions or in the building of the floats, many of Procida’s 10,000 residents line the streets to watch the procession go by, some making the sign of the cross.
This year, some of the floats referred to current events, including one dedicated to the apocalypse that featured a small Israeli and Palestinian flag.
___
AP correspondent Nicole Winfield contributed from Rome.
Biden says feds should pay for Baltimore bridge collapse rebuild
14:27
Washington — President Biden said Friday he plans to visit Baltimore next week following the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Mr. Biden confirmed the trip to reporters after arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after attending a star-studded fundraiser in New York City with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
The Biden administration said Thursday it approved $60 million in immediate federal aid to help clean up the wreckage that was caused by a cargo container ship colliding with the bridge early Tuesday, killing six people.
“The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement Thursday.
Mr. Biden said earlier this week that he expects the federal government to pay for the full cost of reconstructing the bridge as officials stressed the economic impact of the Port of Baltimore’s closure. A massive effort is underway to reopen the port, a key shipping route that supports thousands of jobs.
“To the people of Baltimore, I want to say, we’re with you,” the president said Tuesday. “We’re going to stay with you as long as it takes.”
Caitlin Yilek
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
BALTIMORE — President Joe Biden on Friday told reporters that he plans to head next week to Baltimore, the site of a deadly bridge collapse.
Speaking to reporters as he deplaned Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews following several campaign stops on Thursday and Friday in New York, the president said, “I’m going to Baltimore next week.”
The Maryland city is the site of a major bridge collapse that happened in the early morning hours on Tuesday after the cargo ship Dali struck a support pillar on the Francis Scott Key bridge after losing power.
Six construction workers who were on the bridge as it was struck have died following the incident.
On Tuesday, Biden told reporters that he told Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other state officials that, “we’re going to send all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency, and I mean all the federal resources. And we’re going to rebuild that port together.”
He also called the incident a “terrible accident” and confirmed that there was no evidence that the ship intentionally struck the bridge.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was in Baltimore with Maryland officials on Tuesday. During a press briefing Wednesday at the White House told Buttigieg reporters, “From the very beginning [Biden] has been acting to make sure that we have a whole-of-government response to support the people of Baltimore.”
On Thursday, Moore spoke about the six victims, saying, “They were fathers, they were sons, they were husbands, They were people who their families relied on.”
“They had no idea that them going to work was gonna turn to a deadly occurrence,” he said.
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The legacy of Mark and Jan Lawrance’s twin sons, Joe and Will, is on display in the exhibition, “JoeWill: Better Together,” at the Indy Art Center in Indianapolis.
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COVER STORY: Twin artists, and the healing power of art Joe and Will Lawrance were identical twins who shared most everything, including an incredible gift for artistic expression. They also each suffered depression that led them to take their own lives. Now, their parents, Mark and Jan Lawrance, want their late sons to be remembered for their remarkable artwork (now on display at the Indy Art Center in Indianapolis), which they hope will give comfort and inspiration to others. Correspondent Jim Axelrod reports.
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ALMANAC: March 31 “Sunday Morning” looks back at historical events on this date.
A thunderegg from central Oregon.
Eibonvale Thunderegg Gallery
MINERALS: On the hunt for thundereggs Millions of years ago, in what would one day become Eastern Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands, lava and water merged to create thundereggs – sphere-shaped rock formations containing agate, jasper or opal. Correspondent Conor Knighton digs into the history of Oregon’s state rock, whose beauty is most apparent when sliced open.
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Oscar-winning actor and producer Michael Douglas.
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TV: Michael Douglas on “Franklin,” and his own inspiring third act He was the son of actors, but Michael Douglas says he was reluctant to follow in the deep footsteps of his father, Kirk Douglas. But as an Oscar-winning producer and performer, Michael has earned his own legendary status. He now stars as the revolutionary figure Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ series “Franklin.” He tells correspondent Mo Rocca that the show’s story, about the founding father’s efforts to save a burgeoning democracy, is timely given today’s dangerous political climate.
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The series “Franklin” debuts on Apple TV+ April 12
Actress Rebel Wilson with correspondent Lee Cowan.
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BOOKS: Rebel Wilson on the sobering secrets revealed in her memoir, “Rebel Rising” The Australian actress made a big impression in the films “Bridesmaids” and “Pitch Perfect,” but Rebel Wilson says she also faced emotional pain, professional obstacles and tabloid battles. She talks with correspondent Lee Cowan about her frank and funny new memoir, “Rebel Rising,” and describes her relationship with her real-life “Disney Princess.”
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PASSAGE: In memoriam “Sunday Morning” remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.
From the archives: Richard Serra’s towering steel art
08:43
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Richard Serra’s towering steel art (Video) Artist and sculptor Richard Serra, famed for making large-scale artworks from giant curved walls of steel, died Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at the age of 85. In this “Sunday Morning” report originally broadcast December 6, 1998, correspondent Martha Teichner talked with the artist about the disorienting effects of his massive constructions, and toured exhibits of Serra’s “Torqued Ellipses” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and “The Snake” at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
From the archives: Louis Gossett Jr.
07:12
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Louis Gossett Jr. (Video) Louis Gossett Jr., who won an Emmy Award for “Roots,” and became the first African American to win a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in “An Officer and a Gentleman,” died Thursday, March 28, 2024, at the age of 87. In this conversation with CBS News’ Michelle Miller (originally broadcast on “Sunday Morning” July 19, 2020), Gossett talked about his long career, and said the greatest advice he could give wasn’t about acting – it was about understanding.
The cast of the new Broadway musical “Suffs,” which recounts the struggle of suffragists to gain women the right to vote.
CBS News
BROADWAY: Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai talk “Suffs” on Broadway “Suffs” (short for suffragists) is a new Broadway musical about women’s fight more than a century ago for a “radical” idea: the right to vote. Correspondent Martha Teichner talks with two of the show’s producers, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, about the importance of art to spread a political message. She also talks with cast members, including the show’s writer and star Shaina Taub, who says “Suffs” has a timely message: “Every generation has to fight to protect these rights and freedoms again and again and again.”
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COMMENTARY: Building healthier habitats to resist the impacts of climate change Scientists have prescribed practical steps to heal our warming planet, including returning our towns back to a more natural state. CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti explains how taking steps to mitigate the effects of climate change can save us from the trauma of disasters brought about by extreme weather.
Martha Stewart offers advice to indoor gardeners, whether your thumbs are green or magenta.
CBS News
GARDENING: Martha Stewart on keeping houseplants The lifestyle entrepreneur and host of “Martha Gardens” offers advice on how to bring beauty into your home with potted plants, and how to keep them looking their best.
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Pete Townshend, of The Who.
CBS News
BROADWAY: Pete Townshend on the return of “Tommy” to Broadway The rock opera “Tommy” was one of The Who’s biggest hits, and won five Tony Awards when it was translated to Broadway three decades ago. Now it’s back, in a version that Pete Townshend and director Des McAnuff say is more relevant than ever. Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with Townshend, who describes the personal price he’s paid for every iteration of “Tommy”; and with the star and creative team who discuss turning the story of a pinball wizard into Broadway magic.
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COMMENTARY: Wilton Cardinal Gregory with a prayer for peace at Easter time As we enter the season of spring, and a significant time for many faiths, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., offers his thoughts on unity, and a wish for long-lasting peace in every part of the world.
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MILEPOST: Farewell, Mary Lou Teel
NATURE: TBD
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From the “Sunday Morning” archives: Writers on writing IV by
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Writers on writing IV (YouTube Video) Enjoy a look back at “Sunday Morning” conversations with some of the most celebrated writers of our time. Featured: From 1994, Patrick O’Brian talks with David Culhane about his series of Napoleonic-era naval adventures featuring Captain Jack Aubrey; from 1997, “The Color Purple” author Alice Walker talks about literature and activism with Jerry Bowen; from 1979, William Styron discusses the writing of “Sophie’s Choice” with Heywood Hale Broun; from 1995, Barbara Kingsolver talks about her novels, and her collection of essays, “High Tide In Tucson,” with Anthony Mason; from 1990, Bill Geist joins counter-culture author Ken Kesey and some Merry Pranksters aboard a replica of the celebrated “magic bus” of the 1960s; and from 2010, Serena Altschul visits fantasy and comic author Neil Gaiman for a conversation about his novel “Coraline,” recently made into an Oscar-nominated animated film.
Extended interview: Steve Martin & director Morgan Neville by
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EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Steve Martin and director Morgan Neville (YouTube Video) Comedian Steve Martin’s career has spanned standup, TV, albums, movies, novels, music, plays – and now, a documentary film, “STEVE (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces.” In this extended interview, correspondent Tracy Smith sat down with Martin and the film’s director, Morgan Neville, to talk about what Martin learned doing standup, and what his father thought about his line of work; making a documentary and the difficulties of looking back on one’s career; and how Martin’s current live shows with Martin Short continue to evolve.
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David Morgan is senior producer for CBSNews.com and the Emmy Award-winning “CBS News Sunday Morning.” He writes about film, music and the arts. He is author of the books “Monty Python Speaks” and “Knowing the Score,” and editor of “Sundancing,” about the Sundance Film Festival.
From the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, to the terrorist attack in Russia, to Easter celebrations in Europe, dpa international presents its Pictures of the Week.
Parachutes carrying humanitarian aid dropped from aircraft, land on Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, where civilians are said to be on the verge of famine. Mahmoud Issa/dpa
Relatives of Palestinians who were killed in Israeli attacks, mourn as they receive the dead bodies from the morgue of Al-Aqsa Hospital for burial in Deir al Balah. Ali Hamad/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
People demonstrate against the Israeli government and demand the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. Cindy Riechau/dpa
A man looks at a damaged car after an Israeli army operation in the Jenin camp in the West Bank. Three people have been killed, the Israeli army reported. Ayman Nobani/dpa
Lebanese mourners carry flags-draped coffins of four people, who were killed in an overnight Israeli in the southern Lebanese village of Naqoura, during their funeral procession. STR/dpa
Emergency services are at the scene following an attack at a popular concert hall complex on Friday where assailants stormed the venue with guns and incendiary devices, killing at least 100 people and injuring hundreds. Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
A couple mourns at a make-shift memorial in St. Petersburg’s center, in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Joint Search and Rescue officers evacuate landslide victims in Cigintung Village. On the fourth day of searching for landslide victims, the joint Search and Rescue team succeeded in evacuating seven bodies out of a total of ten victims who died who were buried by landslide and landslide material. On March 24, high-intensity rain caused landslides that damaged 30 houses and displaced 352 people. Dimas Rachmatsyah/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
A member of the United Nations humanitarian delegation helps the United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator David Carden (R) putting a helmet during their visit to oversee the advancement of unexploded ordnance removal in Idlib. Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
A man casts his ballot at a polling station in the village of Kuty during the 2024 Slovakia presidential election. álek Václav/CTK/dpa
A person casts his vote at a polling station in Dakar, during the 1st round of Senegal’s presidential election. Nicolas Remene/Le Pictorium via ZUMA Press/dpa
(L-R) German Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck, CEO of Northvolt Peter Carlsson, 1st Chairman of the Heid – Ruesdoerp bowling club Christoph Vogler, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Swedish Ambassador to Germany Veronika Wand-Danielsson and Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Guenther bowling on the construction site of the Northvolt factory, which will produce battery cells for electric cars from 2026. Marcus Brandt/dpa
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prior to their meeting at his official residence In Ramallah. Christoph Soeder/dpa
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant (L) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US Department of State. Ariel Hermoni/GPO/dpa
A general view of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was collapsed after a cargo ship crashed into it. Karl Merton Ferron/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Handout photo provided by Kensington Palace, shows the Princess of Wales recording her message, during which she announced that she is undergoing chemotherapy. Bbc Studios/PA Wire/dpa
Philipp Lahm (L), Tournament Director of the European Football Championship, holds the trophy for the European Football Championship, which is being held in Germany this year, together with former national soccer player Celia Sasic. The trophy is displayed in the courtyard of honor in front of the new castle. Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
US tennis player Coco Gauff in action against France’s Oceane Dodin during their women’s singles round of 32 match of the 2024 Miami Open tennis tournament at the Hard Rock Stadium. Debby Wong/Zuma Press/dpa
Swiss ski racer Marco Odermatt celebrates with the trophy at the award ceremony of the Men’s Overall downhill World Cup. Johann Groder/APA/dpa
Second-placed Monacan Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc of Ferrari (L) and Race winner Spanish Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz of Ferrari celebrate on the podium after the Australian Grand Prix 2024 at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
England’s Jarrod Bowen (L) and Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen battle for the ball during the international soccer friendly soccer match between England and Belgium at Wembley Stadium. Mike Egerton/PA Wire/dpa
Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny celebrates saving the penalty of Wales’ Dan James in the penalty shoot-out following the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying play-off final soccer match between Wales and Poland at the Cardiff City Stadium. David Davies/PA Wire/dpa
Brazil’s Wendell reacts during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Brazil at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Federico Titone/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
A couple kisses as passengers wait for trains at London’s St Pancras Station as the getaway continues for the Easter weekend. Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa
A man sits behind a window overlooking the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, during the 3rd Friday of the Muslim’s holy fasting month of Ramadan. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
Fasting Muslims take part in Mass Iftar at Ribakibazar in Sylhet, during holy month of Ramadan. Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Israeli right wing settlers celebrate Purim to commemorate the deliverance of the Jewish people from an extermination in the ancient Persian, as described in the Book of Esther. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
Flames rise from a fire made by villagers for the Holika dahan ritual, which symbolizes the burning of evil, a day before the Holi festival. Saurabh Sirohiya/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Penitents of the “Jesus Yacente” brotherhood participate in a religious procession during Holy Week in Zamora. Manuel Balles/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Christian worshippers march with a cross during the Good Friday procession. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
A Cormorant spreads its wings on the Dodder River at Clonskeagh in Dublin. Nick Bradshaw/PA Wire/dpa
TAXCO, Mexico — A mob in the Mexican tourist city of Taxco brutally beat a woman to death Thursday because she was suspected of kidnapping and killing a young girl, rampaging just hours before the city’s famous Holy Week procession.
The mob formed after an 8-year-old girl disappeared Wednesday. Her body was found on a road on the outskirts of the city early Thursday. Security camera footage appeared to show a woman and a man loading a bundle, which may have been the girl’s body, into a taxi.
The mob surrounded the woman’s house Thursday, threatening to drag her out. Police took the woman into the bed of a police pickup truck, but then stood by — apparently intimidated by the crowd — as members of the mob dragged her out of the truck and down onto the street where they stomped, kicked and pummeled her until she lay, partly stripped and motionless.
Police then picked her up and took her away, leaving the pavement stained with blood. The Guerrero state prosecutors’ office later confirmed the woman died of her injuries.
“This is the result of the bad government we have,” said a member of the mob, who gave her name as Andrea but refused to give her last name. “This isn’t the first time this kind of thing has happened,” she said, referring to the murder of the girl, “but this is the first time the people have done something.”
“We are fed up,” she said. “This time it was an 8-year-old girl.”
A relative of the kidnapped 8-year-old girl weeps Thursday as her body is handed over to family in Taxco.Fernando Llano / AP
The mayor of Taxco, Mario Figueroa, said he shared residents’ outrage over the killing. Figueroa said a total of three people beaten by the mob — the woman and two men — had been taken away by police. Video from the scene suggested they had also been beaten, though The Associated Press witnessed only the beating of the woman.
The state prosecutors’ office said the two men were hospitalized. There was no immediate information on their condition.
In a statement issued soon after the event, Figueroa complained he did not get any help from the state government for his small, outnumbered municipal police force.
“Unfortunately, up to now we have not received any help or answers,” Figueroa said.
The Good Friday eve religious procession, which dates back centuries in the old silver-mining town, went off as planned Thursday night.
People crowded Taxco’s colonial streets to watch hooded men walking while whipping themselves or carrying heavy bundles of thorns across their bare shoulders in penitence to emulate the suffering of Jesus Christ carrying the cross.
Penitents carry a bundle of thorny branches during a Holy Week procession Thursday in Taxco.Fernando Llano / AP
But the earlier flash of violence cast a pall over the already solemn procession, which draws thousands to the small town.
Many participants wore small white ribbons of mourning.
“I never thought that in a touristic place like Taxco we would experience a lynching,” said Felipa Lagunas, a local elementary school teacher. “I saw it as something distant, in places far from civilization … I never imagined that my community would experience this on such a special day.”
Mob attacks in rural Mexico are common. In 2018, two men were torched by an angry crowd in the central state of Puebla, and the next day a man and woman were dragged from their vehicle, beaten and set afire in the neighboring state of Hidalgo.
But Taxco and other cities in Guerrero state have been particularly prone to violence.
In late January, Taxco endured a days-long strike by private taxi and van drivers who suffered threats from one of several drug gangs fighting for control of the area. The situation was so bad that police had to give people rides in the back of their patrol vehicles.
Around the same time, the bullet-ridden bodies of two detectives were found on the outskirts of Taxco. Local media said their bodies showed signs of torture.
In February, Figueroa’s own bulletproof car was shot up by gunmen on motorcycles.
In Taxco and throughout Guerrero state, drug cartels and gangs routinely prey on the local population, demanding protection payments from store owners, taxi and bus drivers. They kill those who refuse to pay.
Residents said they have had enough, even though the violence may further affect tourism.
“We know the town lives off of Holy Week (tourism) and that this is going to mess it up. There will be a lot of people who won’t want to come anymore,” said Andrea, the woman who was in the mob. “We make our living off tourism, but we cannot continue to allow them to do these things to us.”
A selection of the week’s best photos from across the continent and beyond:
On Wednesday, Sufi Muslims in Cairo prepare to perform their famous “whirling” dance, where a series of turns is said to lift them to a spiritually heightened state. [Fareed Kotb/Getty Images]
Elsewhere in Egypt’s capital city, Muslims observing the holy month of Ramadan break their fast with an enormous “iftar” street party. [Khaled Desouki/AFP]
This joyful duo are captured enjoying iftar on Friday – this time in a Somali refugee camp. [Hodan Mohamed Abdullahi/Getty Images]
Thousands of miles away at the prestigious Art Basel fair in Hong Kong, paintings by Nigerian artist Babajide Olatunji catch a visitor’s eye [Peter Parks/Getty Images]
Cameroonian singer-songwriter Irma Pany poses for a portrait of her own on Wednesday. [Joel Saget/AFP]
While a different type of artists command attention on Saturday at the closing ceremony of the 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana. [Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP]
Colourful characters are also snapped in Nairobi, Kenya, where city-dwellers celebrate the Hindu festival, Holi. [Thomas Mukoya/Reuters]
The East African nation also hosts a World Rally Championship on Wednesday, in the south-western town of Naivasha. [Massimo Bettiol/Getty Images]
South Africa play an international friendly match Algeria on Tuesday – and mark one of three goals with a sleepy celebration. [Billel Bensalem/Getty Images]
Also motionless are these unlucky fish, who wind up in a Zimbabwean trader’s net on Sunday. [KB Mpofu/Reuters]
