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After over 50 issues navigating the global Black diaspora, this marks a concluding column. The tenure has been deeply fulfilling, and great appreciation extended to all the dedicated audience.

Exploring the Cultural Week

Experiencing the exhibitions, installations and shows of Accra Cultural Week, observers witness how exceptional art nourishes and constructs a country’s history and identity. The focal point was certainly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his innovative afrogallonism in full view: a approach that transforms yellow jerrycans into captivating works of art, assemblages of yellow, brass and gold. The exhibition was created as a testament to the endurance of the historic district, a historical quarter of Accra.

The community – mainly populated by the Ga community, a community of fishermen – is additionally where many formerly enslaved people came back from South America and settled in the 1830s. Called the Tabom community, they brought Brazilian language and culture.

Throughout Jamestown, you can see a blend of architecture. You'll find a historic building, featuring its distinct colonial-era masonry and curved entrances. Also present is the famous beacon, erected in the 19th century and subsequently featuring its signature striped appearance.

Customs of Celebration

Furthermore notable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous sight of memorial notices. Everywhere you turn, whether plastered over buildings or on sizable signboards, you’ll see service information and terms of farewell. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, funerals are major community celebrations.

In Clottey’s breathtaking exhibition, all of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are captured – particularly in the enveloping beach-themed piece. Here, you’re soothed by the audio of the sea with granules at your feet, while shacks, nets and representations of canoes honour its vibrant, long-standing seafaring tradition. However being present in this venue, it's hard to ignore the piles of textile waste that mar the beauty and serenity of the region.

Beyond the Main Event

The festival program included much more. Inside an raw space at the local university, creator Reginald Sylvester II exhibited On the Other Side of Languish, an emotionally powerful, stripped-back exhibition that displayed sculptures and artworks made in collaboration with welders.

Another key element is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It showcased the first solo show of a recent recipient, whose work references familial archival records to craft a visual impression of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also announced a new champion, whose diverse work is intensely concerned with the weaving practices of women in the Volta region.

An Enduring Legacy

Although the overseas community has more and more been pulled back to west Africa during the winter months, a growing cohort are considering visiting some months earlier to experience the region’s artistic calendar. From Accra Cultural Week and similar gatherings, what is evident are creative communities that are not merely nascent or “rising” but have established an entire landscape that is enduring.

Finally, the journey offers a perception of Accra that feels like a declaration for conservation and the safeguarding of tradition. It is a powerful testament to perseverance in all its forms.