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After more than fifty issues navigating the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a last column. The tenure was incredibly gratifying, with immense gratitude extended to every one of the attentive followers.

Exploring Accra Cultural Week

Attending the exhibitions, installations and shows of the festival, it becomes clear how the finest art sustains and builds a nation's history and character. The centrepiece was certainly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s remarkable a profound exploration of ritual and time, which showcased his groundbreaking afrogallonism on full display: a concept that converts plastic containers into mesmerizing creations, mosaics of golden hues. The display was designed as a homage to the endurance of this area, a venerable area of Accra.

Jamestown – largely populated by the Ga ethnic group, a fishing community – is also where a great number of formerly enslaved people returned from Brazil and established themselves in the 19th century. Known as the Tabom community, they carried with them Brazilian language and culture.

In every part of Jamestown, you can see a mix of architecture. Standing is Fort Vicentia, featuring its characteristic colonial-era construction and curved entrances. One can also see the famous lighthouse of Jamestown, erected in the 1871 and later featuring its recognizable banded facade.

Traditions of Remembrance

Furthermore striking about Jamestown is the pervasive sight of obituary announcements. Wherever you look, be it plastered over buildings or on big signboards, there are funeral details and terms of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, funerals are large-scale social gatherings.

In this impressive show, every aspect of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are present – notably in the enveloping beach-themed piece. Here, visitors are calmed by the sound of the sea with beach material at your feet, while beach huts, draped nets and depictions of boats pay homage to its dynamic, multigenerational maritime community. But experiencing this exhibition space, it's hard to ignore the piles of textile waste that mar the charm and tranquillity of the shoreline.

In Addition to the Main Event

There is additional highlights. Housed in an unfinished structure at the University of Ghana, creator Sylvester presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, austere exhibition that included sculptures and canvases made in concert with metalworkers.

And then there is the prestigious art award for female Ghanaian artists. It included the first solo show of a prior laureate, whose work draws on historical documents to produce a artistic representation of life in Ghana after independence. The event also announced a current winner, whose varied work is particularly focused on the craft techniques of women in the Volta region.

A Lasting Presence

While the overseas community has increasingly been attracted home to Ghana in the winter months, a growing cohort are thinking about visiting for the cultural season to engage with the area's cultural season. From this festival and similar gatherings, what emerges are art scenes that are not merely emerging or “rising” but have forged an entire world that is enduring.

Ultimately, the visit leaves one with a perception of Accra that serves as a manifesto for conservation and the keeping alive of culture. It is a powerful testament to adaptability in all its expressions.