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Following over fifty issues navigating the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a concluding piece. The tenure proved incredibly gratifying, and immense gratitude directed to all the attentive followers.

A Look Inside the Cultural Week

Visiting the showcases, installations and shows of Accra Cultural Week, one sees how exceptional art feeds and constructs a country’s past and essence. The highlight was without doubt Clottey's exquisite [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his pioneering afrogallonism on full display: a approach that reimagines yellow jerrycans into captivating art pieces, mosaics of golden hues. The exhibition was created as a homage to the endurance of Jamestown, a venerable neighbourhood of Accra.

This area – mainly populated by the Ga people, a fishing community – is also where many returning Africans came back from South America and established themselves in the 19th century. Known as the Tabom, they brought Portuguese language and customs.

All across Jamestown, you can see a blend of building designs. There’s Franklin House, boasting its distinct European-style brickwork and curved entrances. Another landmark is the prominent Jamestown Lighthouse, erected in the 1871 and eventually sporting its signature red-and-white-striped appearance.

A Culture of Celebration

Furthermore remarkable about Jamestown is the pervasive presence of funeral posters. On every corner, be it plastered over alleyways or on larger hoardings, one finds funeral details and terms of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, final rites are major community celebrations.

In the artist's breathtaking installation, every aspect of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are evoked – especially in the engaging beach-themed installation. In this space, one is relaxed by the sound of crashing waves with granules at your feet, while shacks, hanging fishing nets and depictions of vessels honour its spirited, long-standing fishing community. Yet standing in this gallery, it's hard to ignore the piles of cast-off garments that threaten the aesthetics and tranquillity of the shoreline.

Apart from the Centrepiece

The festival program included much more. Within an unfinished structure at the local university, artist Sylvester exhibited On the Other Side of Languish, an profoundly affecting, minimalist presentation that included three-dimensional works and paintings made in partnership with artisans.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for Ghanaian women creators. It included the debut presentation of a prior recipient, whose work utilizes personal family archives to create a artistic representation of life in Ghana after independence. The event also honored a current champion, whose varied work is intensely focused on the craft techniques of women in the Volta region.

A Permanent Presence

While the diaspora has grown been attracted back to the region in the western winter, more and more are considering travelling some months earlier to engage with the region’s festival period. From this festival and other major events, what is evident are cultural ecosystems that are not merely new or “rising” but have established an complete universe that is permanent.

In the end, the visit provides a perception of Accra that resembles a declaration for ecological stewardship and the preservation of tradition. It is a compelling homage to adaptability in all its manifestations.