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Following more than 50 issues delving into the international Black diaspora, this marks a last column. The journey has been incredibly gratifying, and immense gratitude directed to every one of the engaged followers.

A Look Inside Accra Cultural Week

Visiting the showcases, artworks and performances of this event, one sees how exceptional art feeds and shapes a nation's history and identity. The highlight was certainly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s stunning a profound exploration of ritual and time, which showcased his pioneering afrogallonism on full display: a philosophy that converts yellow jerrycans into captivating art pieces, tapestries of golden hues. The display was conceived as a testament to the endurance of the historic district, a historical quarter of Accra.

This area – mainly populated by the Ga ethnic group, a fishing community – is furthermore where a great number of returning Africans arrived from Brazil and settled in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom, they brought Brazilian language and traditions.

In every part of Jamestown, visitors encounter a fusion of architectural styles. There’s a historic building, boasting its unique colonial-era brickwork and arched doorways. Another landmark is the iconic Jamestown Lighthouse, erected in the 1871 and later featuring its signature red-and-white-striped appearance.

A Culture of Mourning

Equally notable about Jamestown is the pervasive sight of memorial notices. Wherever you look, be it covering alleyways or on sizable hoardings, there are funeral details and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, memorial services are significant communal events.

In Clottey’s impressive show, the entirety of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are captured – notably in the engaging shoreline work. Here, visitors are calmed by the audio of the sea with sand at your feet, while beach huts, hanging fishing nets and representations of boats honour its spirited, long-standing seafaring tradition. Yet being present in this gallery, it's hard to ignore the heaps of discarded clothing that mar the charm and serenity of the region.

Apart from the Main Event

Accra Cultural Week also features additional highlights. Housed in an incomplete building at the University of Ghana, artist Sylvester presented On the Other Side of Languish, an emotionally powerful, stripped-back show that included sculptures and paintings created in partnership with artisans.

And then there is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It featured the first solo show of a prior winner, whose work references familial archival records to produce a visual impression of life in Ghana after independence. The event also crowned a new champion, whose multidisciplinary work is deeply focused on the weaving practices of women in Dabala.

An Enduring Impact

While the diaspora has more and more been pulled back to west Africa in the colder season, more and more are contemplating visiting some months earlier to engage with the area's cultural season. From Accra Cultural Week and regional art fairs, what you’ll find are cultural ecosystems that are not merely emerging or “rising” but have established an complete universe that is here to stay.

Finally, the journey leaves one with a image of Accra that serves as a manifesto for conservation and the preservation of culture. It is a powerful tribute to adaptability in all its manifestations.