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In the wake of over 50 issues navigating the global Black diaspora, this marks a concluding dispatch. The tenure proved incredibly gratifying, and immense thanks extended to all the engaged audience.

Exploring the Cultural Week

Visiting the displays, installations and acts of Accra Cultural Week, observers witness how exceptional art feeds and builds a country’s heritage and character. The highlight was certainly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s exquisite a profound exploration of ritual and time, which put his pioneering afrogallonism on full display: a philosophy that converts plastic containers into illusory works of art, tapestries of yellow, brass and gold. The exhibition was conceived as a testament to the strength of the historic district, a historic neighbourhood of Accra.

The community – predominantly populated by the Ga community, a community of fishermen – is also where many formerly enslaved people came back from Brazil and made their home in the 1830s. Called the Tabom community, they brought Brazilian tongue and traditions.

Throughout Jamestown, one observes a mix of architecture. Standing is Franklin House, boasting its unique Portuguese construction and door arches. One can also see the prominent beacon, erected in the 1800s and later sporting its distinctive banded exterior.

Customs of Mourning

Furthermore striking about Jamestown is the ubiquitous sight of obituary announcements. Wherever you look, whether affixed to walls or on larger billboards, you’ll see service information and phrases of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, funerals are large-scale social gatherings.

In the artist's spectacular installation, the entirety of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are captured – especially in the engaging Jamestown nshonaa work. Within it, one is relaxed by the sound of the sea with beach material on the floor, while beach huts, draped nets and representations of boats pay homage to its vibrant, multigenerational fishing community. But standing in this venue, the mind turns to the mountains of cast-off garments that compromise the charm and peace of the region.

Beyond the Centrepiece

There is additional highlights. Inside an incomplete building at the local university, artist Sylvester exhibited a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, minimalist presentation that featured sculptures and canvases created in collaboration with metalworkers.

And then there is the competition for female artists for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It showcased the inaugural exhibition of a recent recipient, whose work utilizes personal family archives to produce a depiction of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also crowned a latest champion, whose varied work is particularly focused on the weaving practices of women in Dabala.

A Permanent Presence

Although the global African community has increasingly been drawn back to the region during the colder season, an increasing number are thinking about journeying some months earlier to experience the area's cultural season. Between Accra Cultural Week and regional art fairs, what is evident are creative communities that are not simply nascent or “rising” but have built up an entire universe that is enduring.

In the end, the experience offers a image of Accra that serves as a declaration for environmental protection and the keeping alive of culture. It is a resonant tribute to resilience in all its expressions.