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In the wake of more than 50 installments exploring the international Black diaspora, this marks a concluding piece. The experience proved incredibly fulfilling, with sincere thanks extended to all the dedicated followers.

Inside the Accra Festival

Visiting the showcases, artworks and performances of Accra Cultural Week, one sees how the finest art nourishes and constructs a country’s past and character. The highlight was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which displayed his groundbreaking afrogallonism for all to see: a approach that reimagines water vessels into mesmerizing works of art, mosaics of golden hues. The exhibition was designed as a homage to the strength of this area, a venerable quarter of Accra.

Jamestown – largely populated by the Ga people, a fishing community – is additionally where a great number of freed slaves arrived from South America and settled in the 1830s. Called the Tabom community, they introduced Brazilian language and culture.

In every part of Jamestown, you can see a blend of architecture. Standing is Fort Vicentia, with its distinct European-style masonry and arched doorways. Another landmark is the iconic Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 19th century and subsequently sporting its distinctive red-and-white-striped exterior.

Customs of Remembrance

Also notable about Jamestown is the ever-present presence of memorial notices. On every corner, be it covering alleyways or on big hoardings, you’ll see funeral details and terms of farewell. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, memorial services are large-scale communal events.

In this breathtaking exhibition, every aspect of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are captured – especially in the engaging shoreline installation. Here, visitors are calmed by the recording of ocean surf with beach material at your feet, while shacks, draped nets and representations of vessels pay homage to its vibrant, long-standing seafaring tradition. Yet standing in this venue, the mind turns to the heaps of cast-off garments that mar the beauty and serenity of the region.

Beyond the Centrepiece

There is a great deal more. Housed in an unfinished structure at the local university, creator Reginald Sylvester II showcased On the Other Side of Languish, an profoundly affecting, stripped-back presentation that featured three-dimensional works and paintings created in collaboration with welders.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for Ghanaian women creators. It showcased the first solo show of a prior laureate, whose work draws on familial archival records to produce a visual impression of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also honored a latest champion, whose varied work is deeply concerned with the textile traditions of women in Dabala.

A Lasting Presence

While the diaspora has increasingly been attracted home to west Africa during the colder season, more and more are considering journeying for the cultural season to immerse themselves in the area's cultural season. Between Accra Cultural Week and regional art fairs, what you’ll find are cultural ecosystems that are not simply nascent or “rising” but have established an complete landscape that is enduring.

In the end, the experience leaves one with a vision of Accra that resembles a manifesto for environmental protection and the keeping alive of tradition. It is a powerful homage to perseverance in all its manifestations.