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After more than 50 issues navigating the global Black diaspora, this marks a last column. The tenure was incredibly gratifying, with sincere appreciation offered to all the dedicated audience.

Exploring the Accra Festival

Experiencing the exhibitions, presentations and acts of Accra Cultural Week, observers witness how the finest art nourishes and constructs a country’s history and essence. The centrepiece was undoubtedly Clottey's stunning a profound exploration of ritual and time, which showcased his pioneering afrogallonism on full display: a philosophy that transforms yellow jerrycans into captivating art pieces, mosaics of metallic tones. The show was conceived as a tribute to the endurance of this area, a historical area of Accra.

Jamestown – mainly inhabited by the Ga community, a seafaring people – is additionally where many returning Africans returned from South America and established themselves in the 1830s. Called the Tabom community, they brought Brazilian language and customs.

All across Jamestown, visitors encounter a blend of architectural styles. You'll find Franklin House, boasting its characteristic colonial-era construction and door arches. Another landmark is the iconic lighthouse of Jamestown, built in the 1800s and eventually featuring its distinctive banded appearance.

A Culture of Remembrance

Furthermore striking about Jamestown is the pervasive presence of memorial notices. Wherever you look, whether affixed to alleyways or on sizable hoardings, there are funeral details and terms of farewell. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, final rites are significant social gatherings.

In the artist's spectacular installation, all of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are captured – especially in the engaging beach-themed piece. Here, you’re soothed by the audio of ocean surf with sand at your feet, while shacks, nets and representations of vessels pay homage to its dynamic, generational fishing community. But standing in this gallery, the mind turns to the mountains of textile waste that compromise the beauty and peace of the area.

Apart from the Main Event

The festival program included additional highlights. Within an raw space at the local university, creator Reginald Sylvester II presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, stripped-back show that featured three-dimensional works and paintings created in partnership with metalworkers.

Also featured was the prestigious art award for Ghanaian women creators. It featured the first solo show of a prior winner, whose work draws on personal family archives to produce a visual impression of life in Ghana after independence. The event also announced a new champion, whose diverse work is intensely invested in the craft techniques of women in a specific region.

A Permanent Impact

While the diaspora has more and more been pulled home to the region during the winter months, more and more are considering travelling some months earlier to experience the region’s artistic calendar. From this festival and other major events, what is evident are art scenes that are not merely nascent or “rising” but have established an entire world that is here to stay.

Ultimately, the visit offers a image of Accra that feels like a declaration for ecological stewardship and the safeguarding of heritage. It is a compelling testament to perseverance in all its expressions.