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In the wake of in excess of 50 issues navigating the global Black diaspora, this represents a concluding piece. The journey was deeply rewarding, with great thanks directed to all the attentive audience.

A Look Inside Accra Cultural Week

Visiting the displays, presentations and acts of this event, one sees how the finest art feeds and shapes a country’s heritage and character. The highlight was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s exquisite a profound exploration of ritual and time, which displayed his groundbreaking afrogallonism for all to see: a philosophy that transforms yellow jerrycans into illusory works of art, assemblages of metallic tones. The display was designed as a tribute to the endurance of Jamestown, a venerable area of Accra.

Jamestown – predominantly home to the Ga community, a fishing community – is furthermore where numerous freed slaves returned from Brazil and settled in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom, they introduced Brazilian language and culture.

In every part of Jamestown, visitors encounter a fusion of architectural styles. Standing is Franklin House, featuring its characteristic colonial-era masonry and door arches. One can also see the iconic lighthouse of Jamestown, constructed in the 1800s and subsequently given its distinctive striped appearance.

Customs of Remembrance

Furthermore remarkable about Jamestown is the ever-present sight of memorial notices. On every corner, whether plastered over buildings or on big signboards, you’ll see service information and terms of loss. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, memorial services are significant communal events.

In this spectacular installation, every aspect of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are captured – particularly in the immersive shoreline piece. In this space, visitors are calmed by the sound of crashing waves with beach material at your feet, while shelters, draped nets and depictions of vessels pay homage to its vibrant, generational maritime community. Yet standing in this exhibition space, it's hard to ignore the heaps of discarded clothing that threaten the charm and serenity of the area.

Apart from the Centrepiece

Accra Cultural Week also features a great deal more. Housed in an raw space at the University of Ghana, artist Reginald Sylvester II showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an incredibly moving, austere exhibition that displayed sculptures and artworks made in collaboration with metalworkers.

Also featured was the prestigious art award for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It featured the first solo show of a prior winner, whose work draws on familial archival records to create a artistic representation of life in the nation's recent history. The event also announced a new winner, whose varied work is particularly focused on the craft techniques of women in a specific region.

An Enduring Presence

Although the diaspora has grown been drawn home to west Africa during the western winter, a growing cohort are thinking about travelling some months earlier to immerse themselves in the region’s festival period. From this festival and other major events, what you’ll find are cultural ecosystems that are not merely nascent or “rising” but have established an entire world that is here to stay.

Ultimately, the experience leaves one with a image of Accra that feels like a manifesto for environmental protection and the preservation of culture. It is a resonant homage to adaptability in all its expressions.