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Following over fifty installments exploring the global Black diaspora, this marks a final piece. The experience was incredibly gratifying, with immense gratitude offered to every one of the attentive audience.

Exploring the Cultural Week

Visiting the displays, artworks and shows of this event, observers witness how the finest art sustains and builds a country’s heritage and character. The centrepiece was without doubt the artist's remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which displayed his innovative afrogallonism for all to see: a concept that reimagines water vessels into illusory art pieces, mosaics of yellow, brass and gold. The display was designed as a testament to the strength of the historic district, a venerable neighbourhood of Accra.

This area – largely home to the Ga community, a seafaring people – is additionally where numerous returning Africans returned from South America and settled in the 1830s. Called the Tabom community, they introduced Portuguese language and traditions.

All across Jamestown, one observes a mix of architecture. There’s Franklin House, featuring its distinct Portuguese construction and door arches. Also present is the famous Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 1871 and subsequently sporting its distinctive red-and-white-striped appearance.

Customs of Celebration

Furthermore striking about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of funeral posters. Everywhere you turn, be it affixed to alleyways or on larger billboards, there are funeral details and phrases of loss. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, memorial services are large-scale community celebrations.

In Clottey’s impressive exhibition, all of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are captured – especially in the immersive Jamestown nshonaa work. Here, you’re soothed by the audio of the sea with sand underfoot, while beach huts, nets and images of vessels honour its spirited, multigenerational seafaring tradition. But being present in this exhibition space, one cannot help but think of the heaps of textile waste that threaten the charm and peace of the shoreline.

Apart from the Centrepiece

Accra Cultural Week also features additional highlights. Housed in an raw space at the local university, artist Sylvester showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an incredibly moving, austere exhibition that included sculptures and artworks produced in collaboration with welders.

Also featured was the prestigious art award for Ghanaian women creators. It showcased the first solo show of a recent winner, whose work utilizes historical documents to create a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also honored a new winner, whose diverse work is deeply concerned with the craft techniques of women in the Volta region.

An Enduring Presence

While the overseas community has more and more been pulled back to west Africa during the colder season, a growing cohort are contemplating visiting some months earlier to experience the area's artistic calendar. Between Accra Cultural Week and regional art fairs, what you’ll find are art scenes that are not simply emerging or “upcoming” but have established an complete universe that is enduring.

Finally, the experience offers a perception of Accra that resembles a declaration for conservation and the safeguarding of tradition. It is a resonant homage to adaptability in all its manifestations.