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In the wake of in excess of fifty installments navigating the international Black diaspora, this represents a last piece. The tenure proved profoundly rewarding, and immense thanks extended to every one of the attentive audience.

A Look Inside Accra Cultural Week

Experiencing the displays, presentations and shows of the festival, observers witness how superior art nourishes and shapes a nation's heritage and identity. The focal point was certainly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which showcased his innovative afrogallonism on full display: a concept that reimagines yellow jerrycans into captivating creations, tapestries of metallic tones. The show was conceived as a homage to the strength of the historic district, a venerable quarter of Accra.

The community – predominantly inhabited by the Ga ethnic group, a fishing community – is also where many returning Africans came back from Brazil and made their home in the 19th century. Called the Tabom people, they carried with them Brazilian language and traditions.

All across Jamestown, visitors encounter a blend of building designs. There’s Franklin House, featuring its distinct European-style brickwork and arched doorways. Also present is the prominent Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 19th century and subsequently sporting its distinctive striped facade.

Customs of Mourning

Also notable about Jamestown is the ever-present presence of obituary announcements. Everywhere you turn, be it affixed to alleyways or on big hoardings, there are service information and expressions of mourning. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, final rites are significant community celebrations.

In Clottey’s impressive exhibition, every aspect of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are present – notably in the enveloping shoreline installation. Here, you’re soothed by the recording of the sea with beach material underfoot, while shacks, nets and depictions of vessels pay homage to its spirited, long-standing maritime community. However being present in this exhibition space, one cannot help but think of the heaps of textile waste that mar the beauty and peace of the region.

Apart from the Main Event

Accra Cultural Week also features a great deal more. Housed in an unfinished structure at the University of Ghana, artist Reginald Sylvester II exhibited On the Other Side of Languish, an emotionally powerful, austere show that featured three-dimensional works and paintings made in concert with welders.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It featured the first solo show of a prior recipient, whose work utilizes personal family archives to create a artistic representation of life in Ghana after independence. The event also honored a latest champion, whose diverse work is particularly focused on the textile traditions of women in the Volta region.

An Enduring Presence

While the overseas community has grown been pulled home to west Africa during the winter months, more and more are thinking about journeying earlier in the year to experience the area's cultural season. From this festival and similar gatherings, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not merely nascent or “rising” but have established an entire landscape that is here to stay.

In the end, the visit provides a perception of Accra that resembles a statement for conservation and the preservation of culture. It is a powerful testament to perseverance in all its expressions.