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After more than 50 installments navigating the global Black diaspora, this marks a final piece. The experience was profoundly fulfilling, with sincere gratitude directed to every one of the engaged readers.

A Look Inside the Cultural Week

Attending the showcases, artworks and shows of Accra Cultural Week, it becomes clear how exceptional art nourishes and builds a nation's heritage and character. The highlight was certainly Clottey's stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which showcased his groundbreaking afrogallonism for all to see: a approach that converts yellow jerrycans into illusory creations, assemblages of yellow, brass and gold. The show was created as a homage to the resilience of this area, a historic neighbourhood of Accra.

The community – mainly home to the Ga ethnic group, a fishing community – is additionally where a great number of freed slaves arrived from South America and settled in the 1830s. Known as the Tabom, they carried with them Brazilian tongue and culture.

Throughout Jamestown, visitors encounter a fusion of architectural styles. You'll find Fort Vicentia, boasting its distinct colonial-era brickwork and arched doorways. Another landmark is the famous beacon, erected in the 1871 and later featuring its signature striped facade.

Traditions of Celebration

Also notable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of obituary announcements. Wherever you look, be it plastered over buildings or on sizable signboards, there are announcements and terms of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, final rites are major social gatherings.

In this spectacular show, the entirety of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are present – especially in the engaging Jamestown nshonaa installation. Within it, visitors are calmed by the audio of ocean surf with sand on the floor, while shelters, draped nets and representations of boats pay homage to its vibrant, multigenerational seafaring tradition. But standing in this exhibition space, one cannot help but think of the mountains of textile waste that threaten the aesthetics and peace of the region.

Beyond the Headline Act

Accra Cultural Week also features much more. Within an unfinished structure at the University of Ghana, artist Sylvester showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an emotionally powerful, stripped-back exhibition that displayed three-dimensional works and paintings created in concert with welders.

Also featured was the competition for female artists for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It included the debut presentation of a 2024 laureate, whose work references personal family archives to craft a depiction of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also announced a latest winner, whose multidisciplinary work is deeply invested in the craft techniques of women in the Volta region.

A Lasting Presence

While the overseas community has more and more been attracted home to Ghana in the winter months, more and more are contemplating journeying earlier in the year to immerse themselves in the region’s cultural season. Between Accra Cultural Week and other major events, what you’ll find are art scenes that are not merely emerging or “upcoming” but have established an entire world that is here to stay.

Ultimately, the experience provides a perception of Accra that feels like a declaration for conservation and the safeguarding of heritage. It is a compelling homage to perseverance in all its manifestations.