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In the wake of over fifty installments delving into the international Black diaspora, this represents a last dispatch. The experience was profoundly fulfilling, with great thanks directed to all the attentive readers.

Exploring the Cultural Week

Attending the displays, installations and performances of Accra Cultural Week, it becomes clear how exceptional art nourishes and shapes a country’s history and character. The highlight was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which showcased his groundbreaking afrogallonism on full display: a concept that converts yellow jerrycans into captivating works of art, assemblages of yellow, brass and gold. The display was conceived as a homage to the endurance of Jamestown, a venerable quarter of Accra.

Jamestown – largely populated by the Ga ethnic group, a seafaring people – is additionally where many returning Africans came back from South America and established themselves in the 19th century. Referred to as the Tabom, they introduced Portuguese tongue and culture.

Throughout Jamestown, you can see a fusion of architecture. There’s Fort Vicentia, with its characteristic European-style construction and arched doorways. One can also see the prominent Jamestown Lighthouse, erected in the 1800s and eventually given its recognizable banded exterior.

Traditions of Celebration

Also notable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous sight of obituary announcements. On every corner, be it affixed to walls or on sizable hoardings, one finds service information and expressions of mourning. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, funerals are major community celebrations.

In the artist's spectacular show, all of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are evoked – notably in the enveloping shoreline work. Within it, visitors are calmed by the audio of crashing waves with beach material underfoot, while beach huts, nets and images of canoes pay homage to its spirited, long-standing maritime community. Yet being present in this gallery, one cannot help but think of the heaps of textile waste that compromise the charm and serenity of the region.

In Addition to the Main Event

There is additional highlights. Housed in an unfinished structure at the local university, creator Sylvester showcased On the Other Side of Languish, an emotionally powerful, austere presentation that displayed sculptures and artworks made in concert with metalworkers.

And then there is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It showcased the inaugural exhibition of a recent laureate, whose work draws on familial archival records to craft a visual impression of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also honored a current winner, whose varied work is intensely invested in the weaving practices of women in a specific region.

A Permanent Legacy

While the global African community has grown been attracted back to west Africa during the colder season, more and more are considering journeying for the cultural season to immerse themselves in the area's cultural season. Between Accra Cultural Week and other major events, what emerges are cultural ecosystems that are not simply emerging or “upcoming” but have built up an entire universe that is here to stay.

Ultimately, the visit provides a perception of Accra that serves as a statement for conservation and the keeping alive of culture. It is a compelling tribute to resilience in all its forms.