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In the wake of more than 50 issues navigating the worldwide Black diaspora, this represents a last piece. The experience has been incredibly rewarding, and sincere gratitude extended to all the dedicated audience.

Inside the Accra Festival

Visiting the exhibitions, installations and acts of Accra Cultural Week, observers witness how superior art feeds and builds a nation's history and essence. The focal point was certainly the artist's stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his innovative afrogallonism for all to see: a philosophy that transforms plastic containers into illusory art pieces, tapestries of golden hues. The exhibition was created as a testament to the endurance of the historic district, a venerable area of Accra.

This area – largely inhabited by the Ga community, a fishing community – is additionally where many formerly enslaved people came back from South America and established themselves in the 1830s. Known as the Tabom community, they carried with them Portuguese language and culture.

All across Jamestown, one observes a mix of building designs. There’s Franklin House, featuring its characteristic Portuguese construction and door arches. Another landmark is the iconic lighthouse of Jamestown, erected in the 19th century and eventually sporting its distinctive striped facade.

Traditions of Celebration

Furthermore striking about Jamestown is the ever-present presence of obituary announcements. Wherever you look, whether affixed to buildings or on big signboards, one finds funeral details and phrases of farewell. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, final rites are major communal events.

In the artist's impressive installation, all of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are captured – especially in the immersive beach-themed work. In this space, one is relaxed by the sound of ocean surf with granules at your feet, while shacks, draped nets and representations of boats honour its spirited, multigenerational fishing community. Yet being present in this gallery, the mind turns to the heaps of cast-off garments that compromise the charm and tranquillity of the shoreline.

In Addition to the Main Event

Accra Cultural Week also features a great deal more. Within an raw space at the University of Ghana, creator Sylvester presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, stripped-back presentation that included three-dimensional works and canvases produced in concert with welders.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It included the first solo show of a prior winner, whose work references personal family archives to create a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also honored a current winner, whose multidisciplinary work is intensely focused on the weaving practices of women in a specific region.

A Permanent Legacy

Although the diaspora has more and more been drawn home to the region in the colder season, an increasing number are contemplating travelling for the cultural season to experience the region’s artistic calendar. Between this festival and regional art fairs, what is evident are art scenes that are not merely new or “rising” but have established an complete universe that is here to stay.

Ultimately, the experience provides a image of Accra that resembles a statement for environmental protection and the preservation of tradition. It is a compelling testament to perseverance in all its manifestations.