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In the wake of over 50 editions exploring the global Black diaspora, this represents a last column. The tenure proved profoundly rewarding, and sincere appreciation directed to all the dedicated audience.

A Look Inside Accra Cultural Week

Attending the displays, presentations and acts of Accra Cultural Week, one sees how superior art sustains and builds a nation's past and essence. The centrepiece was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s exquisite [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which showcased his groundbreaking afrogallonism on full display: a concept that reimagines plastic containers into illusory works of art, mosaics of yellow, brass and gold. The exhibition was conceived as a testament to the resilience of this area, a venerable area of Accra.

Jamestown – predominantly populated by the Ga people, a fishing community – is additionally where a great number of returning Africans came back from Brazil and established themselves in the 1830s. Called the Tabom, they brought Portuguese language and culture.

Throughout Jamestown, one observes a fusion of architectural styles. There’s Franklin House, with its characteristic colonial-era construction and door arches. Another landmark is the famous Jamestown Lighthouse, erected in the 1800s and subsequently given its signature striped exterior.

Traditions of Mourning

Furthermore notable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of obituary announcements. Wherever you look, whether covering alleyways or on sizable signboards, one finds service information and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, funerals are large-scale communal events.

In this spectacular installation, the entirety of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are present – particularly in the immersive beach-themed installation. In this space, visitors are calmed by the sound of crashing waves with beach material on the floor, while shacks, hanging fishing nets and images of vessels pay homage to its vibrant, generational maritime community. Yet being present in this exhibition space, it's hard to ignore the piles of cast-off garments that compromise the aesthetics and tranquillity of the shoreline.

Apart from the Main Event

The festival program included additional highlights. Inside an raw space at the campus, artist Sylvester presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an emotionally powerful, minimalist exhibition that displayed three-dimensional works and canvases created in concert with metalworkers.

Another key element is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It included the inaugural exhibition of a 2024 recipient, whose work draws on personal family archives to craft a artistic representation of life in Ghana after independence. The event also announced a latest champion, whose diverse work is intensely invested in the textile traditions of women in Dabala.

A Permanent Legacy

While the diaspora has grown been drawn back to west Africa during the winter months, more and more are contemplating journeying for the cultural season to engage with the region’s cultural season. From Accra Cultural Week and similar gatherings, what is evident are cultural ecosystems that are not simply emerging or “upcoming” but have established an entire world that is here to stay.

In the end, the visit provides a vision of Accra that feels like a declaration for ecological stewardship and the safeguarding of tradition. It is a resonant homage to perseverance in all its expressions.