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After over 50 issues delving into the global Black diaspora, this represents a concluding column. The experience has been incredibly gratifying, with great appreciation offered to all the attentive readers.

Inside Accra Cultural Week

Visiting the showcases, presentations and shows of this event, one sees how superior art sustains and shapes a nation's history and character. The highlight was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his innovative afrogallonism in full view: a concept that converts yellow jerrycans into mesmerizing works of art, mosaics of metallic tones. The exhibition was designed as a testament to the strength of this area, a venerable area of Accra.

This area – mainly home to the Ga community, a community of fishermen – is also where a great number of freed slaves came back from Brazil and made their home in the 1830s. Known as the Tabom people, they carried with them Brazilian tongue and customs.

All across Jamestown, one observes a blend of architectural styles. Standing is Franklin House, with its characteristic European-style masonry and arched doorways. Another landmark is the famous beacon, built in the 1871 and subsequently featuring its recognizable striped facade.

A Culture of Remembrance

Also notable about Jamestown is the ever-present sight of memorial notices. On every corner, whether affixed to walls or on big signboards, there are service information and terms of mourning. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, memorial services are significant social gatherings.

In this spectacular installation, the entirety of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are evoked – particularly in the engaging beach-themed piece. Within it, one is relaxed by the recording of the sea with granules underfoot, while beach huts, hanging fishing nets and representations of canoes honour its spirited, generational maritime community. However experiencing this gallery, it's hard to ignore the piles of discarded clothing that mar the aesthetics and tranquillity of the area.

Beyond the Main Event

Accra Cultural Week also features additional highlights. Housed in an raw space at the local university, creator Sylvester exhibited On the Other Side of Languish, an emotionally powerful, austere show that displayed sculptures and paintings created in concert with welders.

And then there is the competition for female artists for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It showcased the debut presentation of a 2024 laureate, whose work draws on personal family archives to craft a depiction of life in Ghana after independence. The event also announced a latest winner, whose multidisciplinary work is particularly invested in the craft techniques of women in a specific region.

An Enduring Legacy

Although the diaspora has more and more been pulled back to west Africa during the colder season, more and more are thinking about visiting some months earlier to experience the region’s cultural season. From Accra Cultural Week and similar gatherings, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not merely nascent or “upcoming” but have built up an complete landscape that is enduring.

Ultimately, the visit leaves one with a image of Accra that resembles a declaration for environmental protection and the safeguarding of tradition. It is a powerful tribute to resilience in all its manifestations.