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After more than fifty issues navigating the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a last column. The experience was incredibly rewarding, and immense appreciation extended to all the attentive followers.

Inside Accra Cultural Week

Experiencing the showcases, artworks and acts of this event, one sees how exceptional art feeds and builds a nation's past and character. The focal point was without doubt Clottey's exquisite a profound exploration of ritual and time, which showcased his innovative afrogallonism in full view: a concept that transforms yellow jerrycans into mesmerizing art pieces, assemblages of golden hues. The exhibition was conceived as a testament to the endurance of Jamestown, a historic quarter of Accra.

Jamestown – predominantly home to the Ga people, a fishing community – is furthermore where numerous returning Africans returned from South America and made their home in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom community, they carried with them Brazilian language and traditions.

In every part of Jamestown, visitors encounter a fusion of architecture. There’s Franklin House, featuring its unique European-style brickwork and arched doorways. One can also see the iconic Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 1800s and eventually featuring its distinctive banded exterior.

Traditions of Remembrance

Equally striking about Jamestown is the ever-present sight of memorial notices. Wherever you look, be it plastered over buildings or on big hoardings, you’ll see announcements and terms of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, funerals are significant social gatherings.

In Clottey’s breathtaking exhibition, every aspect of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are evoked – particularly in the enveloping Jamestown nshonaa piece. In this space, one is relaxed by the audio of the sea with sand at your feet, while shacks, hanging fishing nets and images of boats pay homage to its vibrant, long-standing fishing community. But being present in this exhibition space, the mind turns to the piles of cast-off garments that mar the charm and peace of the region.

In Addition to the Main Event

Accra Cultural Week also features additional highlights. Housed in an incomplete building at the campus, artist Sylvester showcased On the Other Side of Languish, an emotionally powerful, minimalist exhibition that displayed sculptures and canvases produced in collaboration with metalworkers.

And then there is the prestigious art award for Ghanaian women creators. It featured the debut presentation of a recent recipient, whose work utilizes historical documents to create a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also honored a latest winner, whose diverse work is intensely focused on the textile traditions of women in the Volta region.

A Lasting Presence

While the diaspora has more and more been pulled back to Ghana in the winter months, a growing cohort are thinking about travelling for the cultural season to experience the area's artistic calendar. From this festival and similar gatherings, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not merely new or “upcoming” but have established an whole universe that is permanent.

Finally, the journey leaves one with a image of Accra that serves as a statement for ecological stewardship and the preservation of tradition. It is a compelling tribute to perseverance in all its forms.