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Following over fifty editions exploring the worldwide Black diaspora, this represents a last piece. The tenure proved profoundly fulfilling, with sincere thanks offered to all the engaged followers.

Inside the Accra Festival

Experiencing the exhibitions, artworks and acts of Accra Cultural Week, it becomes clear how exceptional art sustains and constructs a country’s history and essence. The centrepiece was certainly Clottey's remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his pioneering afrogallonism for all to see: a approach that transforms water vessels into illusory works of art, assemblages of yellow, brass and gold. The exhibition was conceived as a homage to the endurance of Jamestown, a historical neighbourhood of Accra.

The community – largely inhabited by the Ga people, a community of fishermen – is furthermore where many freed slaves arrived from South America and made their home in the 19th century. Referred to as the Tabom community, they carried with them Portuguese language and customs.

All across Jamestown, one observes a blend of building designs. There’s a historic building, boasting its distinct colonial-era masonry and arched doorways. Another landmark is the iconic Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 1871 and eventually featuring its signature banded facade.

Customs of Remembrance

Furthermore striking about Jamestown is the ever-present presence of funeral posters. Everywhere you turn, be it affixed to alleyways or on big billboards, you’ll see announcements and terms of loss. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, funerals are major community celebrations.

In this spectacular exhibition, all of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are captured – notably in the engaging Jamestown nshonaa work. Here, visitors are calmed by the recording of crashing waves with sand underfoot, while beach huts, hanging fishing nets and images of canoes honour its dynamic, long-standing fishing community. Yet standing in this exhibition space, one cannot help but think of the mountains of textile waste that threaten the aesthetics and tranquillity of the shoreline.

Beyond the Centrepiece

There is much more. Inside an raw space at the campus, creator Reginald Sylvester II showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an incredibly moving, stripped-back exhibition that displayed three-dimensional works and paintings made in partnership with welders.

Also featured was the competition for female artists for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It included the first solo show of a 2024 recipient, whose work references familial archival records to create a artistic representation of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also honored a current winner, whose varied work is deeply invested in the weaving practices of women in the Volta region.

A Lasting Presence

While the diaspora has more and more been drawn back to the region during the colder season, a growing cohort are thinking about travelling earlier in the year to experience the region’s cultural season. From Accra Cultural Week and other major events, what is evident are art scenes that are not merely new or “rising” but have established an complete world that is enduring.

Ultimately, the experience provides a perception of Accra that serves as a statement for environmental protection and the preservation of tradition. It is a compelling homage to resilience in all its forms.