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Following more than fifty editions delving into the international Black diaspora, this represents a last piece. The journey was incredibly rewarding, and immense thanks extended to all the dedicated audience.

Inside the Accra Festival

Experiencing the exhibitions, artworks and performances of Accra Cultural Week, observers witness how the finest art feeds and builds a nation's history and essence. The highlight was certainly Clottey's stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his groundbreaking afrogallonism in full view: a philosophy that reimagines plastic containers into illusory works of art, assemblages of metallic tones. The exhibition was created as a testament to the strength of Jamestown, a venerable quarter of Accra.

The community – mainly home to the Ga community, a seafaring people – is furthermore where a great number of returning Africans came back from Brazil and made their home in the 1830s. Known as the Tabom, they introduced Brazilian language and culture.

All across Jamestown, one observes a mix of architectural styles. There’s a historic building, featuring its unique Portuguese construction and curved entrances. One can also see the iconic beacon, built in the 1871 and later sporting its distinctive banded appearance.

Customs of Mourning

Equally remarkable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of funeral posters. Wherever you look, whether plastered over alleyways or on larger hoardings, one finds service information and terms of farewell. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, funerals are major community celebrations.

In this spectacular exhibition, every aspect of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are captured – especially in the engaging shoreline installation. Here, visitors are calmed by the recording of the sea with sand at your feet, while shacks, hanging fishing nets and images of canoes honour its dynamic, long-standing seafaring tradition. But being present in this exhibition space, it's hard to ignore the mountains of discarded clothing that compromise the beauty and peace of the shoreline.

Apart from the Headline Act

There is much more. Within an unfinished structure at the local university, creator Sylvester exhibited a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, austere exhibition that displayed sculptures and paintings created in concert with metalworkers.

And then there is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It featured the inaugural exhibition of a prior recipient, whose work draws on personal family archives to craft a artistic representation of life in the nation's recent history. The event also honored a latest champion, whose diverse work is deeply concerned with the weaving practices of women in Dabala.

A Lasting Legacy

Although the overseas community has more and more been attracted back to Ghana in the western winter, more and more are thinking about journeying for the cultural season to engage with the area's cultural season. From this festival and other major events, what is evident are creative communities that are not simply nascent or “rising” but have forged an whole landscape that is here to stay.

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