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In the wake of over fifty editions navigating the international Black diaspora, this marks a final piece. The tenure proved deeply fulfilling, with sincere gratitude offered to all the engaged audience.

A Look Inside the Cultural Week

Experiencing the displays, presentations and performances of Accra Cultural Week, it becomes clear how exceptional art sustains and shapes a nation's history and character. The centrepiece was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s exquisite [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which showcased his innovative afrogallonism for all to see: a concept that transforms yellow jerrycans into captivating works of art, tapestries of yellow, brass and gold. The show was designed as a testament to the resilience of the historic district, a historic quarter of Accra.

Jamestown – largely inhabited by the Ga ethnic group, a community of fishermen – is also where many formerly enslaved people arrived from South America and established themselves in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom community, they carried with them Portuguese language and customs.

In every part of Jamestown, you can see a fusion of building designs. You'll find a historic building, boasting its characteristic Portuguese masonry and curved entrances. One can also see the famous lighthouse of Jamestown, built in the 1800s and subsequently given its signature red-and-white-striped exterior.

Customs of Mourning

Also remarkable about Jamestown is the ever-present sight of funeral posters. On every corner, be it covering walls or on big hoardings, one finds funeral details and phrases of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, memorial services are significant community celebrations.

In this breathtaking installation, all of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are present – particularly in the enveloping beach-themed installation. In this space, visitors are calmed by the audio of crashing waves with granules at your feet, while beach huts, hanging fishing nets and depictions of vessels pay homage to its dynamic, long-standing maritime community. However standing in this venue, it's hard to ignore the piles of textile waste that compromise the charm and tranquillity of the area.

In Addition to the Headline Act

There is much more. Inside an incomplete building at the campus, creator Reginald Sylvester II presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, austere exhibition that featured three-dimensional works and canvases created in partnership with metalworkers.

And then there is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for Ghanaian women creators. It included the inaugural exhibition of a 2024 winner, whose work references familial archival records to produce a depiction of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also announced a current champion, whose multidisciplinary work is particularly concerned with the craft techniques of women in Dabala.

A Permanent Legacy

Although the global African community has increasingly been pulled back to Ghana in the colder season, a growing cohort are thinking about journeying some months earlier to engage with the area's cultural season. From this festival and regional art fairs, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not merely emerging or “upcoming” but have forged an entire universe that is enduring.

In the end, the journey provides a perception of Accra that resembles a declaration for environmental protection and the preservation of heritage. It is a powerful tribute to perseverance in all its expressions.