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After in excess of 50 editions navigating the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a final dispatch. The experience proved incredibly fulfilling, with immense thanks extended to all the dedicated audience.

Exploring Accra Cultural Week

Experiencing the exhibitions, presentations and shows of Accra Cultural Week, one sees how superior art sustains and shapes a nation's heritage and essence. The highlight was certainly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his pioneering afrogallonism in full view: a concept that converts water vessels into captivating art pieces, tapestries of yellow, brass and gold. The exhibition was created as a tribute to the resilience of Jamestown, a historic quarter of Accra.

The community – largely inhabited by the Ga ethnic group, a fishing community – is furthermore where many formerly enslaved people came back from South America and made their home in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom community, they introduced Brazilian language and culture.

Throughout Jamestown, visitors encounter a mix of architectural styles. Standing is Fort Vicentia, boasting its unique Portuguese construction and curved entrances. Also present is the famous beacon, constructed in the 1800s and later featuring its signature banded appearance.

Customs of Remembrance

Also striking about Jamestown is the ever-present presence of funeral posters. Everywhere you turn, be it affixed to buildings or on sizable signboards, you’ll see funeral details and expressions of farewell. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, funerals are large-scale social gatherings.

In Clottey’s breathtaking show, all of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are present – especially in the engaging beach-themed piece. Within it, you’re soothed by the audio of ocean surf with granules underfoot, while shelters, nets and depictions of boats pay homage to its vibrant, multigenerational maritime community. However being present in this venue, the mind turns to the mountains of cast-off garments that threaten the charm and tranquillity of the area.

In Addition to the Main Event

Accra Cultural Week also features much more. Housed in an incomplete building at the local university, artist Reginald Sylvester II showcased On the Other Side of Languish, an emotionally powerful, stripped-back presentation that displayed three-dimensional works and paintings created in partnership with welders.

Also featured was the prestigious art award for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It featured the debut presentation of a recent recipient, whose work draws on familial archival records to produce a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also honored a new champion, whose varied work is particularly invested in the craft techniques of women in the Volta region.

A Permanent Impact

Although the global African community has grown been pulled back to the region during the colder season, an increasing number are contemplating visiting some months earlier to immerse themselves in the area's festival period. Between Accra Cultural Week and similar gatherings, what emerges are art scenes that are not merely emerging or “upcoming” but have built up an complete world that is here to stay.

Finally, the experience provides a perception of Accra that serves as a manifesto for ecological stewardship and the preservation of heritage. It is a resonant testament to resilience in all its expressions.