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In the wake of in excess of 50 issues delving into the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a concluding column. The tenure has been deeply gratifying, and great gratitude extended to all the attentive audience.

Exploring Accra Cultural Week

Visiting the exhibitions, presentations and acts of this event, it becomes clear how exceptional art sustains and constructs a country’s history and identity. The highlight was undoubtedly the artist's stunning a profound exploration of ritual and time, which showcased his innovative afrogallonism for all to see: a approach that converts water vessels into illusory art pieces, tapestries of golden hues. The show was created as a testament to the strength of this area, a venerable area of Accra.

The community – predominantly inhabited by the Ga ethnic group, a community of fishermen – is also where a great number of returning Africans arrived from South America and made their home in the 19th century. Called the Tabom, they brought Portuguese tongue and traditions.

Throughout Jamestown, you can see a fusion of building designs. Standing is a historic building, boasting its characteristic Portuguese masonry and arched doorways. Also present is the prominent lighthouse of Jamestown, erected in the 1800s and subsequently featuring its recognizable red-and-white-striped facade.

A Culture of Remembrance

Also notable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of memorial notices. Everywhere you turn, be it affixed to alleyways or on sizable hoardings, you’ll see service information and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, funerals are significant community celebrations.

In this spectacular exhibition, every aspect of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are evoked – especially in the enveloping Jamestown nshonaa piece. Within it, visitors are calmed by the sound of the sea with granules on the floor, while shacks, hanging fishing nets and representations of canoes celebrate its spirited, long-standing fishing community. But experiencing this gallery, one cannot help but think of the mountains of textile waste that mar the beauty and serenity of the shoreline.

Apart from the Centrepiece

The festival program included much more. Housed in an raw space at the campus, creator Reginald Sylvester II showcased On the Other Side of Languish, an profoundly affecting, minimalist show that featured sculptures and artworks made in collaboration with welders.

And then there is the prestigious art award for Ghanaian women creators. It showcased the inaugural exhibition of a recent laureate, whose work references personal family archives to create a artistic representation of life in the nation's recent history. The event also announced a current winner, whose varied work is intensely concerned with the craft techniques of women in a specific region.

An Enduring Impact

Although the global African community has more and more been drawn back to Ghana in the winter months, more and more are thinking about travelling earlier in the year to experience the area's artistic calendar. Between this festival and other major events, what you’ll find are art scenes that are not merely new or “rising” but have built up an whole universe that is enduring.

In the end, the journey leaves one with a image of Accra that feels like a manifesto for environmental protection and the preservation of culture. It is a resonant tribute to resilience in all its expressions.