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In the wake of more than 50 issues exploring the international Black diaspora, this marks a concluding piece. The tenure proved profoundly fulfilling, and immense thanks directed to every one of the attentive readers.

A Look Inside the Cultural Week

Experiencing the exhibitions, artworks and performances of Accra Cultural Week, it becomes clear how superior art sustains and shapes a nation's heritage and identity. The highlight was certainly the artist's remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his pioneering afrogallonism on full display: a approach that converts water vessels into captivating art pieces, tapestries of yellow, brass and gold. The display was designed as a homage to the endurance of this area, a historic quarter of Accra.

This area – mainly home to the Ga people, a seafaring people – is furthermore where a great number of returning Africans came back from South America and settled in the 1830s. Known as the Tabom, they brought Portuguese tongue and customs.

All across Jamestown, visitors encounter a mix of architectural styles. There’s Franklin House, boasting its characteristic colonial-era construction and curved entrances. Another landmark is the prominent lighthouse of Jamestown, built in the 1800s and eventually featuring its recognizable banded facade.

Customs of Remembrance

Also remarkable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of obituary announcements. Everywhere you turn, be it affixed to buildings or on larger hoardings, there are funeral details and terms of loss. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, final rites are large-scale social gatherings.

In this breathtaking installation, the entirety of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are captured – especially in the enveloping Jamestown nshonaa work. Within it, you’re soothed by the audio of the sea with granules underfoot, while shacks, draped nets and depictions of vessels pay homage to its spirited, generational seafaring tradition. However experiencing this venue, it's hard to ignore the heaps of textile waste that compromise the charm and tranquillity of the area.

Apart from the Headline Act

The festival program included additional highlights. Inside an incomplete building at the University of Ghana, artist Reginald Sylvester II presented On the Other Side of Languish, an profoundly affecting, minimalist show that included sculptures and artworks created in collaboration with metalworkers.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It showcased the inaugural exhibition of a recent laureate, whose work utilizes personal family archives to produce a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also announced a latest winner, whose multidisciplinary work is intensely focused on the textile traditions of women in the Volta region.

A Lasting Presence

While the overseas community has more and more been attracted back to Ghana in the colder season, more and more are thinking about travelling earlier in the year to experience the area's festival period. Between this festival and other major events, what emerges are art scenes that are not simply nascent or “upcoming” but have built up an whole world that is permanent.

Ultimately, the journey provides a vision of Accra that serves as a declaration for environmental protection and the preservation of heritage. It is a resonant homage to resilience in all its manifestations.