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After more than 50 editions exploring the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a final column. The experience has been incredibly fulfilling, and great gratitude directed to every one of the attentive followers.

A Look Inside the Accra Festival

Experiencing the exhibitions, installations and shows of the festival, one sees how exceptional art nourishes and builds a nation's past and character. The highlight was undoubtedly Clottey's stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his innovative afrogallonism in full view: a approach that reimagines plastic containers into mesmerizing works of art, mosaics of golden hues. The show was conceived as a testament to the strength of this area, a venerable area of Accra.

Jamestown – mainly home to the Ga ethnic group, a fishing community – is also where many freed slaves came back from Brazil and settled in the 19th century. Called the Tabom community, they introduced Portuguese language and traditions.

Throughout Jamestown, visitors encounter a blend of architectural styles. There’s Fort Vicentia, boasting its unique Portuguese masonry and arched doorways. One can also see the famous lighthouse of Jamestown, constructed in the 1800s and later sporting its distinctive banded exterior.

Customs of Remembrance

Equally remarkable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of obituary announcements. On every corner, whether covering alleyways or on sizable billboards, there are funeral details and terms of farewell. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, memorial services are large-scale communal events.

In this spectacular exhibition, the entirety of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are captured – notably in the immersive Jamestown nshonaa piece. In this space, one is relaxed by the sound of crashing waves with sand on the floor, while shacks, draped nets and images of vessels celebrate its spirited, multigenerational fishing community. But experiencing this exhibition space, one cannot help but think of the heaps of discarded clothing that mar the aesthetics and peace of the area.

Apart from the Centrepiece

There is much more. Housed in an incomplete building at the University of Ghana, artist Sylvester exhibited On the Other Side of Languish, an profoundly affecting, stripped-back show that featured three-dimensional works and artworks created in partnership with welders.

Also featured was the prestigious art award for Ghanaian women creators. It included the inaugural exhibition of a recent recipient, whose work references historical documents to craft a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also honored a latest winner, whose multidisciplinary work is intensely focused on the craft techniques of women in a specific region.

A Lasting Legacy

While the global African community has increasingly been pulled back to west Africa in the western winter, a growing cohort are contemplating visiting for the cultural season to immerse themselves in the region’s festival period. From Accra Cultural Week and similar gatherings, what emerges are creative communities that are not simply emerging or “rising” but have established an complete world that is here to stay.

In the end, the journey offers a image of Accra that serves as a declaration for environmental protection and the preservation of heritage. It is a resonant tribute to resilience in all its expressions.