🔗 Share this article

Following in excess of 50 issues navigating the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a concluding column. The tenure has been incredibly gratifying, with sincere thanks directed to every one of the dedicated readers.

A Look Inside the Accra Festival

Experiencing the exhibitions, installations and performances of the festival, observers witness how exceptional art sustains and shapes a nation's past and identity. The highlight was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s remarkable a profound exploration of ritual and time, which showcased his groundbreaking afrogallonism for all to see: a approach that reimagines plastic containers into illusory works of art, assemblages of metallic tones. The show was designed as a homage to the endurance of this area, a historical neighbourhood of Accra.

The community – mainly populated by the Ga people, a community of fishermen – is also where many formerly enslaved people arrived from Brazil and settled in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom people, they carried with them Brazilian language and customs.

All across Jamestown, you can see a blend of building designs. There’s Franklin House, featuring its characteristic colonial-era masonry and arched doorways. One can also see the famous Jamestown Lighthouse, built in the 19th century and eventually featuring its distinctive striped exterior.

Customs of Mourning

Furthermore remarkable about Jamestown is the pervasive presence of memorial notices. Everywhere you turn, be it plastered over walls or on sizable billboards, you’ll see funeral details and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, final rites are large-scale communal events.

In the artist's impressive installation, every aspect of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are captured – especially in the immersive shoreline work. Here, one is relaxed by the audio of the sea with granules underfoot, while shelters, hanging fishing nets and images of boats honour its vibrant, generational maritime community. However experiencing this venue, the mind turns to the mountains of cast-off garments that compromise the aesthetics and peace of the region.

Beyond the Centrepiece

Accra Cultural Week also features a great deal more. Within an unfinished structure at the campus, artist Sylvester showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, stripped-back show that featured three-dimensional works and paintings made in collaboration with metalworkers.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It showcased the first solo show of a recent recipient, whose work utilizes familial archival records to produce a artistic representation of life in Ghana after independence. The event also crowned a latest winner, whose varied work is intensely invested in the craft techniques of women in a specific region.

An Enduring Presence

While the overseas community has grown been pulled home to west Africa in the western winter, an increasing number are contemplating visiting some months earlier to engage with the area's artistic calendar. From Accra Cultural Week and similar gatherings, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not simply nascent or “upcoming” but have established an entire universe that is permanent.

Ultimately, the journey leaves one with a vision of Accra that resembles a declaration for conservation and the preservation of tradition. It is a compelling tribute to perseverance in all its forms.