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In the wake of more than 50 editions navigating the international Black diaspora, this signifies a final column. The experience was incredibly fulfilling, with great gratitude directed to every one of the attentive readers.

Inside the Cultural Week

Visiting the displays, installations and acts of Accra Cultural Week, it becomes clear how exceptional art sustains and shapes a nation's history and essence. The centrepiece was undoubtedly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which showcased his innovative afrogallonism for all to see: a approach that transforms yellow jerrycans into illusory creations, tapestries of yellow, brass and gold. The show was conceived as a testament to the strength of this area, a venerable neighbourhood of Accra.

Jamestown – largely home to the Ga people, a seafaring people – is additionally where numerous formerly enslaved people returned from Brazil and established themselves in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom community, they carried with them Portuguese language and culture.

In every part of Jamestown, one observes a fusion of building designs. You'll find a historic building, boasting its unique European-style brickwork and door arches. Also present is the iconic Jamestown Lighthouse, erected in the 1800s and later featuring its recognizable banded appearance.

Traditions of Mourning

Also remarkable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous presence of funeral posters. Wherever you look, whether covering walls or on sizable billboards, you’ll see service information and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, memorial services are large-scale communal events.

In the artist's breathtaking installation, all of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are present – especially in the engaging beach-themed work. Within it, one is relaxed by the audio of the sea with granules underfoot, while beach huts, nets and depictions of boats pay homage to its vibrant, generational fishing community. But experiencing this gallery, it's hard to ignore the piles of textile waste that mar the charm and tranquillity of the shoreline.

In Addition to the Headline Act

There is much more. Housed in an unfinished structure at the campus, creator Sylvester exhibited a deeply moving minimalist collection, an emotionally powerful, stripped-back show that included three-dimensional works and artworks created in concert with metalworkers.

Another key element is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It included the inaugural exhibition of a prior laureate, whose work references familial archival records to create a artistic representation of life in the nation's recent history. The event also announced a new winner, whose varied work is intensely focused on the textile traditions of women in Dabala.

An Enduring Presence

Although the overseas community has more and more been pulled home to west Africa in the colder season, a growing cohort are considering visiting for the cultural season to engage with the region’s cultural season. Between this festival and similar gatherings, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not merely emerging or “upcoming” but have established an entire landscape that is enduring.

In the end, the journey provides a image of Accra that feels like a manifesto for conservation and the safeguarding of tradition. It is a powerful tribute to perseverance in all its expressions.