An Ode to Strength: Lessons to Learn from the Splendour of Accra Cultural Week.

After in excess of 50 editions delving into the global Black diaspora, this represents a final piece. The experience proved incredibly gratifying, with great thanks directed to every one of the engaged readers.

A Look Inside Accra Cultural Week

Visiting the exhibitions, artworks and shows of the festival, it becomes clear how exceptional art sustains and shapes a nation's history and essence. The centrepiece was certainly Serge Attukwei Clottey’s remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which put his pioneering afrogallonism on full display: a approach that converts plastic containers into illusory creations, tapestries of golden hues. The show was conceived as a tribute to the resilience of Jamestown, a venerable quarter of Accra.

The community – predominantly populated by the Ga ethnic group, a community of fishermen – is furthermore where numerous returning Africans came back from Brazil and made their home in the 1830s. Called the Tabom community, they brought Portuguese tongue and customs.

All across Jamestown, visitors encounter a blend of architectural styles. You'll find a historic building, with its distinct Portuguese construction and door arches. Also present is the prominent Jamestown Lighthouse, erected in the 1800s and subsequently given its recognizable striped exterior.

Customs of Mourning

Equally striking about Jamestown is the ubiquitous sight of memorial notices. On every corner, be it plastered over walls or on larger billboards, one finds announcements and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, memorial services are significant community celebrations.

In the artist's impressive installation, every aspect of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are captured – especially in the enveloping beach-themed work. Within it, visitors are calmed by the audio of ocean surf with sand on the floor, while beach huts, hanging fishing nets and images of vessels celebrate its vibrant, long-standing fishing community. But standing in this exhibition space, it's hard to ignore the heaps of discarded clothing that mar the beauty and peace of the area.

Apart from the Headline Act

Accra Cultural Week also features a great deal more. Housed in an unfinished structure at the University of Ghana, artist Sylvester presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an emotionally powerful, stripped-back exhibition that displayed sculptures and paintings created in collaboration with welders.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It showcased the inaugural exhibition of a recent recipient, whose work references historical documents to create a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also announced a new winner, whose diverse work is intensely invested in the weaving practices of women in Dabala.

A Permanent Presence

Although the overseas community has grown been attracted back to Ghana during the colder season, a growing cohort are contemplating journeying for the cultural season to experience the area's cultural season. Between Accra Cultural Week and regional art fairs, what you’ll find are cultural ecosystems that are not simply emerging or “rising” but have forged an entire landscape that is permanent.

Ultimately, the journey provides a image of Accra that serves as a declaration for conservation and the safeguarding of heritage. It is a resonant tribute to adaptability in all its expressions.