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Following more than fifty issues exploring the international Black diaspora, this marks a last dispatch. The experience has been deeply fulfilling, and great appreciation offered to every one of the attentive audience.

Exploring Accra Cultural Week

Visiting the displays, installations and shows of this event, observers witness how exceptional art feeds and builds a country’s heritage and character. The highlight was undoubtedly the artist's exquisite [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which displayed his innovative afrogallonism in full view: a philosophy that transforms yellow jerrycans into illusory creations, tapestries of yellow, brass and gold. The exhibition was conceived as a testament to the endurance of Jamestown, a venerable neighbourhood of Accra.

This area – mainly home to the Ga ethnic group, a seafaring people – is also where many formerly enslaved people came back from South America and made their home in the 1830s. Called the Tabom people, they brought Portuguese tongue and culture.

All across Jamestown, one observes a blend of architectural styles. There’s Franklin House, with its distinct colonial-era construction and curved entrances. One can also see the prominent Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 1800s and eventually sporting its recognizable striped exterior.

Customs of Mourning

Also striking about Jamestown is the pervasive sight of obituary announcements. On every corner, whether plastered over buildings or on sizable hoardings, you’ll see announcements and phrases of farewell. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, funerals are large-scale social gatherings.

In this breathtaking installation, all of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are present – particularly in the engaging shoreline piece. Within it, one is relaxed by the sound of ocean surf with granules on the floor, while beach huts, hanging fishing nets and representations of boats pay homage to its spirited, long-standing seafaring tradition. But being present in this exhibition space, it's hard to ignore the mountains of cast-off garments that threaten the charm and tranquillity of the shoreline.

In Addition to the Main Event

There is additional highlights. Inside an unfinished structure at the local university, artist Reginald Sylvester II exhibited a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, minimalist presentation that featured sculptures and artworks created in collaboration with welders.

Also featured was the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for Ghanaian women creators. It included the debut presentation of a 2024 winner, whose work draws on personal family archives to produce a visual impression of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also crowned a new winner, whose diverse work is intensely focused on the textile traditions of women in a specific region.

An Enduring Presence

While the diaspora has more and more been pulled home to Ghana in the winter months, a growing cohort are thinking about journeying earlier in the year to immerse themselves in the area's cultural season. From Accra Cultural Week and other major events, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not merely new or “upcoming” but have forged an whole landscape that is permanent.

In the end, the experience offers a vision of Accra that serves as a statement for environmental protection and the preservation of culture. It is a powerful testament to perseverance in all its manifestations.