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Following in excess of 50 installments exploring the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a last column. The journey proved incredibly rewarding, with immense thanks directed to all the engaged followers.

Inside the Cultural Week

Experiencing the exhibitions, installations and performances of this event, observers witness how the finest art sustains and builds a nation's heritage and identity. The highlight was undoubtedly the artist's exquisite a profound exploration of ritual and time, which put his pioneering afrogallonism in full view: a approach that converts plastic containers into captivating creations, tapestries of golden hues. The show was designed as a tribute to the endurance of this area, a historic area of Accra.

This area – mainly home to the Ga community, a seafaring people – is furthermore where a great number of formerly enslaved people came back from Brazil and settled in the 19th century. Called the Tabom, they introduced Brazilian language and culture.

In every part of Jamestown, you can see a fusion of building designs. You'll find a historic building, boasting its distinct colonial-era construction and arched doorways. Another landmark is the iconic lighthouse of Jamestown, erected in the 1800s and eventually featuring its distinctive red-and-white-striped appearance.

Customs of Celebration

Equally striking about Jamestown is the pervasive presence of memorial notices. Wherever you look, whether covering walls or on larger signboards, you’ll see announcements and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, final rites are significant communal events.

In this impressive exhibition, all of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are captured – notably in the engaging shoreline work. In this space, visitors are calmed by the sound of ocean surf with granules at your feet, while shelters, hanging fishing nets and images of boats honour its dynamic, multigenerational maritime community. However being present in this venue, one cannot help but think of the mountains of cast-off garments that compromise the beauty and serenity of the shoreline.

Apart from the Centrepiece

There is a great deal more. Housed in an raw space at the University of Ghana, artist Sylvester showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an emotionally powerful, minimalist presentation that displayed sculptures and canvases produced in collaboration with metalworkers.

And then there is the competition for female artists for Ghanaian women creators. It featured the first solo show of a prior laureate, whose work draws on familial archival records to produce a depiction of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also crowned a new winner, whose multidisciplinary work is intensely focused on the weaving practices of women in Dabala.

A Lasting Impact

While the global African community has increasingly been pulled home to west Africa during the winter months, an increasing number are considering journeying earlier in the year to immerse themselves in the region’s cultural season. From Accra Cultural Week and similar gatherings, what is evident are art scenes that are not merely emerging or “rising” but have forged an entire world that is enduring.

Finally, the journey leaves one with a perception of Accra that serves as a statement for ecological stewardship and the preservation of tradition. It is a compelling tribute to resilience in all its manifestations.