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After more than 50 issues exploring the international Black diaspora, this represents a concluding dispatch. The tenure was deeply gratifying, with great thanks extended to all the dedicated audience.

Inside Accra Cultural Week

Attending the showcases, artworks and shows of the festival, observers witness how exceptional art sustains and shapes a nation's heritage and essence. The highlight was without doubt the artist's remarkable a profound exploration of ritual and time, which displayed his pioneering afrogallonism in full view: a philosophy that reimagines water vessels into captivating works of art, tapestries of golden hues. The exhibition was designed as a testament to the resilience of this area, a venerable area of Accra.

Jamestown – largely inhabited by the Ga ethnic group, a community of fishermen – is also where a great number of freed slaves came back from South America and made their home in the 1830s. Called the Tabom people, they introduced Brazilian language and culture.

In every part of Jamestown, one observes a mix of building designs. Standing is Fort Vicentia, with its distinct colonial-era brickwork and curved entrances. Another landmark is the iconic Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 19th century and eventually given its recognizable striped facade.

Traditions of Celebration

Furthermore striking about Jamestown is the ubiquitous sight of funeral posters. Wherever you look, be it plastered over alleyways or on sizable billboards, you’ll see service information and terms of mourning. In Jamestown, similar to the rest of Ghana, memorial services are major communal events.

In this spectacular installation, all of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are present – especially in the engaging beach-themed work. Here, you’re soothed by the recording of ocean surf with beach material on the floor, while shelters, draped nets and representations of boats honour its spirited, long-standing fishing community. However being present in this exhibition space, it's hard to ignore the piles of cast-off garments that compromise the beauty and peace of the region.

Beyond the Headline Act

Accra Cultural Week also features a great deal more. Within an raw space at the local university, creator Reginald Sylvester II showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, austere presentation that displayed sculptures and paintings produced in collaboration with welders.

And then there is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for female Ghanaian artists. It included the first solo show of a prior recipient, whose work utilizes familial archival records to create a visual impression of life in the nation's recent history. The event also crowned a latest winner, whose diverse work is particularly concerned with the weaving practices of women in a specific region.

A Lasting Impact

While the overseas community has grown been pulled back to west Africa in the colder season, more and more are considering travelling earlier in the year to experience the region’s festival period. Between this festival and other major events, what you’ll find are creative communities that are not merely nascent or “rising” but have established an whole world that is permanent.

In the end, the visit leaves one with a image of Accra that resembles a statement for ecological stewardship and the preservation of culture. It is a resonant homage to resilience in all its manifestations.