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In the wake of over fifty issues exploring the global Black diaspora, this represents a final column. The journey proved incredibly rewarding, with immense gratitude directed to all the attentive readers.

Exploring the Cultural Week

Visiting the displays, artworks and shows of this event, observers witness how the finest art nourishes and shapes a country’s past and character. The highlight was without doubt Clottey's remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which displayed his groundbreaking afrogallonism in full view: a approach that transforms water vessels into mesmerizing art pieces, mosaics of metallic tones. The show was created as a homage to the endurance of the historic district, a historical neighbourhood of Accra.

The community – mainly populated by the Ga people, a fishing community – is also where a great number of freed slaves came back from Brazil and established themselves in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom community, they carried with them Portuguese language and traditions.

In every part of Jamestown, you can see a blend of architecture. Standing is a historic building, with its unique European-style masonry and curved entrances. One can also see the prominent Jamestown Lighthouse, constructed in the 1871 and eventually sporting its distinctive banded exterior.

Customs of Mourning

Equally remarkable about Jamestown is the ever-present presence of funeral posters. On every corner, whether plastered over buildings or on larger billboards, one finds announcements and expressions of farewell. In Jamestown, as throughout Ghana, final rites are large-scale social gatherings.

In this impressive exhibition, all of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are present – particularly in the engaging beach-themed installation. Within it, visitors are calmed by the sound of the sea with granules underfoot, while shacks, nets and images of boats celebrate its dynamic, multigenerational fishing community. Yet standing in this gallery, it's hard to ignore the heaps of discarded clothing that threaten the beauty and serenity of the area.

Beyond the Main Event

The festival program included a great deal more. Inside an incomplete building at the University of Ghana, artist Reginald Sylvester II presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an profoundly affecting, minimalist presentation that featured sculptures and canvases created in concert with artisans.

And then there is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for Ghanaian women creators. It included the first solo show of a recent laureate, whose work references familial archival records to create a visual impression of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also honored a latest winner, whose multidisciplinary work is intensely invested in the craft techniques of women in the Volta region.

A Permanent Legacy

While the diaspora has grown been drawn back to the region in the western winter, a growing cohort are contemplating journeying for the cultural season to engage with the region’s artistic calendar. From this festival and regional art fairs, what is evident are cultural ecosystems that are not simply nascent or “upcoming” but have forged an entire landscape that is here to stay.

Finally, the visit provides a image of Accra that resembles a manifesto for conservation and the preservation of heritage. It is a powerful homage to perseverance in all its manifestations.