🔗 Share this article

Following in excess of fifty installments delving into the international Black diaspora, this signifies a last dispatch. The tenure has been profoundly rewarding, with sincere gratitude offered to all the engaged readers.

Inside the Accra Festival

Visiting the exhibitions, presentations and performances of the festival, it becomes clear how superior art feeds and shapes a country’s past and character. The focal point was without doubt Serge Attukwei Clottey’s stunning [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which displayed his innovative afrogallonism in full view: a concept that reimagines water vessels into captivating creations, tapestries of metallic tones. The display was created as a homage to the resilience of Jamestown, a historic quarter of Accra.

This area – predominantly populated by the Ga people, a fishing community – is additionally where many returning Africans came back from South America and established themselves in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom people, they carried with them Brazilian language and customs.

All across Jamestown, visitors encounter a fusion of architectural styles. Standing is Franklin House, with its characteristic European-style masonry and curved entrances. One can also see the famous Jamestown Lighthouse, erected in the 1871 and subsequently featuring its recognizable red-and-white-striped appearance.

Traditions of Mourning

Equally striking about Jamestown is the pervasive sight of memorial notices. On every corner, whether plastered over buildings or on sizable billboards, one finds announcements and expressions of loss. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, memorial services are significant social gatherings.

In the artist's breathtaking show, all of the sights, sounds and religious textures of Jamestown are present – particularly in the immersive beach-themed work. In this space, one is relaxed by the audio of the sea with granules on the floor, while shelters, hanging fishing nets and representations of boats pay homage to its dynamic, multigenerational fishing community. But experiencing this venue, it's hard to ignore the heaps of textile waste that mar the aesthetics and tranquillity of the shoreline.

Beyond the Centrepiece

There is much more. Housed in an unfinished structure at the University of Ghana, creator Sylvester presented a deeply moving minimalist collection, an incredibly moving, stripped-back exhibition that featured three-dimensional works and paintings produced in collaboration with metalworkers.

And then there is the prestigious art award for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It included the debut presentation of a recent winner, whose work references historical documents to craft a artistic representation of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also announced a new winner, whose diverse work is intensely invested in the craft techniques of women in a specific region.

An Enduring Impact

Although the global African community has more and more been drawn home to west Africa during the western winter, a growing cohort are considering travelling earlier in the year to engage with the area's cultural season. Between Accra Cultural Week and other major events, what you’ll find are art scenes that are not merely nascent or “upcoming” but have built up an whole world that is here to stay.

Ultimately, the journey provides a vision of Accra that feels like a manifesto for environmental protection and the preservation of tradition. It is a compelling homage to adaptability in all its expressions.