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Following in excess of 50 installments navigating the global Black diaspora, this signifies a concluding column. The journey has been incredibly fulfilling, with great thanks offered to every one of the dedicated followers.

Inside the Accra Festival

Experiencing the displays, presentations and performances of the festival, observers witness how exceptional art feeds and constructs a nation's past and essence. The highlight was certainly Clottey's remarkable [Dis]Appearing Rituals: An Open Lab of Now for Tomorrow, which showcased his innovative afrogallonism on full display: a approach that reimagines yellow jerrycans into mesmerizing art pieces, tapestries of metallic tones. The display was conceived as a homage to the endurance of Jamestown, a historical neighbourhood of Accra.

This area – largely populated by the Ga people, a community of fishermen – is additionally where numerous freed slaves came back from Brazil and established themselves in the 19th century. Known as the Tabom people, they brought Brazilian language and culture.

In every part of Jamestown, you can see a fusion of architecture. Standing is Franklin House, with its unique European-style masonry and curved entrances. Also present is the prominent beacon, built in the 1871 and subsequently given its signature banded appearance.

Traditions of Mourning

Equally notable about Jamestown is the ubiquitous sight of memorial notices. Wherever you look, be it covering walls or on larger signboards, one finds funeral details and expressions of mourning. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, funerals are significant communal events.

In the artist's breathtaking exhibition, every aspect of the visual and auditory essence of Jamestown are evoked – especially in the engaging beach-themed piece. Here, you’re soothed by the audio of the sea with sand at your feet, while shacks, hanging fishing nets and depictions of boats celebrate its dynamic, multigenerational seafaring tradition. Yet being present in this venue, it's hard to ignore the piles of discarded clothing that threaten the aesthetics and peace of the area.

Apart from the Centrepiece

There is a great deal more. Housed in an incomplete building at the University of Ghana, artist Reginald Sylvester II exhibited On the Other Side of Languish, an incredibly moving, austere show that displayed three-dimensional works and artworks created in partnership with metalworkers.

Also featured was the prestigious art award for women artists of Ghanaian origin. It included the inaugural exhibition of a 2024 winner, whose work draws on historical documents to create a artistic representation of life in the nation's recent history. The event also crowned a new champion, whose varied work is deeply focused on the weaving practices of women in the Volta region.

A Permanent Legacy

While the diaspora has grown been pulled back to west Africa during the winter months, more and more are thinking about journeying for the cultural season to engage with the area's cultural season. From this festival and other major events, what emerges are art scenes that are not merely emerging or “rising” but have built up an whole world that is permanent.

Ultimately, the journey offers a vision of Accra that resembles a manifesto for conservation and the safeguarding of culture. It is a powerful homage to perseverance in all its manifestations.