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Following in excess of 50 issues exploring the worldwide Black diaspora, this marks a last column. The experience was deeply fulfilling, and great thanks extended to all the attentive audience.

Inside the Accra Festival

Experiencing the showcases, artworks and performances of the festival, it becomes clear how the finest art sustains and constructs a nation's history and essence. The focal point was undoubtedly Clottey's stunning a profound exploration of ritual and time, which put his innovative afrogallonism for all to see: a philosophy that reimagines yellow jerrycans into mesmerizing works of art, assemblages of metallic tones. The display was designed as a tribute to the strength of Jamestown, a historic quarter of Accra.

Jamestown – predominantly home to the Ga ethnic group, a seafaring people – is additionally where a great number of returning Africans came back from Brazil and settled in the 1830s. Referred to as the Tabom community, they introduced Portuguese language and traditions.

Throughout Jamestown, you can see a blend of architectural styles. Standing is a historic building, with its unique Portuguese brickwork and curved entrances. Another landmark is the iconic lighthouse of Jamestown, constructed in the 1800s and later featuring its signature banded facade.

Traditions of Celebration

Equally notable about Jamestown is the ever-present presence of funeral posters. On every corner, whether covering walls or on sizable billboards, one finds service information and expressions of farewell. In Jamestown, mirroring customs in Ghana, funerals are significant communal events.

In the artist's impressive installation, all of the sensory and spiritual landscape of Jamestown are evoked – especially in the engaging shoreline piece. In this space, visitors are calmed by the sound of the sea with beach material underfoot, while shelters, nets and representations of canoes celebrate its vibrant, multigenerational seafaring tradition. Yet standing in this venue, it's hard to ignore the piles of discarded clothing that mar the charm and serenity of the region.

Apart from the Centrepiece

There is much more. Housed in an raw space at the campus, artist Reginald Sylvester II showcased a deeply moving minimalist collection, an incredibly moving, austere presentation that displayed sculptures and canvases produced in collaboration with metalworkers.

And then there is the Yaa Asantewaa Art prize for Ghanaian women creators. It showcased the inaugural exhibition of a recent recipient, whose work utilizes personal family archives to create a depiction of life in post-independence Ghana. The event also honored a current winner, whose diverse work is particularly invested in the weaving practices of women in the Volta region.

A Lasting Impact

Although the diaspora has increasingly been attracted home to Ghana in the colder season, a growing cohort are considering journeying earlier in the year to immerse themselves in the area's artistic calendar. From this festival and other major events, what you’ll find are art scenes that are not simply emerging or “rising” but have built up an whole universe that is here to stay.

Finally, the journey offers a perception of Accra that feels like a manifesto for ecological stewardship and the preservation of culture. It is a resonant tribute to perseverance in all its manifestations.