Thecityitselfisattractingbothpleasure-seekersand
culturaltourists.“Theartssceneis unstoppable,”saysVictoria
Cooke,directorofGallery1957.“Itfeelslikerightnowthecity
is filledwithcreativity.”Althoughtimeseemstomoveslower
inWestAfrica,thedevelopmentinAccra’stourisminfrastruc-
turehasluredmorethan1 millionvisitorsannuallyoverthe
lastfiveyears,enoughfortheGhanaiangovernmenttoborrow
$40millionfromtheWorldBankaspartofa 15-yearinvestment
plantoboosttouristspendingtoa totalof$2.5billionby2022.
ThenewTerminal3 atKotokahasbeena particularboon.
Untilit openedinSeptember2018,theairportservedasa
notoriouslydisorganizedentrytothecountry,wherebribes,
hours-longlines,andmissingluggagewerecommon.Butafter
a $278millioninvestment,theterminalhasalmosterasedthe
memoriesofitspreviousiteration.T3,asit’scasuallyreferred
to,processesabout1,250passengersanhourandis designed
toaccommodate5 millionpassengersa year.Thirty-eightair-
linesnowpassthrough,andinternationalpassengerarrivals
havegrown6.7%sinceit opened.
Thisyearis a distinctoneforGhanainanotherway.The
Europeancolonialpastis neverfarfromviewinAccra,and
2019 marksthe400thanniversaryofthefirstenslavedAfricans
departingforthe 13 Britishcolonies.Thegovernmenthasbeen
reachingacrosstheAtlantictoakwaaba, orwelcome,African
Americanstoexploretheirheritage.ComedianSteveHarvey
andformerNFLquarterbackColinKaepernickhavealready
madethejourney.Acrossthecountry,the“YearofReturn”
hassparkedexhibitionsandfestivalsandwillculminateinthe
Afrochella cultural festival in December.
“The energy and drive of young entrepreneurs and cre-
atives that are bringing fresh new ideas and talent to the city
are probably the most exciting aspects of Accra right now,”
saysAnnaRobertson,founderoftheGhanaianclothingbrand
Yevu.ShepointstoresidentssuchasItalo-Ghanaiannative
StefaniaManfreda,whostartedtheboutiqueshopElleLokko
toshowcaselocaldesignersasmuchasstageperformances
andartshows,andTarekMouganie,whorunsa microfinance
platformandis alsoa co-founderofAccra’sexclusivemem-
bersclubFront/Back.“Wehavea cultureoflookingafteryour
neighbor,”Mouganiesays.“Weareproudofwhoweare,what
wedo,andwantotherstoknowit.”
Thecityis sofilledwithwarmth—andnotonlyfromthe
swelteringtropicalconditions—thateventhefuneralshereare
occasionsforsomeofGhana’sbiggest,liveliestparties.After
I senda WhatsAppmessagetoPaaJoe,a longtimemakerof
ornate“fantasycoffins,”hissonandstudiomanager,Jacob
Ashong,invitesmetocomemeetthemanknown“togivethe
deada ridetotheafterlife,”ashesays.
“Wearegladtohaveguests,”Ashongsays.“We’reeven
readytohostanyonewhowouldlovetolearnthistrade.”
Thecreationscomeinmanyoversizeforms,includingexotic
animalsandNikeAirMaxsneakers;hecreatedoneinthe
shapeofanoaktreetrunkinmemoryofthelateGhanaian
diplomatandUnitedNationsSecretary-GeneralKofiAnnan.
EveryAugust,Joeheadlinesa funeralprocessionalduringthe
ChaleWoteStreetArtFestival,wherehiscoffinsaredanced
downthestreet.
Onedayinthebustling neighborhoodofOsu,I,too,
becomeabsorbedina funeralprocessional.Thelocalauntie
whopassedmust’vehadnumerouscloserelatives,asthou-
sands of people fill the streets, chanting, singing, and dancing.
Drums bang, a DJ eventually comes on, and the sound rings
through the neighborhood long after I leave. When I come back
10 hours later, it’s still in full swing. <BW>61TRAVEL Bloomberg Pursuits November 25, 2019
THE DAYTIME EXCURSION
Horses and live music are
fixtures on Accra’s beaches,
and either La Palm Royal
or Labadi Beach Hotel—
which has a lap pool, tennis
courts, and office space for
business trips—will get you
close to the action. Elsewhere,
the Kempinski Hotel Gold
Coast is a five-star business
hotel designed with gleaming
efficiency right in the middle
of the city. It’s got a fun pool
scene and offers a sprawling
breakfast of fresh tropical
fruits. The Kempinski is also
home to Cooke’s Gallery 1957,
and from there it’s a 10-minute
taxi ride to Studio Accra, a
creative hub of performances
and film screenings run
by photographer FrancisKokoroko. Twenty minutes
from the hotel is the Nubuke
arts complex, which just
reopened after two years
of renovations. For a more
planned itinerary, Tastemakers
Africa can arrange a
tour through the historic
neighborhood of Jamestown,
famous for its boxing history,
or to the Makola market to
buy fabric and have an outfit
tailored for you. Tastemakers
can also set up studio visits like
the one I took to meet Opoku.THE WEEKEND GETAWAY
The Volta River and its delta
flow through beautiful parts
of the country. A stay at the
Royal Senchi Hotel & Resort,
up the river in Akosombo, is
a tranquil escape from thedusty bustle of the city. It’s set
right along the river within a
protected natural reserve, and
those kayaking and hiking are
encouraged to explore the
lush tropical surroundings. In
the delta proper is seductive
Ada Foah, Accra’s answer
to the Hamptons. Public
accommodations are rare, but
if you don’t have an invitation
to stay with a local, crash at the
kitschy Aqua Safari Resort. It
has several pools, including one
that features a re-creation of a
local waterfall, complete with
giant boulders. Each section
touts a different architectural
style, whether white stucco or
1970s A-frame wood cabins.
It’s also a convenient way to
end your trip; from here, T3 at
Kotoka is only a two-hour drive.An exhibition of Donkor’s paintings
(top) at Gallery 1957; an aerial view
of the Royal Senchi in Akosombo