Good old Arts Centre
There are places in Accra which have just always been there. The Art Centre is one of such vintage spots. Everyone who really knows Accra knows there.
Advertisement
Do not forget that Ghana Independence was declared just a block or two away. It is situated right next to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park which used to be that spot also formerly known as Old Polo Park.
Indeed, that neighborhood formed the nerve centre of what is known as Old Accra. No wonder Art Centre is fronted by the High Street. Just check, that the following monuments are all adjacent: Baiden Powell Hall, Bank of Ghana and the Supreme Court.
So steeped is Art Centre in its own history that few hardly call it by its new name, the National Centre for Cultural Arts.
We are interested in the place because it is a major point to go in Central Accra to buy good quality crafts. And here the handicrafts come from everywhere including the West African sub-region.
If you ask me, the Arts Centre is the biggest market place for craft items in Ghana. Yes, it is big. But a warning though, It is not a clean, well-organised place.
Indeed it is not one building or a few blocks of buildings. It is a disorderly collection of shops, stalls and shelves across a wide market space. So large and crowded is the place that when shopping in some stores you require light during the day.
Not to scare you but may I add that it is one place you would not be left alone when you enter. Every vendor will try to lure you to come in and buy a thing or two. Some will tout their ware to the high heavens. Others will virtually serenade you into their shop.
For many tourists this could be as flattering as it could be frustrating. Some foreign tourists see it as plain harassment. Whoever you are please make sure you bargain and bargain well. The good news too is that there are good-quality handicrafts here.
Can we talk about what’s obtainable here? Well let me just say that everything. For any handicraft dealer there are many things to buy at the Accra Arts Centre.
Traditional jewellery, clothing, brass ware and different animal parts used as decorations or as musical instruments. Then there is wood craft - stools, palanquins, drums and tribal masks of all sizes. Then we go to pottery. Need I add textiles, your kente, fugu….
The art centre is also the place for events such as theatre performance and your good old ‘What do you Know’ quiz competition.
The place also has a cluster of eateries and pubs which keep the area lively especially in the evening and on weekends. There are some jazz bands which are quite regular. The beach nearby also enhances the venue for outing purposes.