The Talk Party Series: Creative Sampling, Copyright + Culture Jamming [Friday, 31st MAY]

Hey Fam! We are back tomorrow, Friday 31st MAY, 6-9pm at Passions Premium Restaurant in Osu Ring Way [two streets behind Country Kitchen] with an exciting session on creativity, sampling and copyright.

“Preserving Memory as Future”: An Interview with AIDA Muluneh

by Sionne Neely

MARIE-Ange BORDAS: “I was too young” | photo courtesy of Addis Foto Fest 2012

AIDA MULUNEH is definitely a force to be reckoned with. The photographer and filmmaker heads up ADDIS FOTO FEST – a biannual, international photography festival in Addis Ababa that brings a diverse cadre of African photographers together to showcase their work [the third installation is Dec 2014]. In direct response to how Ethiopia has been popularly imagined by western development + media agencies since the 1980s, Aida is building an appreciation for photography among the Ethiopian public by re-working how photography takes shape in the country. The festival develops the capacity of emerging Ethiopian photographers to tell their own compelling stories.

I caught up with my fellow Howard U Film Dept. comrade on a recent trip to Accra. Here we rap about Addis Foto Fest and how emerging Ethiopian photographers are in a unique position to transform the country’s visual future.

Drive AIDA Drive | photo courtesy of Addis Foto Fest 2012

ACCRA Report: 3 Dope Events This Weekend!

There’s a lot happening in Accra these days. This weekend is no exception. Here are three awe-inspiring events that you should check out:

What: YARI YARI NTOASO: International Black Women Writers Conference

When: Thursday, May 16 – Sunday, May 19

Damage: FREE

NIMA: The Street Food Edition

By Nana Osei Kwadwo

The Street Food Culture

Street food is a way of life in Accra. In fact, it’s the only fast food you’ll find in town. Easy and convenient, affordable and ready to eat, street food for many Accra city people is the way to do it.

THE TALK PARTY SERIES: Sharing Creative Knowledge

TALK PARTY FIYAH

We had a blast at March’s Talk Party Series. We enjoy great discussions and killer jams – hence the name. It’s always nice to get together with other creative folk to plan new projects and share helpful information.

Strolling Goats in Accra: NIMA pt. 2

Here’s a second set of photos from our Nima street shoot. Double-click on photos to enlarge. Dig in, Friends.

AFUA ASONA Snaps!

FOTO VIM: Leaders of a New School

by Sionne R. Neely

CHALE MAN – photo by ACCRA [dot] ALT

Accra is a city in transition. It’s a place filled with a multitude of beautiful, thick struggles.

In January, The New York Times described Accra as “a buzzing metropolis for business and pleasure” rating the city #4 of 46 places in the world to visit in 2013. New residents are continually streaming into the city from all over the country and throughout West Africa. Ghana draws major tourist traffic [The World Bank reports 803,000 visitors in 2009] along with more and more immigrants [and returnees] moving into the city for business opportunities from the U.S., Canada, Thailand, India, China, Lebanon and all over Europe [via Horwath HTL].

BAG LADY – photo by ACCRA [dot] ALT

Earlier this month, The MasterCard African Cities Growth Index rated Accra #1 of 19 cities with the highest growth potential on the continent over the next five years. You see it in the countless construction cranes covering the city, rapidly churning up new luxury developments – shopping malls, high rise offices and lofts, hotels and gated communities. The city is shifting and taking on a different shape. Its five million+ population is bulging at the seams – stuck in tight trotros and taxis on traffic-choked two-lane roads.

COCONUT WATA FEVA – photo by ACCRA [dot] ALT

FOTO VIM: The Adabraka Sessions

THE CREW ARRIVES

Last Saturday morning, we got together and designed a fun photoshoot featuring our team in the historic Accra neighborhood of Adabraka.

TIE DYE DEVIL ROBOTS

Some of our ACCRA [dot] ALT interns + contributors were asked to describe what life is like in Accra. Here’s what they came up with.

All photos by ACCRA [dot] ALT.

ROWIE x JESSICA x AIGERIM

SELORM JAY x  STEPHEN

CHALE WOTE 2013: Open Call for Visual + Performance Art Proposals

CHALE WOTE Chillin x Tei Huagie’s Mannequin Installation

ACCRA [dot] ALT in association with REDD KAT Pictures, Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana, Dr. Monk and Attukwei Art Foundation have begun preparation for the third annual Chale Wote Street Art Festival 2013 which will be held on Saturday, September 7 – Sunday, September 8th.

The Chale Wote Street Art Festival is an alternative platform that brings art, music, dance and performance out into the streets in James Town Accra. Its aims are to cultivate a wider audience for the arts, break creative boundaries and use art as a viable form to rejuvenate public spaces.

THE WINNEBA MASQUERADE

The Chale Wote Street Art Festival challenges local and international artists and Accra residents to connect by creating and appreciating art together. The festival includes street and sidewalk painting, graffiti murals, large photography displays, interactive art installations, live street performances, extreme sports, experimental community theater, independent African film screenings, a fashion parade, a music block party, recyclable design workshops and much more.

IND!E FUSE 2012: LIVE ELECTRO MUSIC SHAKE UP IN ACCRA, DECEMBER 14TH &15TH

#Live #Electro #Accra

This December Accra will beam a new signal to the world. The homegrown sounds of the city’s most progressive indie acts will congregate for the annual genre-bending sound simulators mash up. Look out for the artists line up in coming weeks.

#Live #Electro #Accra