The CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival Returns to James Town on April 14th

MURAL BY MUSAH SWALLAH

The second annual CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival will take place on Saturday, April 14, 2012 in James Town from 10:00 am – 11:00pm. This event is powered by ACCRA [dot] ALT and a host of collaborators across the city including the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) – Project Management Unit/AMA, The French Embassy/Institut Français, Alliance Française, the U.S. Embassy, the Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana (FCA), Lincoln Community School, DUST Magazine, Dr. Monk, JustGhana, The Attukwei Art Foundation, The WEB (Young Fashion Designers Hub), InsidetheMosquitoNet, Dinnie Tech Solutions, NandiMobile, among many others.

The first edition of the CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival on July 16^th, 2011 was the collective effort of many young people—ranging from artists, musicians and writers to designers, students and activists—who worked together to produce Accra’s first street art festival. This free art festival stretches down a ten-minute walk on Beach Road from the Lighthouse to the old Kings way building ruin (next to Ussher Fort).

ROLLA WONDALAND

The one-day festival includes the work of 200 local and international artists in street painting, sidewalk painting and chalk art, graffiti murals, live music performances, art installations, a fashion circus, indie film screenings, extreme sport stunting, experimental theater and spoken word, art education workshops, a craft marketplace, and much more. More than 1,000 people came out to witness this spectacular event last year. 

ABENA @ THE OLD KINGS WAY BLDG BLOCK PARTY

The 2012 theme for CHALE WOTE is outerspace exploration. Ghana may not have a space station but we will take the patrons of the festival to another universe where our imaginations are unlimited.

THE FUNKY FISHNET FASHION CIRCUS (THE WEB)

INSTALLATION BY I.U.B. ON PRISON ANXIETY

Join the CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival on a space exploration mission through the streets of James Town for an action-packed program of activities. We are ever astounded by Ghanaian ingenuity in the arts and welcome these headline performers in 2012: The Winneba Stiltwalkers and Masquerade Troupe; Ian Quhachi, a graffiti artist from Takoradi and The Ghanata Art School, a visionary training hub for young artists. Sculpture artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo Eugene will create a new installation for CHALE WOTE called “Sidewalk Swimmers,” a stretch of fabric, chicken wire figures and waste material that brings the sea to the street as a way to think about space and teleportation.

SERGE ATTUKWEI CLOTTEY (CHALE WOTE 2011)

ALMIGHTY GOD

IAN QUHACHI

The French Embassy/Institut Français and Alliance Française are supporting CHALE WOTE to host Bivouac, a spaced-out procession by the “blue people” from Generik Vapeur, a street art company in France. Over the last decade, the Bivouac show is in frequent high demand to perform throughout world.

GENERIK VAPEUR PRESENTS BIVOUAC

On April 14th, we are expecting more than 2,000 patrons to attend the festival, which is free and open to the public. We invite all art lovers, students, artists and musicians, tourists, James Town residents, and everyday people throughout the greater Accra region to join us at CHALE WOTE.

THE FLAT LAND BOYS

The purpose of the festival is to promote the exhibition of alternative art in Ghana and to nurture an appreciation for different kinds of art among Ghanaians. CHALE WOTE means “Man, let’s go!” or is a reference to slippers worn on the feet. We use CHALE WOTE as a way to mobilize excitement for public and alternative art, especially among young Ghanaians.

ANANSE

In addition, CHALE WOTE demonstrates how innovation can be used to solve community problems such as improper sewage systems, unemployment and equal access to education. We will include 300 students and street children from four community schools in James Town in art education workshops and provide each student with a healthy lunch on the day of the festival.

Through recycling workshops, professional art training, and the employment of local residents on the day of the festival, CHALE WOTE supports the development of creative responses by community members to their everyday concerns. Through inspiration, innovation and a sustained vision, James Town residents can nurture their creative capacity for change. CHALE WOTE also provides networking opportunities to community members to continue producing interactive art events and programs throughout the year.

To learn more about sponsorship, volunteering or general information about the CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival, email us at accra.alt@gmail.com.