ART SPEAKS LOUDER IN THE STREETS OF ACCRA: #CHALEWOTE2014

Photography by GHANYOBI MANTEY , KOBE SUBRAMANIAM & ACCRA DOT ALT

Accra’s deepest history lies in James Town, the original port city leading to the
development of Ghana as a nation. James Town is a time capsule and a treasure
trove all at once. The place is filled with beautiful colonial architecture and
spirited boxing legends, a tumultuous history of the transatlantic slave trade and
and a people’s diehard spirit to remember who they are. Here a constellation of
families, cultural practices, and aquatic livelihoods persistently remix James
Town’s past, present and future. It is a place of endings and beginnings, of
ongoing deaths and rebirths.

IBRAHIM MAHAMA

SOCIAL REALITY

This installation covers a building with fabric made from coal sacks and wax print panels. This is a project of relational aesthetics. The architecture is seen as an extension of the body irrespective of it’s ” true relationship” with the site and its history.

CHALE WOTE 2014: THE FILM FESTIVAL

By Jase Tay

FOKN BOIS are coming to Chale Wote 2014 with COS OV MONI

We’re excited about CHALE WOTE 2014 and we can’t wait to see all you fine people out there show up. We have a lot of amazing things happening at this year’s event with an incredible slew of creatives who are sure to blow your mind.

Just like last year’s event, we’re holding a film festival where we’re showcasing what’s new, hot, fresh and upcoming on the continent and beyond, by talented African directors, from all over. We’re showcasing some awesome films you most likely haven’t seen yet, as well as premiering new films and documentaries. Have you seen the incredible Coz ov Moni by our homeboys, the FOKN BOIS? What about Blitz the Ambassador’s Native Sun, Terence Nance‘s phantasmic An Oversimplification of Her Beauty or Giacomo Pecci’s evocative Try and See? You also get to watch a set of stunning music videos that we’re bumping, plus catch up with ACCRA [dot] ALT’s activities.

CHALE WOTE 2014: COME TO THE CENTER OF THE WORLD

Photography by MANTSE ARYEEQUAYE 

As we make ready for endless crowds to “Come to the Center of the World” on August 23 & 24, we give you more images of the artists who will jamming with us at the CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival 2014.

Strolling Goats in Accra with Chale Wote 2014, DJ Steloo

Selorm Jay + Yoyo Tinz are bringing Gbobalor Hiphop to Chale Wote 2014

THE FOURTH CHAPTER: CHALE WOTE 2014

Strolling Goats in Accra with Chale Wote 2014.

Chale Wote 2014 will open with a heady rush of sights, sounds and vibrant creations by Ghanaian and international artists in James Town. This weekend over 200 artists will transform old Accra into a live museum with a long trail of multi-disciplinary art. Festival producers, ACCRA [dot] ALT, are collaborating with REDD Kat Pictures, Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, NO LIMIT Charity and Attukwei Art Foundation for this year’s festival.

This is the fourth edition of the festival since it started in 2011. Last year was a major success and the collective effort of many young people—ranging from artists, musicians and writers to designers, students and activists. The two-day festival will feature graffiti murals, film screenings, theater, installations, live music performances, a fashion circus, extreme sport, dance, spoken word and art workshops.

CHALE WOTE 2014: Q+A INFORMATION SHEET

 The Fourth Annual CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival

James Town | High Street

Saturday, August 23^rd + Sunday, August 24^th | 10am – 9pm

Q+A Information Sheet

 

1. Which part of James Town will the festival be held?

The two-day festival will take place along a 10-minute walking route on High Street between the Ga Mashie Development Agency [three buildings to the right of the Light House] down to the old Kings Way building [next to Ussher Fort].

CHALE WOTE 2014: THE OFFICIAL POSTER

This August artists from across the continent and the world are meeting in Accra for this year’s Chale Wote Street Art Festival. Over 200 of the city’s artist will be creating collaborative projects between the 19th to the 24th. Come to the center of the world.

SMALL HOLDER FARMERS IN NORTHERN GHANA PROTEST GMO & PLANTS BREEDERS BILL

What follows is an official statement released by Food Sovereignty Ghana on Monday, May 19, 2014, in response to the Plant Breeders Bill.

The debate on the Plant Breeders Bill (PBB) and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Ghana and across the globe is of concern to food security, socio-economic, cultural and human dignity. This is most important to small holder farmers due to implications for agriculture which still forms the backbone of the economy.

Having provided the platform for small holder farmers in the northern Ghana courtesy the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Action Aid Ghana and the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development to understand both the negative and positive effects of the above topic have agreed on the following

The PBB in its current state undermines and threatens the inherent right of indigenous peoples and farmers to access to, own, save and share their traditional germplasm and biodiversity, which is necessary for their survival. Therefore privatization of seed and biodiversity through any intellectual property rights (IPR) regime, favors large-scale plant breeders, while violating the basic right to seed of indigenous communities and small holder farmers, who depend on seed as a resource for survival.

The passage of the PBB in its current form, which is at the consideration stage, would allow multinational seed and chemical companies to take over the country’s seed market from Ghanaian seed producers and indigenous farmers.

March Against the Plant Breeders Bill in Tamale, Ghana on May 16th. photo by Food Sovereignty Ghana.

NIMA: The Street Market Edition

By Nana Osei Kwadwo

The Medicine Market

You can find pretty much everything at the street market. A standard feature not just in Accra but all over West Africa, the street market is where the home cho preparations begin.

Gallivanting Through Aburi

Aburi is a series of mountainous communities about 45 minutes outside the city of Accra. The region is filled with lush greenery, picturesque views, and fresh air. Bob Marley’s widow, Rita Marley, has built a home, recording studio, school and health clinic in this area. We were delighted to receive a guided tour by Nana B., a traditional priest and healer, through an old cocoa yam plantation in Aburi. We then perused a double roadside craft market and talked with some of the artisans about their creative process of carving tree wood into drums, sculptures, and masks.

After so much activity, we were glad to arrive to our friend’s country home in Brekuso, an upper province of Aburi. Here we relaxed on the wraparound porch, visited the garden, took a hike to the bottom of the cliff, listened to music, chatted up one another, and dined on some amazing food by our chef, Jacob.

The Wondrous Wli Waterfalls

After more than three hours in transit from Accra to the Volta Region in western Ghana, the group was more than happy to shake their legs out by walking through the shaded rainforest to the breathtaking waterfall.

Wli Waterfalls cascades from a height of 60-80 meters, and is the highest falls in West Africa. The hills mark the border between Ghana and the neighboring country of Togo. A walk through the forest of the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary offers a chance to see a large colony of fruit bats, butterflies, birds, monkeys and baboons. To get there we walked about 30 minutes each way through the rainforest on a footpath crossing 9 smaller streams in the process.

Take a look at our pictures at the foot of the majestic Wli Waterfalls: