CHALE WOTE 2014 : CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

 

ACCRA [dot] ALT in association with REDD KAT Pictures, Foundation for
Contemporary Art Ghana, Dr. Monk, Attukwei Art Foundation and No Limit
Charity have begun preparation for the Fourth Annual CHALE WOTE Street Art
Festival, which will be held over two days on Saturday, August 23 – Sunday,
August 24, 2014.

The CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival is an alternative platform that brings art,
music, dance and performance out of the galleries and onto the streets of James
Town, Accra. Our vision is to cultivate a wider audience for the arts in West
Africa by breaking creative boundaries and using art as a viable form to
rejuvenate public spaces. The CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival challenges both
artists and community-based audiences to connect through art.

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.

CHALE WOTE 2014 – Call for submissions.

 

Download application here  https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8kvvoVZsmurSy1aMVhqZ3Focmc/edit

STROLLING GOATS IN ACCRA : THE CHALE WOTE CHAPTERS

Photos by MANTSE ARYEEQUAYE

We continue our CHALE WOTE episode of Strolling Goats in Accra with the rest of the festival’s production crew. Below are more expectations of this year’s edition and thoughts on James Town.

Rita Esionam

I would say James Town is an urban  community that has a lot of interesting places. They also have a lot of interesting things that people always want to see like the beach, the food, the old harbor and a particular type of Highlife music that can only be found in this part of the capital. I’m hoping that through CHALE WOTE young people here will be inspired to embrace education.

Once this happens, everything will change. People here are nice and they make everyone feel welcome. Chale Wote has been a great festival for the community, for us who live here, it’s a way to leave our mark . After this year’s Chale Wote, I hope young people here will be inspired to be creative so they can turn their lives around.

Rita Esionam runs No Limits Charity and works with more than 500 kids in James Town. She’s coordinating art education workshops for children during CHALE WOTE.

KWAKU ANANSE MAKES GHANA DEBUT

Director Akosua Adoma Owusu | photo by Mantse Aryeequaye

AKOSUA ADOMA OWUSU’s approach to Ghanaian folklore reconstructs the history of the mythical spider, Kwaku Ananse, in a way that forces a modern day interpretation of stories that have defined Ghanaian storytelling for eons. This Ananse story recreates the old legend through a transformative apparatus that bends and melds storytelling into a new history. Kwaku Ananse premieres in Ghana on July 4th at Alliance Francaise. The film stars Highlife music legend Koo Nimo, veteran actor Grace Omaboe, and Ghanaian indie music artist Jojo Abot, who plays the lead character in the film. Kwaku Ananse has screened at several international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Berlinale. The film also won Best Short Film at the African Movie Academy Awards this Spring and has also been shortlisted at the French Cesar Academy.

OWUSU chills in James Town | photo by Mantse Aryeequaye

Watch this space for full updates on KWAKU ANANSE’s director AKOSUA ADOMA OWUSU.

La MASQUERADE JAM [In Fotos!!!]

by NANA OSEI KWADWO | photos by ABASS ISMAIL for ACCRA [dot] ALT

masked up: ATTUKWEI CLOTTEY x SELORM JAY

[Double-click on photos to enlarge]

The journey to the third annual CHALE WOTE Street Festival [in James Town this September 7 + 8th, 2013] started with an inspiring note last Wednesday night at Alliance Française.

The TALK PARTY SERIES

Come out to the TALK PARTY SERIES tonite as we celebrate TAWIAH’s new mixtape “FREEDOM DROP” with a listening session. We will also be premiering her second single, “FACES” – directed by Mantse Aryeequaye, produced by REDD Kat Pictures + ACCRA [dot] ALT.

TAWIAH wants to know what you think about her new album and video! We’ll have a Skype call session with the singer/songwriter in London and you’ll have a chance to share your thoughts.

As lovers of good music, the party wouldn’t be complete without the DUSTLYVE Booth’s Kobby Graham + DJ Kev keeping buttorses shaking on the dance floor all night. So come out and let’s get live together.

We’re collecting books to support the Community Creative Center. Be kind and bring a book to donate for this worthy cause.