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.

Public Space Hijackers: Get Ready to GoLokal

Story by NANA OSEI KWADWO | Photography by MANTSE ARYEEQUAYE & SELORM JAY

Going Local with GoLokal

Two years ago when visual artist Attukwei Clottey decided to showcase work in his hometown, La, he knew he had to get an enthusiastic group of young folks to buy into the idea. Attukwei wanted the people of La to understand the power of art and how it could transform their community.

Between art residencies in Austria and Netherlands, Attukwei took action and assembled a gathering of characters under the pseudonym “GoLokal.” He adopted this name because of the indigenous style of this artist crew – visually provoking, eclectic, cool yet vibrant. GoLokal is comprised of ten members in total [6 guys, 4 girls] who are quite passionate about their newfound mission.

Serge Attukwei, the god of GoLokal

Since 2012, GoLokal has gained an ever-expanding audience with major performance at art events across the city. In 2013, the crew arrested the attention of attendees’ at ACCRA [dot] ALT’s CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival, literally, taking over the street with improve performances. They even led a grand parade down High Street with the Flat Land Boys bikers and the 25-member Winneba Masquerade. Last month, we jammed up with GoLokal at the 2^nd annual FashionistaGH Shopping Festival at Trade Fair. With collage costumes, bright yellow jerry cans, slick face paint and killer dance moves, GoLokal had crowds snapping smartphone pics all afternoon. Word on the street is the people can’t get enough of the La mobile art shows.

No matter how often we work with Attukwei and the rest of the GoLokal crew, we are consistently fascinated by their fresh performance installations. Last week, I visited Attukwei at his art studio to chat on how GoLokal began, what they’re all about and what the art crew’s got going next.

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.