Chale Wote Street Art Festival

Last updated

Chale Wote Street Art Festival
Kid Art.jpg
Kid art at 2013 Chale Wote
Location Accra, Ghana
LanguageInternational
Website Accra Dot Alt Chale Wote Pages
Pidgin Imaginarium 2019 Chale Wote 116.jpg
Pidgin Imaginarium 2019
Crowds gather at the 2016 festival People having fun at chalewote festival.jpg
Crowds gather at the 2016 festival


The Chale Wote Street Art Festival [1] [2] also known as Chale Wote, is an annual street festival in Accra, Ghana organized by ACCRA [dot] ALT, in collaboration with Redd Kat Pictures and Chale Wote Street Art Projekt. [3] The festival targets exchanges between scores of local and international artists and patrons. [4] "Chale Wote" in the Ga language means "friend, let's go" and its meaning is derived from a type of flip-flop commonly worn in a household. [5]

Contents

Origin

The festival has always been in existence before independence. Since 2011, CHALE WOTE has included street painting, graffiti murals, photography, theater show dubbed "Na Wo Se Sɛn", spoken word, interactive art installations, live performances, sports, film shows, and other activities. The first two editions ran for one day each, while the 2013 and 2014 edition ran concurrently for two days, the former on 7 and 8 September and the latter on 23 and 24 August, [6] a week after the Homowo festival of the Ga people at the historical Jamestown on the High Street in Accra. The format switched in 2016 when the festival lasted an entire week, from 18 to 21 August with the theme "Spirit Robot". [7] This switch saw the festival hop from the open street gallery that is Jamestown to other art spaces, such as the Nubuke Foundation, the Museum of Science and Technology as well as film screenings at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra. The same format was replicated in the 7th edition, themed Wata Mata, [8] on 14 to 20 August, with further immersion into Accra, spread to areas such as Nima, Osu and more. The event is produced by Accra [dot] Alt Radio, [9] [10] [11] with support from other local cultural networks like Attukwei Art Foundation, Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana, Dr. Monk, Redd Kat Pictures, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana Museum and Monuments Board and Korley Klottey Municipal Assembly and the Institute français and Lododo Arts in Ghana. The most recent and 13th edition of CHALE WOTE started on Monday, 21 August and ended on Sunday, 27 August 2023 in the Greater Accra Region specifically, Osu, Ghana. [12]

List of activities during the street festival. [13] [3]

YearThemeDateReference
2011Promote the appreciation of diverse forms of art in Ghana16 July [14] [15]
2012"Outer-space” exploration14 April [16]
2013Re-imagining African folklore by creating exciting and futuristic versions7–8 September [17]
2014Death: An Eternal Dream Into Limitless Rebirth23–24 August [18]
2015African Electronics22–23 August [19]
2016Spirit Robot18–21 August [20]
2017Wata Mata14–20 August [21]
2018Para Other20–26 August [22]
202110 years of existence since its launch (Virtual event)13–22 August [15]
2023Magneto Motherland27–29

August

[23]
2024And Now An End To The Empire Of Horrors19 - 25 August [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamestown/Usshertown, Accra</span> Suburb of Accra

Located directly east of the Korle Lagoon, Jamestown and Usshertown are the oldest districts of Accra, Ghana and emerged as communities around the 17th century British James Fort and Dutch Ussher Fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast. These districts were developed at the end of the 19th century, and following the rapid growth of the city during the 20th century, they became areas of a dense mixture of commercial and residential use.

Articles related to Ghana include:

Reggie Rockstone is a Ghanaian rapper. He was born in the United Kingdom but lived his early years in Kumasi and Accra. He has been living in Ghana continuously since he pioneered the Hip-Life movement in 1994. He is married to Dr. Zilla Limann, Daughter of Hilla Limann, the only president of the third Republic of Ghana. They have three kids together and have been married since 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ussher Fort</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site

Ussher Fort is a fort in Accra, Ghana. It was built by the Dutch in 1649 as Fort Crèvecœur, and is two days' march from Elmina and to the east of Accra on a rocky point between two lagoons. It was one of three forts that Europeans built in the region during the middle of the 17th century. Fort Crèvecœur was part of the Dutch Gold Coast. The Anglo-Dutch Gold Coast Treaty (1867), which defined areas of influence on the Gold Coast, transferred it to the British in 1868. Because of its significance in the history of European colonial trade and exploitation in Africa, the fort was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Joy FM is a privately owned radio station in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The station is owned and run by the media group company Multimedia Group Limited. It is arguably the leading radio station in Ghana that broadcasts in the English language. Established in 1995 by Kwasi Twum, the founder of Multimedia Group Limited, Joy FM became the first private radio station to be licensed in Ghana. The Multimedia Group has been a pivotal force in catalyzing growth in the advertising, creative arts, and entertainment industries.

Kofi Akpabli is a Ghanaian academic, journalist, publisher, tourism consultant and cultural activist. He is a two-time winner of the CNN Multichoice African Journalist for Arts and Culture Awards. His latest work 'Made in Nima' has been featured in the new Commonwealth Anthology which was published in May 2016 Safe House: Explorations into Creative Non-Fiction. Akpabli has four books to his credit and currently works as a lecturer at Central University College in Ghana. He is a founding member of Ghana Cultural Forum and has participated in Xplore FrankfurtRheinemann 2012, Tallberg Forum, Sweden 2011, Berlin Art Festival 2010 and the Düsseldorf Art Preview 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathaniel Attoh</span> Ghanaian announcer and journalist

Nathaniel Attoh, alias Citizen Attoh, born is a Ghanaian professional master of ceremonies (mc), international boxing ring announcer, and television and radio journalist. He is known for the radio show " Joy Sports Link" on Joy 99.7 FM Ghana.

Bright Tetteh Ackwerh is a Ghanaian satirical artist who employs the domains of popular art, street art, painting, and illustration to voice and document his persuasions. He has exhibited widely in Ghana and West Africa, building a niche as an emerging contemporary Ghanaian artist on the West African art scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gafacci</span> Ghanaian music producer, DJ, and songwriter

Michael Dela Gafatchi, better known by the stage name Gafacci, is a Ghanaian music producer, disc jockey, and songwriter.

Gh hip hop, Gh rap or Ghana hip hop is a hip hop genre, subculture and art movement that developed in Ghana during the late 1990s. The hip-hop genre came into existence in Ghana through Reggie Rockstone, who is known as the hip-life father, and other notable musicians such as Jayso and Ball J. It first came to Ghana as Hiplife, where Reggie Rockstone introduced a fusion of hip-hop beats with African sounds to create a whole new genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knii Lante</span> Musical artist

Nii Lante Okunka Blankson, professionally known as Knii Lante, is a Ghanaian reggae, soul, and Afro pop musician, songwriter, and medical doctor from Accra, Ghana.

Serge Attukwei Clottey is a Ghanaian artist who works across installation, performance, photography and sculpture. He is the creator of Afrogallonism, an artistic concept, which he describes as 'an artistic concept to explore the relationship between the prevalence of the yellow oil gallons in to consumption and necessity in the life of the modern African.' As the founder of Ghana's GoLokal, Clottey tries to transform society through art.

Sionne Neely is a co-founder of the Chale Wote Street Art Festival. She was one of the directors of Accra [dot] Alt, an organization that documents rising Ghanaian artistes and Ghanaian culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Kurtycz</span> Mexican-Polish graphic artist (1970–2019)

Anna Kurtycz (1970-2019) was a Mexican-Polish graphic artist specializing in wood engraving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GlennSamm</span> Ghanaian fashion model

Samuel Glenn Semakor, popularly known as GlennSamm, is a Ghanaian walking artiste and fashion model. After his appearance at the 2018 Afrochella Festival and the 2019 Chale Wote Festival, GlennSamm caught attention when he was featured in Vogue magazine and a BBC documentary.

Ayana M. Evans is an African-American performance artist and educator based in New York City and an adjunct professor of visual art at New York University and Brooklyn College. She also serves as editor-at-large of Cultbytes, an online art publication.

Josephine Ngminvielu Kuuire is a Ghanaian photographer, digital artist, graphic designer and activist.

Richard Nii Armah Quaye is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, founder and board chairman of Bills formerly known as Quick Angels Limited/Quick Credit and Investment Micro-credit Limited.

Kwesi Owusu is a Ghanaian writer, filmmaker, and creative entrepreneur. He is considered "one of Ghana’s leading filmmakers and communications specialists" and is also the author of five books. In the 1980s, he was a founding member of the influential pan-African performance group African Dawn. Since 2022, Owusu has hosted the African Dawn podcast, covering "untold stories" from Africa's cultural history as well as current trends in the arts world.

References

  1. "Four Word Story: Chale Wote Street Art Festival". Ghana Web. 30 November 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  2. "Chale Wote Street festival brings street art to James Town". Ghanamusic.com. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 Online, Peace FM. "Walking You Through Accra's Beautiful Attractions". Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. Sulemana, Suhuyini. "Celebrating Ghana's Resilience and Creative Pulse at Chale Wote Street Art Festival". The Accra Times. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  5. culturetrip (6 September 2018). "Slang Words That Will Make You Sound Like a..." Culture Trip. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  6. "4th Annual Chale Wote Street Art Festival on August 23". GhanaWeb. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  7. "Chale Wote • The Cultural Encyclopaedia". www.culturalencyclopaedia.org. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  8. "CHALE WOTE 2017: CALL FOR ARTISTS". ACCRA[dot]ALT. 4 April 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  9. "Chale Wote Street Art Festival". Accra Dot Alt Radio. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  10. "ACCRA [dot] ALT Radio | Live from the Ghana Space Station". Accra [dot] Alt Radio. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  11. Tallieu, Tallieu &. "The Festival Academy". The Festival Academy. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  12. Antwi-Donkor, Brenda (18 August 2023). "Why 2023 Chalewote Street Art Festival is a must-attend event - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  13. "Independent Art Africa Ghana . Innovative art programming". ACCRA [dot] ALT Radio. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  14. "Chale Wote brings street art to James Town". Modern Ghana. modernghana.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  15. 1 2 "Two 'Chale Wote' festival organisers; one artist arrested at Jamestown". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  16. "In other worlds with Chale Wote Street Art festival". myjoyonline.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  17. "Chale Wote Street Festival 2013 is here". graphic.com.gh. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  18. Sefa-Boakye, Jennifer (29 April 2014). "Accra's Chale Wote Street Art Festival Call For Artists". okayafrica. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  19. Accra[Dot]Alt (8 April 2015). "Accra's Chale Wote Street Art Festival Call For Artists". accradotaltradio. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  20. "CHALE WOTE 2016: Call for Artists". 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  21. Adom, Nii Noi (25 October 2018). "Sights and Sounds of Chale Wote Festival, Accra". Culture Trip. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  22. Frank, Alex (30 August 2018). "The Chale Wote Festival In Accra, Ghana, Is A Street Style Paradise". www.vogue.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  23. "See pictures, videos from the 2023 Chale Wote Festival". GhanaWeb. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  24. "Chale Wote Street Art Festival: A call for artists ahead of 2024 edition - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.