Chale Wote Street Art Festival returns to Accra, April 14

Many leading and emerging artists from Accra and around the world will work and exhibit for the second edition of the Chale Wote Street Art Festival on April 14th .The festival celebrates the vibrant art traditions of urban life from visual media, experimental theater, dance installations to extreme sports.

Last year, over 100 artists created magnificent, layered art pieces in bold washes of color throughout the streets of James Town drawing hordes of art lovers, tourists and musicians into the city center. Several Accra-based art houses and collectives teaming up to create an alternative “space” through Chale Wote.

Chale Wote 2011 was a success in James Town because the artists made it into a flamboyant spectacle in a community that hadn’t had that kind of direct interaction with art. The event supports the development of creative responses by community members to their everyday concerns. As part of the festival activities, there will be a soup kitchen to feed children in the community supported by Dr. Monk, with storytelling by reps from The Golden Baobab Prize and Lincoln Community School.

This year’s festival aims to create something that represents Accra and other

worlds simultaneously while maintaining the promotion and appreciation of alternative art in Ghana. The 2012 theme for Chale Wote is “outer-space” exploration. On April 14th Chale Wote will install the Ghana Space Station and take patrons into a universe of unlimited imagination. 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. The festival will feature a number of activities for attendees to check out: Acrylic Street Painting, Graffiti Wall Murals and Chalk Art, Photography Displays (on posts), Large Installation Art Exhibits, Inside the Moskito Net (dance installation), Pop Brass Jams, Live DJ and Music Performance Sets, Spoken Word by Ehalakasa Talk Party, Experimental Theater by the Lincoln Community School, ACT for Change and The New Morning Cafe, a Fashion Circus by The WEB (Young Designer’s Hub), a Food + Craft Marketplace and Independent Cinema Screenings by Anokye’s Sword.

The French Embassy, and Institut Français 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 has been in frequent high demand throughout world. The U.S. Embassy is also supporting this edition with multiple art workshops led by the Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana (FCA). Don’t miss out on the Bike Stunts, Skateboarding and Roller Skating Performances. There will be DJ mashup sets at Mantse Agbonaa, featuring some of Accra’s dopest turntable artists like DUSTLYVE’s Funky Professor Kobby Graham, Jason Kleatsh, Kwaku Ananse and SanSe from The Heavy Warm Up. Live music sets will be led by electro punk collective Faint Medal, Jojo Abot and lots more.

Chale Wote demonstrates how innovation can be used to solve community problems such as improper sewage systems, unemployment and equal access to education. Through this interaction Jamestown residents can nurture their creative capacity for change. The festival also provides networking opportunities to community members to continue producing interactive art events and programs throughout the year.

Chale Wote will take place from 10am – 11pm on April 14th, along a ten-minute walk from the Lighthouse to the old Kings Way building (next to Ussher Fort). So, scrounge up a date, coral a group of friends, or go it alone. But, whomever you bring to the Chale Wote Street Art Festival be sure to make room for some super mind expansion through fresh music and art.

Chale Wote 2012 is produced by ACCRA[dot] ALT and supported by The French Embassy, Institut Francais, Alliance Française, The U.S. Embassy, REDD Kat Pictures , Dr. Monk , The Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana, DUST Magazine, DUST LYVE, Dr. Monk, Attukwei Art Foundation, Nandimobile, The WEB, The Golden Baobab Prize, Lincoln Community School, JustGhana, Pidgen Music, Ehalakasa , Indomie, The Millennium City Initiative – Project Management Unit (AMA), Inside the Mosquito Net, ACT for Change and The New Morning Café.