Chale Wote Street Art Festival

Chale Wote Street Art Festival
Kid art at 2013 Chale Wote
LocationAccra, Ghana
LanguageInternational
WebsiteAccra Dot Alt Chale Wote Pages
Pidgin Imaginarium 2019
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.[3] The festival targets exchanges between scores of local and international artists and patrons.[4] "Wote" in the Ga language means "let's go".[5]

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,[1] 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.[2] 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]

  • Photo Exhibitions
  • Street Painting
  • Graffiti Murals
  • Interactive Installations
  • Street Boxing
  • Movie Screening
  • Procession of Cultures
  • Design Labs
  • Movie Screenings
  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. ^ a b 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.