CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival hits Jamestown this July

ACCRA [dot] ALT and the French Embassy/Institut Français Present the First Annual CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival in Jamestown on 16^th July 2011from 10am – 10pm. The festival will take place from the Lighthouse to the old Kings Way Building and will include street painting, graffiti, art installations, spoken word, experimental theater, fashion circus, Brazilian fight dancing, bike and rollerskate stunting party, live music and a block party.Performing live at the festival are Trigmatic, Yaa Pono, Jayso and Artistes from Skillions Records, Mutombo, Scizo, and E.L., among others. The festival is free and open to the public with more than 2,000 patrons expected to attend. CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival is a collaborative effort produced with the help of the Ga Mashie Development Agency, the Foundation for Contemporary Artists, JustGhana, Attukwei Art Foundation, Pidgin Music, DUST Magazine, ACT for Change, The WEB, and Ehalakasa Poetry Slum.

This festival will nurture an appreciation for different kinds of art among Ghanaians and promote the exhibition of alternative art in Ghana. This festival is completely “Do-It-Yourself” with the talented energies of many people needed to make it happen. We are encouraged by this collective action and use CHALE WOTE as a way to mobilize an excitement for public, alternative art, especially among young Ghanaians. In the spirit of camaraderie, creativity and fun, CHALE WOTE is a term used by Ghanaians regardless of language.

There will be six main zones of activity at the festival from 10am – 10pm:

1) The Lighthouse will feature festival food and craft vendors

2) Mantse Agbonaa Car Park will house a parking lot for visitors, a unique crafts marketplace, and the exterior wall will be transformed into an art mural

3) Pharmaceutical Building Side Street will serve as the playground for children’s kite flying fun, and a bicycle, skateboard and rollerskate stunting party

4) Otublohum Square will feature a kid’s music jam, spoken word, experimental theater, storytelling, a fashion circus, Brazilian fight dancing, and an open mic party

5) The Ussher Fort courtyard will house the James Town Artist-in-Residence, Serge Attukwei Clottey’s art exhibit, a trash sculpture installation and a T-shirt art workshop

6) The old Kings Way Building will host a graffiti painting, art installation by I.U.B., a live music concert and block party