Pidgin Imaginarium 2019Crowds gather at the 2016 festival
The Chale Wote Street Art Festival[1][2] also known as Chale Wote, is an annual street festivalinAccra, 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]
