The seventh edition also marks the end of a trilogy theme that began in 2015 with African Electronics (a blueprint to access internal technologies and re-member our multidimensional systems to create the impossible), and continued in 2016 with Spirit Robot (framework of radical reconstruction, connecting global diasporas and fusing together ideas, technologies and practices in African liberation.)
The theme for 2017 is WATA MATA (West African pidgin for “Water Matter”). Wata Mata is an endless space of form making. This all access dream machine is the festival’s Creator’s Manifesto – the key to persistently evolve and space shift beyond human limitations and into cosmograms of freedom.
CHALE WOTE 2017 will see open and free events and activities happening for a full 7 days from August 14 – 20.
What to Expect at CHALE WOTE 2017
–The Open Gallery, collaboration with 15 Accra-area art and cultural institutions showcasing the diverse splendor of African art, films and performances (August 14 – 20).
-The Day of ReMembering, the opening ceremony for CHALEWOTE 2017 kicks off on Monday, August 14th (5 – 7pm, ACCRA [dot] ALT space in James Town).
– The LABS, two days of artist talks, film screenings, special performances and workshops that dig into and explore WATA MATA, the theme for this year’s festival (August 17 + 18, 12noon – 9pm)
– The final two days of the festival take place in James Town (August 19 + 20, 1 – 9pm). This year, the festival amplifies the number of art works and installations at 10 specific locations across James Town. Social fun, parties and jamming will happen also at 4 different music and performance stages. This change means the streets will be used to create smoother flows of human traffic within the festival.
The CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival is an alternative platform that brings art, music, dance and performance out into the streets.
CHALE WOTE includes a vibrant mix of visual art, photography, films, fashion, mixed media, interventions, processions, live music, dance, panels, discussions, tours, food and more.
Over the last six years, CHALE WOTE has propelled the development of an independent creative and arts economy in Accra. By engaging artists within the city, the festival is giving Accra a facelift, revealing interconnected collectives working in multidisciplinary practices that form the pulse of CHALE WOTE.
