For the second time in a row, we unveil The Open Gallery, a special collaboration with key arts and cultural institutions in Accra during CHALE WOTE week.
This year, we include 15 creative spaces with events and exhibitions that speak in new and exciting ways to WATA MATA, the theme for the 2017 festival.
Step into the flow of all there is to experience during CHALE WOTE this August 14-20th.
Welcome to the 7th edition of the CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival
The CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival is an independently run, community-based
initiative produced by ACCRA [dot] ALT and REDD Kat Pictures in association with more than a dozen organizations across the city.
accradotaltradio.com
7th Annual CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival
Day of ReMembering: Opening CHALE WOTE 2017 CeremonyACCRA [dot] ALTBrazil House, James Town5 – 7pm
August 14
Cocktails & Hip Hop MondaysTea Baa, Osu 1 – 10pm
August 15
Open Surgery with the Aidoo Centre: FICTIONCreative Writing Lab with Nii Ayikwei Parkes
Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing
Hosted at Brazil House, bottom floor*open to 8 selected writers through an open call
process 2 – 4:30pm
Dolezalism and Jollof RiceLecture/Q+A with April Bey (U.S.)CHALE WOTE feature participant
National Theatre, Folkspace6 – 8pm
August 16
DeVerbPerformance by Elisabeth Efua SutherlandTerra Alta, Abelemkpe Junction6 – 7pm
Wata BamBam: Game Nite at the BaaTea Baa7pm
The Black British Female Artist Collective (BBFA)Hosted at Nubuke FoundationLome Close, East Legon Accra
Artist Talk: Is there such a thing as a women’s art perspective or is art just art?
2 – 3pm
Historical Photos + Narratives from Gold Coast to Ghana with a special focus on the life and times of Dr. Kwame NkrumahExhibition and Talk
Deo Gratias Studio, James Town3 – 4:30pm
THE OPEN GALLERY AT A GLANCEAugust 14 – 20, 2017Accra, Ghana
August 17
DISPERSED
Wata Poetry, Wata SongTea Baa
7pm
August 18
Roots and SoulKing Solomon GardenDansoman (behind Keep Fit Club)Wata Mata Graffiti, Film Show and Reggae Night2 – 11pm
Africa ActualizedThought We Had Something Going(TWHSG)Creative cultural conversationsHosted at Republic Bar + Grill, Osu4:30 – 7pm
August 19
We Were Queens and KingsAn exhibition and performance by Zohra Opoku
ANO Institute of Contemporary Arts1 Lokko Road, Osu Accra7:30 – 10pm
Chocolate Meets TeaTea Baa7:30pm
August 20
Shifting the CenterAlbum release party for Elizabeth Moreau Kallop
ANO Institute of Contemporary Arts8 – 10pm
The Jam DownHang Out after CHALE WOTE 2017Tea Baa8pm
August 25The Post-CHALE WOTE Open
Gallery Experience8pm
SMOKEAn Accra House Music event
The Neem GrillMama Adjele Road
Off Spintex Road, behind Hypermarket Palace
Orderly DisorderlyblaxTARLINES: Dept. of Painting and
Sculpture K.N.U.S.T.Museum of Science and Technology, central Accra
Open until September 1st, 2017M – Sun, 8am – 5pm
EXHIBITIONS, EXPERIENCES + TOURS
A Celebration of Indigo: Designing CultureStudio One Eighty NineOsu, AccraAugust 14 – 2011am – 7pm
DISPERSEDThe Black British Female Artist Collective (BBFA)Nubuke Foundation, East LegonAugust 16 – 2210am – 5pm
James Town Walking ToursACCRA [dot] ALTBrazil House, James TownM – Sun, 11am – 5pm
NicoWayo Art and AdvertsOxford Street, Osu (near Photo Club)M – Sat, 8:30am – 5pm
The Nima Street Art Tourswith Nima Muhinmanchi Art (NMA)
M-Thu, 10am-2pm
Twists, Turns and Broken DoorsAn exhibition by Dorothy Amenuke
Nubuke Foundation, East LegonOpen until September 10, 2017
M-Sat, 10am – 5pmSun, 12noon – 4pm
Mohammed Awudu Gallery Visit + TourM-Sun, 11am-5pm
Monday, August 14ACCRA [dot] ALT Brazil House, James Town5 – 7pm
This opening event for the 7th annual CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival highlights the vast history of James Town and its central importance to the making of Accra, Ghana as a nation and the development of the African diaspora across the world. With this opening, we recenter the history of the enslaved, many of who walked through the alleyways of James Town to ships on the shores, propelled into an unknown and torturous fate. We examine the many ways we wade through the waters returning through the Doors in defiant creative manifestation.
OPENING EVENTS August 14Day of ReMembering
We explore the trilogy in performance with the
Volta Region’s Hutor Adzimashie Bali and the
Hu-Koku Association’s piece entitled, “Badboy
BODY Electronics” (interpreting the 2015
festival theme: African Electronics). Then we
move to the 25-member, all-women performance
of “...k3 yei...” by Tifali Cultural Consults
(interpreting the 2016 theme: Spirit Robot) and
we end with a spoken word exhibition by Aboa
K)t)(interpreting the 2017 theme: Wata Mata).
Samoa Kpakpo-Mark
Hansen (a James Town resident and a CHALE
WOTE Logistics Coordinator for the last 5
years) also shares an exciting talk on this
year’s theme and its connection to the space,
people and cultures of James Town. Following this, we walk together in
a ceremony of remembering, a
procession from Brazil House to the Oyenyi
Gardens of James Fort.Note: We encourage the public to attend and ask that participants in this ceremony wear white in solidarity and
recognition of this sacred process.
Tuesday, August 15Lecture/Q+Awith April Bey (U.S.)National Theatre, Folkspace6 – 8pm
Rachel Dolezal was president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter in Spokane, Washington, from 2014 until June 15, 2015, when she resigned after it was revealed that she had lied about being African American, many other aspects of her biography, and alleged hate crimes against her.
In June 2015, Dolezal came to media attention when her European American parents stated publicly that Dolezal was a white woman passing as Black. Dolezal’s critics contend that she has committed cultural appropriation and fraud; Dolezal and her defenders contend her racial identity is genuine while not based on biology or ancestry. Her deceptions have acted as a catalyst to debating race in the U.S. and the aesthetics we use to determine authority and race.
Jollof Magazine is a new series lecturer and artist April Bey has begun which focuses on fictitious magazine covers and movie posters representing the hypocritical and racist tendencies in the U.S. starting with a key figure—Rachel Dolezal.
Dolezalism and Jollof Rice
The Open GalleryAugust 14 to 20The Open Gallery returns this year and features a collaboration with 15 key art and cultural institutions across the city during CHALE WOTE Week between August 14 - 20th.
Witness visual exhibitions and artist conversations, partake in interactive lectures and workshops and electrifying historical tours, taste the best food and drinks the city has to offer, connect with old friends and create experiences with new friends.
This Fiction workshop explores elements of Ghana’s rich and sometimes forgotten heritage and also taps into the unconscious. Working with 8 writers selected through a submissions process, award-winning author and Director of the Aidoo Centre, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, will critique the work in an open forum, using the participant’s work as a platform from which to discuss general principles and elements of better, more effective writing. The workshop will also use some published examples allowing the wider audience to learn from the critique process and ask questions.
OPEN SURGERY WITH THE AIDOO CENTRE: FICTION Tuesday, August 15
2 - 4:30pmBrazil House, bottom floor
James Town Accra
Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing @AidooCentre
Elizabeth Moreau Kallop: Shifting the Center Album Release
Sunday, August 208 – 10pm
Elizabeth Moreau Kallop, a Brooklyn-based singer
and songwriter of 17 years, releases her first album in Accra. Pursuing her passion for music
and its ability to tell stories and process life, Kallop made the bold choice to focus more seriously on
music after chancing upon a hotel lobby piano during a recent work trip to Marrakech, Morocco. Seven songs and many stories later, the intimate crowd encouraged her to dedicate more time to
her music and to record. Travel, love and self…with this album, Elizabeth shifts the center.
1 Lokko RoadOsu Accra
[email protected] 644 3066@ano_ghana@ANOghana
WE WERE QUEENS AND KINGSan exhibition by Zohra Opoku
curated by Nana Oforiatta Ayim
Saturday, August 197:30 – 10pm
Zohra Opoku interrogates the
presence of collective modernities in Ghana through fabrics, symbols, and
postures to unravel how they are formed and evolve over time. The installation includes a moving performance from
Osu Castle to ANO. Following the performance and exhibition, there will be
an after party.
ANO Institute of Contemporary Arts
Hosted at Nubuke FoundationLome Close, East Legon Accra
The Black British Female Artist Collective (BBFA)DISPERSED
Thursday, August 172 – 3pm
Artist Talk: Is there such a thing as a women’s art perspective or is art just art?
Panelists: Gyankroma Akufo-Addo (Director, Creative Arts Council Ghana)Odile Tevie (Director, Nubuke Foundation)Dr. Dorothy Amenuke (Artist)Arlene Wandera (BBFA artist)Chair: Adelaide Damoah (BBFA artist)
Ghanaian artists:Dr. Dorothy AmenukeLatifah IdrissSamira Saidi
BBFA artists:Adelaide Damoah
Arlene WanderaEnam Gbewonyo
August 16 – 2210am – 5pmExhibition open to the public
The first art event of its kind to take place in Ghana and in partnership with Nubuke
Foundation, DISPERSED facilitates a cross - cultural
exchange between black women artists. The
exhibition brings together 3 UK female artists from the Black British Female Artist
(BBFA) Collective with 3 Ghanaian female artists.
The artists will work together to create a one of
a kind artwork especially for CHALE WOTE. A week before the
exhibition opens the artists will meet for the first time
to discuss their practice and journeys as female
artists. This conversation alongside the exploration
of the water theme will inform a collaborative
artwork. The making of which takes shape over the days between their initial meeting and the
exhibition opening.
The participating artists are:
@bbfacollective@bbfcollective
@BBFAcollective
Deo Gratias StudioHigh Street
James Town Accra
Monday, August 143 – 4:30pm
Exhibition and Talk
Historical Photos + Narratives from Gold Coast to Ghana with a special focus on the life and times of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The oldest photography studio in Accra, Deo Gratias Studio, opened in James Town in 1922. Like no other collections, J.K. Bruce Vanderpuije’s photography
archives documents in exquisite and varied detail what life was like for Ghanaians during the colonial and Independence periods of the country.
This special exhibition and talk with Kate Tamakloe, the Studio owner and granddaughter of Vanderpuije, will share captivating images of the life and
leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as the Gold Coast transitioned into Ghana and became a beacon for Africans across the continent and world.
blaxTARLINES Dept. of Painting and Sculpture K.N.U.S.T.
M- Sun, 8am – 5pmOpen until September 1, 2017
This completes the trilogy of large-scale end-of-year exhibitions
held in Accra and features more than 90 works by fresh graduates, alumni,
and guest artists (living and dead).
Orderly Disorderly shares and celebrates the political vision of artist
and educator Professor Ablade Glover who mobilized artists toward
economic emancipation within a hopeless artistic milieu in the early
1990s when Ghana’s cultural institutions had been famished of
domestic and international support. The exhibition invites the audience to
deal with the contradictions that are constitutive of their everyday lives.
Orderly DisorderlyMuseum of Science and Technology
Central Accra
James Town Walking ToursACCRA [dot] ALTBrazil HouseJames Town Accra
[email protected] 877 7706James Town Walking Tours
M – Sun, 11am – 5pmUnlock the fascinating history of James Town, the center of the Ga Mashie. Learn about life from the perspective of everyday people and experience what it’s like to call James Town home firsthand from the people who live here. Tours are available for individuals, small and large groups and run for an hour long. Tours also run all year round.
Nicowayo Art and Adverts@nicowayoNicholas WayoNicowayo Art and Adverts is a studio space and gallery run by Nico Wayo, one of Accra’s most prominent self-taught visual artists. During the Open Gallery, Nico Wayo will display work highlighting a range of styles from street signs to handcrafted imaginative movie posters and surrealist paintings from over twenty years of practice.
Oxford Street, Osu AccraNear Photo Club
M – Sat, 8:30am – 5pm
Blaxtarlines Kumasi@blaxtarlines
The Nima Street Art ToursNima, a majority Muslim working class community, is home to some of the most exciting visual street art in Accra. This is also home to Nima Muhinmanchi Art (NMA, headed by Aminu Larry), Nico Wayo and Mohammed Awudu, some of the most prominent graffiti artists and painters in Ghana. This one-hour walking tour will take visitors through the community to witness more than 6 murals live and up close. Learn more about what it’s like to be a contemporary artist living and working in Nima today.
024 471 2563(email or call to book an appointment)
M – Thu, 10am – 2pm
Visit community murals, artist studios, community Chief’s palace, Nima Market, the
newly built Central Mosque and the Nima-Maamobi Community Library. 30ghc
per person, 15ghc additional for lunch featuring a variety of local dish options.
Mohammed Awudu Gallery Visit + Tour@mohawudu [email protected] 024 340 3991(email or call to book an appointment)Meeting Point:Nima 441, Hot Coffee (near the ATC Roundabout)Mon – Sun, 11am – 5pm
Nubuke FoundationTwists, Turns and Broken Doors An exhibition by Dorothy Amenuke
Fabric plays such an integral part in the cycle of life in Ghana. From the first public ceremony of the ‘outdooring’ of a 7-day old baby, traditionally hand woven textiles and stamped wax prints inscribed with meaning mark significant stages in a life’s journey. Dorothy Amenuke’s use of fabric and material in her sculpture work brings them into 3-dimensional planes - staging situations and associations whilst inviting viewers or participants to engage with pertinent social issues in our society today.
Dorothy’s current body of work deals largely with freedoms experienced within societal boundaries or borders. Not limited to physical limitations, Dorothy’s premier solo exhibition at Nubuke explores ways to deal with issues that bring about exclusions and notions of ‘otherness’ in society.
Open until September 10,2017M – Sat, 10am – 5pmSunday, 12noon – 4pmLome Close, East Legon Accra027 744 5596nubukefoundation@InfoNubuke
Thought We Had Something Going (TWHSG)Creative cultural conversations
Hosted at Republic Bar + Grill, Osu4:30 – 7pm
Africa ActualizedFriday, August 18
Join TWHSG, a South Africa-based collective culture of young minds, rethinking African youth culture.
Trying to create an original African creative imagination. They will build conversation, calling on all African provocateurs to question Africa’s current
cultural/creative capital. Let’s change the conversation, change everything.
King Solomon Garden, Jerry Hansen Street
Dansoman, Accra (behind Keep Fit Club)
054 078 3009, 024 712 3162rootsandsoul
M – Sun, 5 – 11pm
Roots and Soul is one of a few vegan restaurants available in
the greater Accra region. We also host film screenings, open mics,
discussions, listening sessions and concerts. Our restaurant
serves fresh juice, smoothies, beer, tea and a delicious variety
of snacks, plant life meals and hot dishes.
Friday, August 182 – 11pm
2 – 5pm: Wata Mata Graffiti Session featuring artists from the festival
5 – 8pm: Film Screenings: Open to interested filmmakers
8 – 11pm: Reggae Night hosted by
musician Oga Chux
Roots and Soul
Studio One Eighty Nine12th Lane, Osu Accra
020 305 1793
[email protected]@studiooneeightynine
magazine.studiooneeightynine.com
Indigo dyed cloth has been in existence for more than 1,500 years and dates back to Egypt, Peru, East Asia, India, Africa and enslaved Africans in the Caribbean. We celebrate indigo because of its spiritual and healing powers. It recalls water coming from the earth and returning to the earth. Natural indigo is a gift of nature and holds with it the past and tradition. Through the art works we create we seek to preserve it and the nature guardians /artisans that are protecting this plant in places like the north of Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria.
The indigo exhibition draws connection with the importance of water and takes us on a journey from the plant through to final works of art. Guests will be invited to see art that weaves yarn into fabric and objects and explores the relationship with culture specifically the role African indigo has played in the development of denim culture…an aspect that is often times omitted in the history of denim as an art form and as a cultural signifier.
A Celebration of Indigo: Designing Culture
August 14 – 2011am – 7pm
Indigo Fashion Art Installation / Dyeing workshops / Curated Pop Up
/ CocktailsJeans have been an important part of modern culture for the past 140 years.
Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss have been credited for inventing jeans in 1873. They
were first work clothes, then became symbols of anti-establishment an
eventually became a coveted fashion item and symbol of establishment.
Originally jeans were dyed with natural indigo and now they are mostly dyed with
synthetic indigo except in Japan where some premium jeans still use natural
indigo.
Tea Baa10-12 Klanaa StreetAko Adjei, Osu Accra
050 104 3642, 020 912 7305 (WhatsApp)
@Teabaagh@TeabaaghTea Baa Gh
Monday, August 14, 1 - 10pmCocktails & Hip Hop MondaysStrictly Hip Hop, burgers and cocktails at Tea Baa. A place to be for Hip Hop heads and lovers.
Wednesday, August 16, 7pmWata BamBamGame Nite at the BaaJoin us for a fun night of games like Ludo, Oware, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble, Jenga, Taboo, Connect Four and Dominoes. This is a good time to meet and mingle with new people, enjoy great cocktails and good food. Lots of fun prizes on deck.
Thursday, August 17, 7pmWata Poetry, Wata Song
Poet and artist, Hondred Percent, gets together with friends to cele-
brate the evolution of poetry in Ghana.
Friday, August 18, 7:30pmChocolate Meets Tea
Join Tea Baa and 57 chocolates for an evening of
tasting delicious Ghana Made chocolates and Teas
(non-alchoholic and Tipsy). Tickets are available at Tea Baa
or slide into our DM for more info.
Sunday, August 20, 7pmThe Jam Down
The CHALE WOTE 2017 after party begins here at Tea Baa. DJ
Sessions digs deep into the old school to uncover the covers.
Back to back sounds of old and new skool. If you love music,
you’ll love this event. Great food, music and Iced Teas will be on
deck as usual.
DeverbWednesday, August 16, 6 – 7pm
This work in progress presentation by artist Elisabeth Efua Sutherland follows her residency at the Villa Empain in Brussels, Belgium. Deverb is a sound and video experiment using women’s song traditions of Fanti culture as a sonic base to explore the role and importance of woman as griot in Akan society.
Note: Terra Alta is a non-smoking outdoor facility.
The Neem GrillMama Adjele Rd
Off Spintex Road, behind Hypermarket Palace
020 050 9320
@theneemgrill@AccraHouseMusic
Friday, August 25, 8pm
SMOKEACCRA HOUSE MUSIC – headed by
JasonKLEATSH and Steloolive - kicks off their
Fall/Autumn/End of Rainy Season Residency at The Neem Grill with
a SPECIAL ART & SOUND themed event titled SMOKE & FUNK.
SMOKE is, and has always been an
element in creating the mood for House/Techno/Electronic music moods ... especially very intimate
special vibes... be it smoke machines, cigarette smoke, or
natural mist. In other words, Smoke has always been a part of the
“FUNK”.We’ll celebrate this relation via imagery, mood setting
and sound.
Terra AltaAbelemkpe Junction,Next to Lucas College024 500 6185
@terraltagh @[email protected]
Post-CHALE WOTE Open Gallery Experience
The LABS @ CHALE WOTE 2017Thursday, August 17 @ Terra Alta
Friday, August 18 @ WEB DuBois Centre12noon - 9pm
The LABS is a 2-day mix of artist talks, film screenings, special workshops, DJ
mixers and performances. This event explores the festival theme – WATA
MATA – in depth with intimate conversations and connections with
artists participating in CHALE WOTE 2017 who share with audiences about their
creative process, projects and collaborations.
@accradotaltradio, chalewoteofficial@accradotalt, chalewotefest
accradotaltradio.com
CHALE WOTE 2017 in James TownSaturday, August 19 -
Sunday, August 201 - 10pm
#CHALEWOTE2017#WATAMATA
WATA MATA Flows: August 17 - 20
Graphic Designer: Rhesa Adjoa-Boatemaa AnokyeImages by Nii Nikoi Kotei at CHALE WOTE 2016
200+ Ghana-based and international artists10 locations to witness visual arts exhibitions + installations
4 music and performance stagesAccra Cookout - 30 vendors in delicious food and drinks
Oblatsoobi Market - handmade fashion, design and craftsWATA MATA Fashion Circus featuring 15 designers
Live historical tours of James TownExtreme Sports Stunt Park
AND SO MUCH MORE