CHALE WOTE STREET ART FESTIVAL
ACCRA [dot] ALT in association with Redd Kat Pictures and Chale Wote Street Art Projekt have begun preparation for the thirteenth annual CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival, which will be held over a one week period from Monday, August 19th to Sunday, August 25th.
..And Now An End To The Empire Of Horrors.
In 1478 Edina [present day Central region of Ghana] became the geostrategic location for the epic Battle of Guinea between the Portuguese navy and the Castilian armada that had come to seek military support of the Fanti who were known to be custodians of very ancient knowledge and science passed on from giants who lived amongst them. All of this was playing out against the backdrop of the Castilian crisis. The Portuguese navy would launch a surprise attack and defeat the Castilians in Edina; granting the former hegemony in the Atlantic.
This battle paved the way for the empire of horrors; a sadistic colonial conquest of the remaining indigenous civilizations that were left behind. It would be the final catalyst to propel the arrival of the so-called white man as a political identity for squatter colonialists.
Throughout the coast of Guinea, there are countless tales of giants. Godlike men who lived amongst the people and taught them sacred sciences. They too like us were mortal, carrying their death inside of them whiles they built the most fascinating settlements in the realm. In southern Ghana, there are several distinct accounts of mountain dwelling Godlike beings like Borketey Laweh, who built the ancient coastal city that would later become Accra and Asebu Amenfi who led the Fanti and gave them knowledge to build their highly advanced cultures.
The giants were betrayed at some point and buried under quacking mud; their existence subsumed by the Atlantic and almost erased along with the mysteries that created the wonders of that world. It was these mysteries and wealth of the land that drew the Castilians to Edina.
Tales of the fantastic and mortal Gods from the Gulf of Guinea can be also understood as allegories that illustrate the social conditions created by genocidal squatter colonialism. It speaks of imaginations of an end and imposition of grotesque forms of suffering on thriving African civilizations. Here, a constellation of ethnicities, cultural practices and systems of science are corralled into the endings and beginnings of empire.
This epic also draws parallels within hyper-capitalisms depopulation agenda that targets the worlds indigenous sovereign.
The genocidal massacre of indigenous people across the world must come to an end in this lifetime.
Some of Africas deepest history lies in the Gulf Guinea; it is a time capsule and a treasure trove all at once. A place is filled with beautiful tales of magical civilizations, a tumultuous history of trafficking of living beings and their diehard spirit to remember who they are. CHALE WOTE 2024 explores the history of this place, through its origins and an examination of it in relation to its death and current rebirth of its sacred sciences, long forgotten and buried with the giants.
We are evaluating Guinea as a portal of new histories, possibilities, hopes and desires. With this, we envision rehabilitating popular perceptions about the Gulf of Guinea and its newfound afterlife. CHALE WOTE 2024 will curate a multiplicity of counterhegemonic narratives about this rebirth in their most spectacular form.
Proposed artwork can be realized in any medium and there are no restrictions on form or content. However, proposals that demonstrate innovation and deep, nuanced understanding of contemporary art, craft, or design are preferred. Proposals must be site-specific, i.e. the Osu metropolitan area during CHALE WOTE 2024.
This call is open to all artistes who have been professionally active for at least 2 years and with a visible commitment to their professional artistic practice and media. [Having studied art is NOT a requirement; we accept applications from self-taught professional artists with at least two years constant working experience].
The concepts can be based on work to be realized as an intervention, a live performance, an installation, a video, photography, painting, sculpture, performance art, theatre, dance, animation or some other form newly imagined. All works should translate to being displayed or performed in a public space and should actively engage intentional and incidental audiences where possible.
As strong advocates of art education, we are also interested in works that can be tailored to include Salons and knowledge sharing Labs with children and/or youth during the festival period.
Selected artists will be expected to realize the works from August 10 to 18, 2024 and have it ready for display/performance from August 19th to 25th 2024.
Please Note: CHALE WOTE is an independently produced by a number of community-based, art collectives across Accra. International Artists selected to participate are encouraged to apply for funding from their home countries or other sources to support their travel, living costs and, where possible, funding for the cost of production for their work. Accommodation will be provided to some selected international participants for the period between August 19 25, 2024.
How To Apply
1. Current resume/CV: 3 pages maximum.
2. Application submissions must contain the following documents: 1) a concept note about your festival project and 3) work you’ve made within the past 2 years . You may submit either still images OR video.
We review video documentation if an artists work is time-based, interactive, web-based, kinetic, film, video, animation, and/or performance. If you work with installation, painting, sculpture, photography and/or drawing, you MUST submit images. Please note that if you submit plagiarized work, your application will be disqualified.
IMAGES: Five (5) jpeg images, at 180 DPI resolution maximum, maximum total file size 250kb. Images must be titled with your last name, first name, number with no spacing e.g. Kweinortey1.jpeg, Kweinortey2.jpeg, etc. Please do not submit: PPT, PDF, TIFF, GIF, or PSD files.
VIDEO FILE FORMAT: HD1080i Quicktime/ H264