CHALE WOTE STREET ART FESTIVAL 2022
STARGATE TO AFRICA
In 2022, we celebrate the twelfth edition of the Chale Wote Street Art Festival in its 11th year taking place August 12 – 21, 2022 in Accra. The theme for this edition, ‘Stargate to Africa’ embraces the defiance of formal artistic boundaries and fragmentation of social experience through orature.
This year’s theme draws indigenous artistic expressions into an interaction with orature; a probing that re-centers perceptions of what constitutes collectivity and power. Stargate to Africa represents a shift from the mechanical understanding of African super natural beliefs and ritual, to viewing them as frameworks of political thought. Chale Wote 2022 will unveil exciting work by dozens of interdisciplinary Ghanaian and international artists in design, performance art, murals, photography, Labs, music and salons.
CHALE WOTE 2022 will be stretching these projects together into a meta-network of deep engagement with community, and an exercise in countering historical forms of fracture and flight. Through the construction of these art projects during CHALE WOTE we build bridges of understanding and possibility between us, connecting our visions of reality with one another for affirmation, questions, and the challenge to probe even further.
Global audiences have been connected to artists opening new perspectives, discovering authentic creators, and developing spaces dedicated to independent art and cultural production through the festival year after year.
Since its inception, Chale Wote has introduced art enthusiasts to some of the most ground-breaking performers and contemporary artists who are creating
WHAT TO EXPECT
Polarities kɛ ehe sãjii exhibition inside Ussher Fort, a holding facility for the enslaved built by the Dutch in 1648 – featuring the fascinating works of dozens of Ghanaian and international artists including Adetey Mayne, Brazilian muralist Luna Bastos, Hamid Nortey, Nicoholas Tetteh Wayo, performance artiste Martin Toloku and a group exhibition by Ghanaian art collective Afuabe. The city can also look forward to high energy processions with Adjarra Egungun and Zangbetor masquerades from the Republic of Benin during the weekend of the 20th and 21st August. From a festivalgoer’s perspective, the Chale Wote music stages have been a great sampler of African independent music; bringing artists from across the continent together.
This year will feature Ouagadogou based band Faso Djarabi, Chief One, Zantou Lansre from Chad, Ghanaian Lolo Funk band Sylence and a host of classics and favourites. Join our graffiti mural, Extreme Sports Salons and Film Labs from the 16th to 19th of August at the National Theatre of Ghana and participate in the knowledge sharing sessions with some of Africa’s most prolific creators.