- Title: Accra's Chale Wote street Festival celebrates art and culture
- Date: 26th August 2019
- Summary: ACCRA, GHANA (AUGUST 24, 2019) (REUTERS) MAN PAINTED IN GHANA FLAG COLOURS CARRYING ARC PEOPLE PLAYING DRUMS GRAFFITI ON THE WALL PAINTED FOR CHALE WOTE STREET FESTIVAL MAN GETTING PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN FRONT OF GRAFFITI WOMAN HOLDING ON TO CHAINS ON GRAFFITI WALL AND HAVING HER PICTURE TAKEN TRADITIONAL PROCESSION WITH CHILDREN DRESSED IN WHITE AND RED CHILDREN BOXING IN THE STREET MAN IN TRADITIONAL DRESS WITH BOW AND ARROW TRADITIONALLY DRESSED MAN STARING AT CAMERA WITH HIS BOW AND ARROW TIMELAPSE OF PEOPLE IN THE STREET VISUAL ARTIST FROM TANZANIA, VALERIE ASIIMWE AMANI SITTING INSIDE HER INSTALLATION TALKING TO ANOTHER WOMAN PAINTING ON THE WALL BY AMANI (SOUNDBITE) (English) TANZANIAN ARTIST, VALERIE ASIIMWE AMANI, SAYING: "It's basically about how we perceive ourselves as African and how the media and what we have been fed through history has made us feel about ourselves and basically I wanted to create images that presented the African as a higher being a spiritual being as capable of doing more as almost a God-like figure." ROOM WITH THE 'WE ARE WHAT WE SEE INSTALLATION' LEAF AND INCENSE STICK PRESENTED AS A RELIGIOUS OFFERING PART OF 'WE ARE WHAT WE SEE' INSTALLATION TIME-LAPSE OF PEOPLE WALKING AT THE CHALE WOTE STREET ART FESTIVAL (MUTE) GHANAIAN ARTIST ABRAHAM TETTEH, KNOWN AS KOBI ONESIXTEEN, DRAWING WITH PENCIL AND PAPER TETTEH'S DRAWING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GHANAIAN ARTIST, ABRAHAM TETTEH, KNOWN AS KOBI ONESIXTEEN SAYING: "I did this work three years ago, 2016, and I entitled it 'Out of the Struggle'. The inspiration behind this work is so emotional I don't want to talk about it. You know there are a lot of people with talents and gifts out there. They have nobody to, I mean, put them out there or bring them into the limelight." VISITOR, FUI GAMELI SEGBEDZI LOOKING AT TETTEH'S WORK AND TALKING TO HIM (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITOR, FUI GAMELI SEGBEDZI SAYING: "It's been great, lots of people I have met, people that I know and it looks like the year of return has brought along people, our brothers and sisters from America." MAN WITH PAINTED FACE AND HAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITOR, ALEXUS, SAYING: "So far the experience has been very exciting, there's lots of different things to see, lots of art, performances, so many colours and so much food." PROCESSION OF MEN CARRYING DRUMS ON THEIR HEADS AND OTHERS BEATING THE DRUM BACK OF DRUMMING PROCESSION MEN CARRYING A FANTASY COFFIN MADE TO LOOK LIKE AN UPROOTED TREE BY ARTIST PAA JOE, CARRIED THROUGH THE PROCESSION
- Embargoed: 9th September 2019 13:39
- Keywords: Art festival Chale Wote culture music fashion grafitti
- Location: ACCRA, GHANA
- City: ACCRA, GHANA
- Country: Ghana
- Topics: Art,Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001ATUUXQV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thousands flooded Ghana's port city neighbourhood of James Town to see what the country's artists had to offer this year at the 9th edition of the Chale Wote festival.
The streets were transformed into a gallery of sorts as everyone from painters, graffiti artists, designers and performing artists displayed their work in a way that made it accessible to the public.
One artist from Tanzania, Valerie Asiimwe Amani set up an installation called 'We Are What We See'.
"It's basically about how we perceive ourselves as African and how the media and what we have been fed through history has made us feel about ourselves and basically I wanted to create images that presented the African as a higher being a spiritual being as capable of doing more as almost a God-like figure," said Amani.
Ghanian portrait artist Abraham Tetteh (aka Kobi OneSixteen) who works with pencil and paper said Chale Wote is an opportunity for artists to become visible.
"I did this work three years ago, 2016, and I entitled it 'Out of the Struggle'. The inspiration behind this work is so emotional I don't want to talk about it. You know there are a lot of people with talents and gifts out there. They have nobody to, I mean, put them out there or bring them into the limelight," said Tetteh.
Chale Wote, which means "man, let's go" in the local Ga language aims to bring more people in contact with different forms of art by breaking creative boundaries and rejuvenating public spaces.
It was first held in 2011 and has been credited with building a reputation for Accra as a cultural hub in West Africa.
(Derrick Ankamah,Yvonne Bell) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None