Africa rarely seems to get much of a mention when it comes to Worldwide festivals which is strange considering the range of attractive, strange and lively festivals which are held across the continent. Today we are going to take a look at one of the coolest festivals across Africa, the Chale Wote street art festival which is held in Ghana each year.
If you fancy heading to an altogether different kind of street art festival then you don’t need to go to New York or London, this year you should be heading to Ghana.
Where it is Held
This brilliant modern festival is held each year in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Previously held in September, the festival is now hosted on the last weekend of August. The festival can be seen throughout the city streets and many community centers and public forums are opened up to celebrate the festival.
What is it All About?
The festival was put in place in order to create an exchange between local and international artists where they could all gather in one place to hold a festival of music, dance and of course, street art. The festival attracts street artists from all over the World who look to exchange ideas and concepts with local African artists.
The festival is a blending of international styles which seek to promote art in Africa and to promote African art and culture worldwide. The festival is still in its youth after having just five festivals but already the event is gaining mass popularity and each year has seen more artists join the movement and more visitors arriving to enjoy the show.
What to Expect?
If you plan on heading to the 2017 event then you can expect to say bright, colorful and conceptual street art, music, dance, spoken word, interactive installations, fashion shows and street parties. Each year has a theme, this year’s has not yet been chosen but the past themes have been as follows:
2012 – Outer-space exploration
2013 – Re-imagination of African folklore
2014 – Death: An eternal dream into limitless rebirth
2015 – African electronics
2016 – Spirit robot
The festival always seeks to push the boundaries of a wide-variety of concepts and styles and for this reason it has become so attractive to artists from around the World.
Quite honestly, you should expect a 6 day festival of all things positive colorful and well, African. There is constant music, constant partying, colors surround you wherever you go and the locals embrace all who come from afar to their city.
You should dispel any illusions that you have about Africa when you think about Accra, this is an exciting, modern and ‘happening’ corner of the World, never mind Africa and if you want to truly experience the best of this continent’s culture and style then you should be heading to Accra this year to enjoy the brilliant Chale Wote street art festival.
