This Year’s Chale Wote Street Art Festival Shows It’s Getting Bigger and Better
Ghanaian photographer Ofoe Amegavie takes Okayafrica inside Accra's Chale Wote Street Art Festival 2016 through his lens.
I’m Ofoe Amegavie, and I’m a Ghanaian photographer based in Accra.
I attended my fifth Chale Wote Street Art Festival last weekend, and every year it gets bigger and better. This year’s edition was one of my favorites as I got to exhibit some images from my photo series—The King’s Men—where I show my travels around Ghana, telling stories of my country and anywhere else I find myself.
Serge Attukwei Clottey’s performance, Practical Common Sense, a procession with his Go-Local performance troupe, and Bright Ackwerh’s powerful displays of his illustrations addressing social and political issues were art highlights that you’ll enjoy below in my photos—but I think my favorite part of the whole festival, aside the artwork on display, was the music.
The “Robosapiens” section, hosted by YoYo Tinz, brought out the vibrant underground hip hop scene of the city. There were energetic performances from groups like Memorable Guys who turned the stage upside down with their interactive performance with the crowd. Temple and Yaw P brought out the Pata-GuyGuyBeats—a different kind of sound which had everyone in a frenzy.
The main stage then brought the likes of AI and Episode, who brought their infectious energy to the stage. Then there was the highlight—Blitz the Ambassador and the Embassy Crew’s live performance. This happens to be the fifth time I am experiencing the magic he brings to the stage and like always, he brought some good vibes. He performed songs from his own catalogue and paid homage to music legends from hip hop to highlife.
In all, this year’s Chale Wote Festival makes me more than ready to look forward to the next edition.
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Ofoe Amegavie’s main aim as a photographer is to be a storyteller and create experiences through his images. To keep up with his work, be sure to follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
