The “Stargate to Africa” theme of the 2022 Accra Chale Wote street art festival was a perfect example of how art and storytelling can reimagine traditional African myths and legends in a modern context.
This past weekend marked the culmination of a weeklong festival that featured thought-provoking installations of still and moving art, makeshift boxing rings, and impromptu performances by dancers, drummers, cyclists, skateboarders, and a flash mob of chic attendees.
There were loud muskets, brass bands, and Afropop and hip-hop playing in the background.
Chale Wote, likened to Burning Man, Coachella, and a biennial art display, draws in thousands of devoted admirers every year. After being on pause in 2020 and airing virtually in 2021, the 2022 installment returned to the in-person format.
The cultural diversity of Africa was on the whole show at Chale Wote. In the Jamestown area, a festival featured a central stage with alternating entertainment and vendor booths lining the main street.
The entrance to the celebration was marked by a massive wooden structure painted with bright murals. The Ussher Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site, doubled as an impromptu gallery for planned shows, but the most eye-catching displays of art and fashion were out on the open street.
The magnificent Egungun masquerades and the royal emissary from Benin City were only two examples of the many elaborate costumes on display. Two stunning queens led the procession, each dressed in kente and appliqué adinkra fabric and accessorized with a horned crown.
Nii Nortey, an artist and designer, also put on a show with his doppelgängers dressed in shimmering Afro ponchos and wearing Halloween masks.
The most daring examples of Chale Wote can be seen on the streets, where norms no longer apply. The sunny afternoon seemed ideal for a feast of bold African designs and the use of color blocking. The extravagant Afro hairstyles, chunky jewelry, body paint, and tattoos of Afropunk’s ’80s heyday were clear visual cues.
Some people went for a minimal yet striking look, like the woman who wore high-rise jeans and a striped marinière sweater. Do you feel like reliving the ’90s? Consider the streetwear expert who pairs a Dada Supreme jacket with Sean John’s baggy denim. The razzle-dazzle factor was relatively high.
One patron wore a T-shirt made from recycled CDs, and another was dressed to the nines in mirrored jeans. Even if the massive gateway to Chale Wote has been sealed off, the town’s extraordinary street fashion will never be forgotten. Check out the top picks down here.
