Chalewote, BSIFF and a very packed weekend

Last weekend was a busy one for me. Both Saturday and Sunday were filled with numerous activities. On Saturday I was at GIJ to attend the graduation of a few friends in the media who were receiving their certificates having studied for the Master of Arts programme in Journalism and Public Relations.

Among the graduating students were friends including Charles Benoni Okine of Graphic Business, my own go-to guy Chris Koney, my friend and confidant Bernice Akologo of Metro Mass, Cyrus S. De-Graft Johnson, formerly of Graphic and Joy FM, Kwaku Obeng-Agyei of Starr FM, Kafui Dey of GHOne, Charles Nii Ayiku, formerly of Channel R and now at UPSA among several others. 

I think a hearty congratulations to these friends and all members of the graduating cohort is in order.

Also on Saturday I had the honour of attending a Muslim marriage; actually the reception and dinner before the marriage ceremony itself on Sunday. Hard Zongo girl, Fauziya Ali decided to tie knot with her sweetheart Abdul Rashid and we had to show up to give them support.

The beautiful ceremony, which preceded an even more beautiful ceremony on Sunday (as I heard it was), was emceed by former Metro TV presenter Mohammed Amin Lamptey. May Allah bless the union of Fauziya and Rashid!

If my Saturday was packed, then Sunday was even worse. I had to attend the luncheon of one of the GIJ graduating students and then go to the formal launch of the 2017 edition of Ghana’s Most Beautiful (GMB), go and see what actually happens at the famous Chale Wote Street Art Festival and then climax the day with an attendance to the closing ceremony of the 2017 edition of the Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF).

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CHALE WOTE: When I started my writing career, one of the beats I covered on a regular basis was fine art – painting especially. I used to attend art exhibitions (and there used to be a lot back then) to appreciate art and to give my view on them.

Back then, the places where art exhibitions used to take place often were the National Museum, Golden Tulip Hotel, Mrs. Ademola’s place at Nkrumah Circle and a few other places. Over time, I gave up on that aspect of my reporting to give room to my senior and friend John Owoo to take full responsibility. But I always loved painting, sculpture, carving and all manner of fine art.

It is in view of this that I was happy when a man I had known for a long time in the creative arts content and journalism space, Mantse Aryeequaye co-founded what would become as one of the biggest gathering of creative people in Ghana -  the Chale Wote Street Art Festival.

Chale Wote started very small in 2011 with less than 500 people attending and yet it was how Mantse and his team wanted it to be. It was meant to be a platform to give meaning to the arts and give creative people a platform to showcase what they have and know best to do.

I have always wanted to attend Chale Wote, but for the four times it ran before this year’s, one thing or another took me or my time away and so I could not show up. I however followed keenly on all platforms that gave expression to the creative art that was displayed whenever Chale Wote was in session.

I however made it a point that I would attend this year’s event, even if it was for day! I had been told about the traffic around James Town and how to avoid it. Thus after the luncheon, I drove from Spintex to Accra Central, parked at a makeshift car park near the Nkrumah Mausoleum, paid the mandatory GHS3.00 to the self-appointed valet and walked towards Bukom.

I first had to “clear” the launch of GMB and then take a view at Chale Wote. After the GMB launch, which went successfully, Johnnie Beresford Hughes of 3FM and TV3 and I decided to find our way from the Bukom Boxing Arena (where the launch took place) to James Town, the heart of the traffic and the home of Chale Wote.

I must confess, I had never seen so many people at a gathering like I saw at Chale Wote since the glory days of Panafest and the Viberant Street Carnival. A humongous collection of people would best describe what I saw on Sunday. Johnnie told me that he was there at about midnight on Saturday and there were as many people as there was when we got there.

It took Johnnie and myself almost two hours to walk from the far end of the High Street to the head office of Vivo Energy or Shell, where the thick crowd fades into the thin night. There was jostling, pushing and all the things that would ensure that your wallet would vanish faster than Usain Bolt.

I had all the valuables I had on me: wallet, money, mobile phone and car key in my pockets and both hands were inside my pockets to protect them for all the time that we were walking from one end of the street to the other.

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There is no denying the fact that the seed Mantse and his team sowed in 2011 has grown into something very ginormous. It is a street art festival, it has James Town as its home and yet the numbers that turn up and which I saw on Sunday, seem to me like too big for that tiny street in Accra Central.

Mantse and the team need to be commended for the effort they’ve pushed into this annual event in August and the vibe it generates everywhere, but there is the need to look at how to manage the crowd. To be honest, I felt that Chale Wote wasn’t for me. Yes the art is expressive, the sketches are reflective of the subject they try to portray, the people seem happy and all, but there is the need to have that conversation at some point.

BSIFF: The second Black Star International Film Festival came off in Accra. I could not attend the events in the week, but when I got an invitation to attend the closing ceremony, I noted it and made sure I would be there.

The BSIFF is a brainchild of Juliet Asante. She gave life and meaning to it and during the maiden edition she did a lot to ensure that the events would come to pass, regardless of the struggles she had to go through to pull it off.

I wanted to see how she had progressed with the organisation of the event. I thought the closing ceremony was chic: the venue, décor, design and all. Looked amazing on the eye. I however felt that the attendance could have been better as many chairs were empty.

There was good music on the night, most of which was performed by Dela Botri and his band, the Hewale Sounds. My biggest take out though was the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Catherine Afeku and  the Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

Even better, the tourism minister said she was asked by the president to read his speech on his behalf. Also, the first lady had agreed to be a patron of the BSIFF and if they asked the president nicely she was sure he would agree to be too. Such endorsements of creative initiatives are needed to ensure that they gain momentum.

Six awards were presented on the night, but the one that was most profound and almost drew tears from the gathering was the one presented to filmmaker Mr. Ernest Abbequaye for Life-time Achievement. A well-deserved award to a titian of the Ghanaian film industry. Standing ovation stuff!

Juliet and her team need to be commended for the effort to make Ghana an attractive destination for African film lovers. I hope they give much more publicity to the next edition than they gave to this one. Regardless, the entire team needs to be commended for pulling this feat.

@TheGHMediaGuru