For years, Ghana’s annual Chale Wote Street Art Festival has been a gem for the creative arts in the country.
Artists from across Africa and beyond converge in Accra for a week of celebrating street art, music, and culture. However, the last few years of the festival have been a bit muted, especially on social media.
This year’s event has seen less buzz compared to earlier years when festival goers would pencil the event on their calendars.
Now in its 14th edition, with noticeable changes to its format, including its iconic event, has the Chale Wote Festival lost its luster?
Building Up The Platform
Chale Wote, which translates from the Ghanian language Ga as “let’s go, friend”, was founded in 2011 by Mantse Aryeequaye and Dr. Sionne Rameah Neely under their organization Accra [Dot] ALT.
It began as a modest platform to reclaim public spaces in Accra’s historic Jamestown neighborhood through graffiti, installations, and performances.
By the mid-2010s, it had ballooned into a weeklong extravaganza drawing thousands, including international tourists and African diaspora communities.
Social media played a pivotal role in its ascent, with Instagram pictures and Twitter threads capturing the festival’s raw energy, turning it into a must-see event.
But in 2019, a shocking allegation was made by Dr. Neely against her co-founder and partner, Mr. Aryeequaye, which left a bad taste in the mouths of some Chale Wote supporters.
Allegations of Abuse
In 2019, Dr Neely released a post on the blogging platform Medium where she accused her former partner, Mr. Aryeequaye, of repeated physical, verbal, and emotional abuse during their relationship.
The allegations, which included claims of threats and assault, sparked widespread outrage in Ghana’s art community and beyond.
Mr. Aryeequaye denied the accusations, calling them unfounded in a statement to local media.
Dr. Neely’s revelations prompted a joint statement from members of Ghana’s art scene calling for accountability. Some likened the accusations to a #MeToo reckoning in African arts circles.
On social media, there were calls for a boycott and demands that Mr. Aryeequaye step down from his post as CEO until an independent investigation was completed.
Dr. Neely has since left the country, detailing that she had filed a police report in 2022 on her experience.
The festival continued without her presence in 2019. Then in 2020, COVID happened.
Post-Pandemic and Less Buzz
The 2020 edition of the Chale Wote festival was dealt a big blow due to its cancellation because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 edition was relegated to a virtual format amid a surge in cases in the country.
When the festival returned in person in 2022, there was some optimism about rebounding crowds, but the two-year gap had interrupted the annual hype cycle.
In 2023, the festival shifted venues from the popular Jamestown area, where it had begun, to Independence Square. The 2024 and current 2025 editions also took place at the Square.
Lost Luster
The 2025 festival ran from August 15 to 24 with themes like “The Orbs Beneath the Nile Lead to K,” featuring international artist tours, film salons, and an Art Fair.
But this year has felt less “buzzy” compared to previous years. A Google Trend search shows that the last few years have seen fewer searches for “Chale Wote”.
Vendors at this year’s event have also been vocal about the fees they have to pay to display their products.
Sellers say the increased fees, ranging from GHC2,500 to GHC4,000, could affect their bottom lines.
“..people are not spending like they did before,” one vendor said.
The usual online chatter in the lead-up to the event seems to have evaporated compared to previous years.
“We used to be so hyped about chalewote. What happened?” one user on the social media platform X commented.
It’s hard to pinpoint why this year’s event seems more muted. Many could point to the effects of the downward economy Ghana has gone through from the previous years.
Others might point to the effect of the public allegations against its co-founder.
The festival is not outright dead, but the downward trend could be an indication that disinterest is building.
Can Chale Wote rebound next year? Or has the festival permanently lost its shine?
