Many leading and emerging artists from Accra and around the world will work and exhibit for the second edition of the Chale Wote Street Art Festival on April 14. The festival celebrates the vibrant art traditions of urban life from visual media, experimental theater, dance installations to extreme sports. Last year, over 200 artists created magnificent, layered art pieces in bold washes of color throughout the streets of James Town drawing hordes of art lovers, tourists and musicians into the city center. Several Accra-based art houses and collectives are teaming up to create an alternative “space” through CHALE WOTE. The festivals main collaborators this year are The French Embassy, Institute Francaise, Alliance Francaise, The US Embassy, DUST magazine, Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana, Dr. Monk and The Lincoln Community School. These organizations are facilitating and supporting several aspects of the festival with street art projects. CHALE WOTE 2011 was a success in James Town because the artists made it into a flamboyant spectacle in a community that had not seen that kind of direct interaction with art. The event supports the development of creative responses by community members to their everyday concerns. As part of the festival activities, there will be a soup kitchen to feed children in the community supported by Dr. Monk, with storytelling by reps from The Golden Baobab Prize and Lincoln Community School. This year’s festival aims to create something that represents Accra and other worlds simultaneously while maintaining the promotion and appreciation of alternative art in Ghana.