The organiser of the Chale Wote Street Arts Festival has dispelled claims that they were arrested for flouting the Covid-19 protocols.

According to Nii Ayertey Aryeh, popularly known as Mantse, the narrative being churned out by the police as the rationale behind their arrest is ill-informed.

"The statement by the police circulating certain media portals are fabrications and outright lies calculated to deceive the general public and cover up their brutality against artists and innocent people in Gamashie," he said.

The founder, his colleague Nii Ayitei, and one other artist Kwaku Ananse were picked up by the police on Saturday, August 21, in Jamestown outside the Ussher Fort.

They have since been put behind bars at the Accra Regional Police Headquarters and have been refused bail, according to the organiser.

Last week, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly indicated that this year's edition of the annual festival will be a virtual one from August 13 to 22.

Police say the trio was arrested for breaching the Public Order Act. The Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Juliana Obeng, explained that they "sighted the advert for this festival and invited the organisers for a meeting, and I am told the organisers never turned up."

"So yesterday [Saturday], we picked intelligence to the effect that the organizers were already preparing the place for the event. The police then moved in to arrest the three persons,” DSP Obeng indicated.

But the Chale Wote founder the claim that they refused to honour the police invitation is false.

"I met with the regional police commander, his deputy, the head of criminal investigations and another officer at his office on Wednesday 18th August 2021 to discuss the festival. So why would they put out such factually inaccurate information, unless of course there's an agenda," the organiser explained.

Nii Mantse suspects that the move forms part of an "orchestrated smear campaign against me over the last 3 years."

"I guess people are now tired of hiding behind "activism " and now using covid as a cover for their machinations. We are not shaken, nor are we intimidated by this abuse of power."

Read the full unedited statement below:

Comrades myself Nii Ayertey Aryeh, artist Ananse and one another gentleman Evans Abbio have been incarcerated at the Accra Regional Police Headquarters since Saturday 21 August 2021 for holding a Chale Wote exhibition inside Ussher Fort, formerly a holding facility for the enslaved.

The statement by the police circulating certain media portals are fabrications and outright lies calculated to deceive the general public and cover up their brutality against artists and innocent people in Gamashie. It is also not true that we refused to show up after an "invitation". I met with the regional police commander, his deputy, the head of criminal investigations and another officer at his office on Wednesday 18th August 2021 to discuss the festival. So why would they put out such factually inaccurate information unless, of course, there's an agenda?

At the meeting, I was told that their "landlords", the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, had asked them not to provide security so they wouldn't show up at the festival. Mind you; it was an indoor event. I explained that our activities were going to be indoors with strict observation of covid protocols. The whole meeting was a shakedown intended to

Remember how the Accra Metropolitan Assembly issued a press statement without the input of Chale Wote Street Art Festival stating that the festival will be virtual? The same A.M.A goes on to instruct the police not to provide security for the festival according to the police command.

At the time of our arrest, the crew had set up our second transmission spot at the old Kingsway building where the music concert was going to be beamed from. The police and A M.A guards entered the space, smashed and carted away equipment worth hundreds of thousands of cedis. So how were we supposed to transmit anything when our exhibition is shut down and our equipment destroyed?

I want to state for the record that we did not break any laws, and the charges against us are made up. The blatant show of force to disrupt an indoor event by state agencies is most unfortunate. We have worked with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly for 10years and never had this kind of deliberate interference before, so what's the real issue? Some of our friends tried to get bail for us on Saturday but were told, "there's an order from above", not to grant us bail.

We doing good though, we've encountered some amazing characters with crazy and inspiring stories. Some of them just need a lawyer to get them bail; others haven't had court dates since 2018. A lot of them also have no money for food and basic needs, so we've been sharing our food with them; we've had an endless supply since we arrived. They believe our presence is some divine intervention as they would usually just starve.

If there are any lawyers out there in a position to do pro bono representation for about 30 people at the regional headquarters at Accra Central, I'm certain they would be grateful. Some of them have also been abandoned by their families. Others owe a ¢1000 and are unable to come up with it. Some have manslaughter charges and can't afford lawyers.

There's also no social distancing or observation of any covid protocols here, that's the irony. Some of the officers aren't pleasant at all. Last night we had to beg one officer to hand over medication for a sick person. The police officer was insisting he wait till morning 😳.

Everything happening now is also connected to the orchestrated smear campaign against me over the last 3 years. I guess people are now tired of hiding behind "activism " and now using covid as a cover for their machinations. We are not shaken, nor are we intimidated by this abuse of power.

Special thanks to our friends for all the support. Especially the Asafo from La, I've been humbled by everything you've done in the last two days.
You will not believe the lives you've touched with the supplies you've been bringing. There's a spot here called Gaza, they say to tell you big thanks.