By Julie Corbett
Roland Boye, 44, leaned against the entrance of the Brazil House to take a break from the heat of the courtyard. The museum employee is speckled with yellow paint. “The family still lives here,” he remarked. “Upstairs is the art.”
Nestled in the crux of Jamestown, the Brazil House’s descendants dwell below on the ground floor, up the freshly-painted stairs houses the ACCRA[dot]ALT creative, a band of artists and curators who have attracted Ghanaian and foreign artists to the home of the Brazilian Tabom people for both the art, music, and history that rests behind its gates.
since its formation seven years ago, ACCRA[dot]ALT has brought art to life in the community. “We have had filmings, listening sessions, art shows,” said Shadow Obenni, 26, a coordinator for the collective. “But our biggest focus now is Chale Wote.”
Every August, the streets of Jamestown will be turned over to the Chale Wote Street Art Festival for residents and artists to paint, color, and perform. The theme this year, “Wata Mata,” will look at the politics of water in Ghana through artistic expression that will cover the paths. “Across the street you can still see some of the paint that has been left behind,” Obenni mentioned while motioning towards a purple-skinned woman that has been graffitied on the planks of a house.
But the journey in bringing art to the community has not been easy, said the former businessman. “Many people believe that if you want to be an artist, you are not so bright,” he explained. “It does not bring much money. But people have begun to appreciate it.”
One consideration is Boye himself, who sees how ACCRA[dot]ALT’s efforts have shaped the streets around. “Yes, the art is beautiful, and the children learn form it,” he said.
The curators in the Brazil House hope to continue building the need for art in Jamestown, but there’s still a ways to go. Many canvas boards and pieces can be found tucked away in the crumbling courtyard of the Franklin House, a former slave house that sits next door. “Sometimes people will paint over the art on the walls. ” Obenni said. “But every human being is an artist in some way.”
