| The first edition of the Doh’Art Intercultural Festival will be held at the Katara Cultural Village from December 10-13 on the occasion of the fourth UN Alliance of Civilizations’ Forum. This will be the first instalment of a lengthy annual series in Doha. The Doh’Art Intercultural Festival offers to talented artists coming from different cultures a space for meetings, exchanges and intercultural dialogues. Its main goal is to promote the creativity and new ideas of rising artists by offering them support from international artists coming from different backgrounds. The Doh’Art Intercultural Festival 2011 will welcome a variety of artists, musicians, dancers, photographers, designers, actors, writers and painters. Each of them will perform with one or more Qatari artists that include Saoud Jassim Shahenn, Fahad al-Kubaisi, Al Lulua Band (percussions) or the Doha Jazz Orchestra. The festival’s patrons include Princess Béatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, actor Franco-Moroccan Saïd Taghmaoui, actress and model Marisa Berenson, and Franco-Moroccan artist Titouan Lamazou. Legendary musicians performing at the festival include Chico and the Gypsies (of the Gypsy Kings), and the Prince of Raï music Cheb Aïssa (Algerian), who will present with Chico the release of their new album Gypsy Raï. The festival will also see a performance from Banda Pracatum, a group of young drummers coming from Salvador de Bahia in Brazil sponsored by the famous musician Carlinhos Brown. Other performances include the famous contemporary Flamenco ballet ‘Los Vivancos’ from Spain, as well as exhibitions by contemporary artist Ruben Alterio (Argentina); reporter Patrick de Wilde (Franco-Belgian) who for 30 years has taken pictures of endangered and isolated populations on the five continents; photographer Sophie Le Roux with ‘Le Jazz au bout des doigts’ (‘Jazz at your fingertips’) featuring pictures of jazzmen on Earth such as Miles Davis, BB King, Al Jarreau and Phil Woods; the musician Christian Holl (Franco-Dutch); designer Cyrille Varet (France), founder of the “Designing Hope” association for the disadvantaged women of Southern Africa, fashion designer and weaver Eric Raisina from Madagascar, with French and Asian origins. There will also be a book-signing session and open discussion titled ‘Talk Art at the Art Centre’ around the topic “Arts and Cultural Enterprises on Local Communities” that will join leaders of creative industries. GULF TIMES |
