Mansour al-Mohannadi from Qatar has been selected to participate in the River of Music programme, a spectacular weekend of free music from across the 204 Olympic and Paralympic nations to be presented at iconic sites along the River Thames on July 21 and 22. It culminates in a free weekend of performances a week before the opening ceremony and embodies the spirit of creativity and excellence that is the hallmark of the Cultural Olympiad.
The British Council has curated a series of high profile collaborations connecting British musicians with artists and performers around the world to form part of BT River of Music. The performances will contribute to making the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games a truly international experience and forms part of the British Council’s wider contribution towards the London 2012 Festival.
The collaborations, one for each of the five stages at the festival representing all five continents, and are the result of ongoing British Council projects around the world, will culminate in special performances in London and overseas.
From Qatar, Mansour al-Mohannadi was selected to participate in River of Music which is one of the core events at the heart of the London 2012 Festival.
UK dance outfit and cross-cultural globetrotters, Transglobal Underground lead a new collaboration with standout musicians representing Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia and UK.
To ensure high quality production and mutual understanding, The British Council organised several scoping visits to the mentioned countries for the British Group ‘Trans Global Underground’ where the creators Lee Hamilton and Tim Whelan and product creative Jason Walsh visited Qatar last December to get familiarised with Qatar’s musical artistic scene and culture.
Accordingly Mansour al-Mohannadi was selected to join Intransit group.
Al-Mohannadi commented: “I am very happy about this participation because this is a new experience to share with Western music a unique Qatari music genre called ‘Al-Nahma’ which is considered as an essential element for the captain of the ship as well as the pearl diving journey.”
Lana Kayed, programmes manager for cultural relations, said: “As the Middle East enters a new era of self expression, the Gulf states have a story to tell and music offers a unique way of relaying their diverse experiences. Bringing together musicians from a mix of different musical and cultural backgrounds, this collaboration, entitled In Transit, will tell a story of urban lives unfolding within an ever evolving landscape; of change and opportunity; of people and cultures in transit. We are very happy to have participation from Qatar’s Ministry of Culture Arts and Heritage as we have always enjoyed an effective partnership with them.”
Gulf Times
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