(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Visitors to Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday were impressed by activities at the first Brazil Festival which ends tonight.
The festival, a major element of Qatar Brazil 2014 Year of Culture, was praised not only for the brilliant performances by Brazilian artistes but also for the workshops which delved into art and culture of the continental country.
"I've always wanted to try out something new and after trying graffiti art, I would like to challenge myself to experiment on my newfound medium," said Alfred, a participant in the graffiti workshop by acclaimed street artist Speto.
Speto shared art skills with dozens of enthusiasts € children and adults € making a collaborative graffiti with spray paints.
He encouraged enthusiasts in the big crowd at the venue to participate in the creative activity which he jokingly called "graffiti painting without going to jail".
Speto is known for blending lines of traditional Brazilian northeastern woodcarving styles with sophisticated textures and figurative imagery. Working in variety of mediums, including murals, illustration and graphics, he fuses modern techniques with Brazilian cultural heritage to create a distinctive form of street art.
At the Samba drumming workshops young participants put on a charming show creating Samba rhythms using authentic Brazilian percussion instruments chiefly used in Samba such as drums, tambourines and agogo bells.
They experienced some of the passion, energy and rhythms associated with Brazil. After a simple process of learning the rhythms, quickly the children had an understanding of the beats they needed to play and soon rendered a coherent piece.
"It was adorable to see tiny tots getting immersed in the rhythm. It surely was an enriching experience for them," said Ahmad, father of one of the participants.
The Samba workshop was followed by a captivating performance by Santos, a "cool-jazz" singer and guitar player, who flew in from Rio de Janeiro. Through his music which combines influences based on blues, rock and Latin-jazz, Santos proved that even though skin colours and flags may be different, people share the same heartbeat.
As expected, the performance by acclaimed group Samba Chula de Sao Braz as well as Capoeira demonstration by Brazilian artistes were equally impressive and applauded by the audience. Both provided a glimpse into the rich Brazilian heritage embodied through their distinctive music and dance.
Children also thronged booths offering Brazilian storytelling sessions in Arabic and English and carnival mask-making workshop, while a large number of people visited the Brazilian handicraft booth and Crossway Foundation's 'Create and Inspire' photo and art exhibition.
Visitors also sampled authentic Brazilian cuisine at food booths. People have today from 11am to 10pm to experience the festival.
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