Spring of Culture events

March 11 L'Orchestre National de Barbes Venue: Culture Hall Time: 8pm

The Orchestre National de Barbes, better known to music fans as the ONB, recently exploded onto the Paris music scene with their infectious world sound. This joyous band of musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds, are united by their common passion for re-inventing traditional music from the Maghreb.

www.orchestrenationaldebares.com

March 12

Opening of The Coffee House

Venue: Coffee House, Muharraq

Time: 7pm

Arabian coffee has its own place in the history of this special plant. For more than a century, Bahrainis have enjoyed a cup of Arabic coffee, an Arabic tradition practiced on a daily basis as a welcoming gesture.

Al Deiar Project Launch

Venue: Kurar House, Muharraq

Time: 8pm

Reviving the history of the traditional and Islamic art and restoring the best of its nature, the Heraf Al Deiar Centre opens today. The project aims to enhance hobbies and reinforce the skills of handcrafts people and develop and cherish their reputation and status, providing them with a vocational certificate in Traditional Islamic Art and Handcrafts. The project will also arrange short specific courses in different handcrafts including jewellery, pottery, brass and silver, mosaics, wood arabesque, weaving and other handicrafts.

March 13

Angelique Kidjo concert

Venue: Arad Fort

Time: 8:30 pm

Grammy Award Winning, African-born singer Angelique Kidjo is set to perform at the Arad Fort on March 13.

She won the Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music Album in 2008 for her album DJIN DJIN, her latest release on Razor & Tie/Starbucks Entertainment. The four-time Grammy-nominated singer, composer, and performer began in the Beninese port village of Cotonou where she launched her career at the age of six. The political turmoil in her country led her to relocate to Paris and then to New York City where she now lives. Kidjo has travelled far and entertained many audiences speaking out on behalf of children in her capacity as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.

Famous musicians Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Carlos Santana, Joss Stone, Branford Marsalis and producer Tony Visconti have contributed to DJIN DJIN.

Tickets are available at Bahrain City Centre and Al Osra supermarket in Saar.

www.kidjo.com

(picture- spring of culture-Kidjo)

March 14

Qawwali from Pakistan in association with Theatre de Ville, Paris

Venue: La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art

Time: 8pm

A Qawwali group of eight from Pakistan in association with Theatre de la Ville in Paris will perform. Qawwali is Sufi music which originated from Iran and means 'word'. The basic principles of the Sufi art rest in listening, voice and words. The Qawwali is rich in history and symbols that bring India and Pakistan together rather than separate them. www.qawwal.com

March 15

"Army of Mariam" Mariam Haji Art Exhibition

Venue: Albareh CafŽ, Adliya

Time: 7pm

Selected as a finalist for the 6degrees Prize 2008, Cult of Human Personality in Australia, Melbourne-based Bahraini conceptual artist Mariam has had many exhibitions overseas and in Bahrain. 'Army of Mariam' is an installation that forms a representation of the power and will of women.

www.albareh.com

March 16

'Golden Age Music' by Fadia Tomb El-Hajj

Venue: Shaikh Ebrahim Centre, Muharraq

Time: 8pm

Fadia Tomb El-Hage, is a rare professional singer who combines Eastern and Western vocal techniques. After pursuing her studies in Munich, she with her two sisters founded 'TriOrient' devoted to the interpretation of traditional songs of the Lebanese inheritance (sacred and secular) and middle-Eastern (old folklore, mouashahat), a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment, in unison and in polyphony. Fadia El-Hage has performed several concerts in the most prestigious festivals of Lebanon, in particular the International Festival of Baalbeck and the International Festival of Beiteddine.

March 12 to 22

'My Orients' exhibition and lecture by Eliane Chiron

Venue: House of Poetry

Time: 8pm

In this exhibition Eliane Chiron, professor at the Sorbonne University and director of its Center of Visual Arts, displays larger-than-life photographic collages together with a video installation. In the lecture 'Body of Creation', Eliane Chiron will elaborate on her artistic work and the influence of the French poet and philosopher Paul Valry.

For details regarding the Spring of Culture contact 39900630.