UK composers, artistes to take part in Katara festival: envoy

Many British composers and artistes from the film, music and visual art industries will be coming to Doha in November to share their knowledge and experience with their Qatari peers, British ambassador Ajay Sharma has said.The visit is part of the British embassy’s plan to organise a ‘British Festival’ in partnership with the British Council and in collaboration with Katara - the Cultural Village Foundation.It aims to further enhance the strong cultural ties between Qatar and the UK.“This will build on the successful strategic partnership of The Great British Festival in 2016,” Sharma told Gulf Times.“The programme will focus on film, music, street art and aspects of mutual cultural heritage.”The envoy added that the British embassy would welcome co-operation with local and UK business partners in Qatar.Sharma met with Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti recently to present the proposal about the festival, which would showcase British culture in Doha.Katara, which features state-of-the-art facilities for cultural shows and exhibitions, among others, provides an authentic platform that showcases international art from various parts of the world.The event at Katara in late November will also see British artistes and performers take part in a number of Qatari festivals, the envoy said.The embassy, he noted, is also supporting young emerging Qatari talents to participate in UK art festivals and residencies.“The British Council continues to support Qatar’s human development plan by providing skills training by visiting UK trainers,” Sharma said.Such initiatives include helping women realise their potential and achieve success through the ‘Springboard’ training programme, alongside ‘Women Sport Journalist’ training and ‘Youth Sport Leaders’ programme, according to the envoy.He said the British Council is developing the personal skills and capabilities of young people to have a successful transition from school into the next stage of their lives through its Taqaddam programme.“There are also a number of joint UK-Qatar science activities in the pipeline with a focus on research and capacity building,” Sharma said.Qatar and the UK continue to broaden their cultural ties with the staging of events, which cover various fields such as arts, education, science and sports.