São Paulo – The Algerian band El Dey will perform this Tuesday (17th) at Mercado Distrital do Cruzeiro, a market in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The concert is a part of the Conexão BH festival, and the Algerian group is in the program because their country, a contender for the the 2014 FIFA World Cup, is also playing in the city this Tuesday at 1:00 pm. “This is an opportunity for Belo Horizonte to witness Algerian culture,” says one of the creators and manager of Conexão BH, Kuru Lima, of production company Cria! Cultura, which is in charge of the festival.
According to Lima, El Dey is a widely known band in Algeria, and sings in Arabic and French. It is a contemporary band that combines various rhythms. “They are lively, they have great energy,” the manager says. The festival has been postponed due to the World Cup, and the organisers have brought several attractions from the countries playing the contest. The international groups featured were selected with assistance from the Belo Horizonte Secretariat for International Relations, embassies and consulates. “We received many offers,” says Lima.
He is counting on Brazilians and Algerian tourists alike to attend the concert, since they will be in the city to watch their national team play at Mineirão Stadium. The concert will take place at Mercado Distrital Cruzeiro, a major market that sells mostly foodstuffs. The concert will be held at the central arena, free of charge, but attendees must collect a password online. On the same evening, the venue is hosting a photo exhibit titled Beija-Flor (Hummingbird), featuring pictures of individuals, colours and textures, and a set by Minas Gerais state-based DJ Carou Araújo.
The festival is named Conexão BH – Cidade da Música, Cidade do Mundo (Belo Horizonte Connection – City of Music, City of the World), and will last from this Tuesday until July 13th. This is the 14th edition, and past editions have featured other international attractions. However, the number of foreign artists featured has increased as a result of the World Cup. Lima notes that apart from hosting World Cup games, the state of Minas Gerais is hosting three national teams: Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.
Although the program’s highlight is music, the festival features other types of artistic manifestation, such as performance, dancing, poetry recital, urban intervention, photo exhibit etc. The goal is to give locals an opportunity to come into contact with global art, but also to enable foreigners to learn more about the culture of Minas Gerais and its capital, Belo Horizonte.
Confirmed Brazilian performers include female singer Tulipa Ruiz, rapper B Negão and his band Seletores de Frequência, singer Otto, and international artists such as French DJs Agoria and Joris Delacroix. Most of the artists, however, are from Minas Gerais. The program will take place at different venues throughout Belo Horizonte, such as Mercado das Borboletas, Parque Municipal, Casa do Jornalista, among others. Part of the program is free and part is paid. Some of the concerts are still pending confirmation and may be included in the schedule in the next few days.
Service:
Conexão BH Festival
June 17th to July 13th
At different locations throughout Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais
Program: http://www.sympla.com.br/conexao
El Dey Concert
Tuesday, June 17th at 7:00 pm
At Mercado Distrital do Cruzeiro
Ouro Fino Street, 452 – Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais
Free of charge – password must be collected online
http://www.sympla.com.br/conexao ;
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
