Entertainment Live: Albanian artist David Kryemadhi douses his brush with coffee and carefully sketches the face of a cafe customer, hoping the offer of a free portrait will bring cheer amid the anxiety of the pandemic. Many Albanians regard cafes as a vital institution and punctuate most days with caffeinated outings. the country of 2.8 million reputedly has one of the highest numbers of cafes in the world per head of population.

"Art and coffee help a lot of people," Kryemadhi told AFP in the seaside city of Durres.

"The moment of calm and reflection while painting a portrait helps the other person gain self-confidence and see the world with a positive synergy, a more open eye." Kryemadhi uses coffee like watercolour paints, composing portraits with a rich, brown patina -- adding water to create different shades.

Kryemadhi said he hoped his portraits would help alleviate some of the stress caused by coronavirus in Durres, an area still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2019 that killed dozens and left thousands more homeless.

Dhaka, 27 October (campuslive24.com)//BSC