DOHA , Qatar ( CNN ) -- If there 's anything in which Qatar takes pride -- aside from a massive construction boom -- it is providing its Qatari minority and the hundreds of thousands of expatriates working and living here with plenty of shopping opportunities . City Center Mall booked `` Freestyle Football '' artist Iya Traore , from Guinea , to help draw more crowds in Doha . You can nary drive a kilometer in Doha -- few Qataris actually walk the streets -- without passing a shopping mall . And few of those malls are lacking hordes of people strolling from store to store . From the pricey jewel-adorned head scarf fashions to budget-conscious it-could-be-rat-leather shoes , food courts to suit Eastern and Western tastes , to perfume shops selling essences for more per ounce than many people earn in a month -- shoppers in Doha are spoiled for choice . I 'm lucky to have a few Qatari national friends in Doha . Each time I visit , I 'm treated to a familiar , and always entertaining , routine ... passing time at a succession of shopping centers . Yes , many of you may think this pastime -- especially in America -- is for the kiddies . You are right . And yes , my friends and I are in our 30s . But there 's a more sophisticated , Arab cultural aspect to `` hanging out '' at a Starbucks at Landmark Shopping Center or drinking mint tea at one of the restaurants in the renovated Souq Waqif . For many `` shoppers '' -- male and female -- these centers are an opportunity catch up with friends , and discretely flirt and mingle ... even if only by exchanging messages via Bluetooth on the cellphone . And unlike many teenyboppers cruising the malls of America , most of the adults here are a shop owner 's dream : high-end , impulse purchasing consumers with a lot of money to spend -- and a lot of time to kill . Little surprise then , that shopping mall developers and management have taken to providing more entertainment options to pull in the crowds : The obligatory movie theater , for example . One mall 's basement is host to a skating rink . At a recent stop at City Center-Doha Mall , thumping hip-hop beats had kids dropping their McDonald 's ice cream cones and running to the center atrium to see what all the fuss was about . Turns out there 's this athlete literally center stage of the mall , kicking and balancing a soccer ball -- OK , football -- about his head , shoulders , legs and back with such skill he might put Ronaldo to shame -- and doing this to the beat of hip-hop African tunes for what seemed more than just a few minutes . Guinean native Iya Traore 's `` freestyle soccer '' routine mesmerized the crowd . Ironically , it distracted them from shopping -- but kept shoppers in the Mall longer and gave people something new to talk about . Apparently his athletic tricks have landed him television and live performances in Japan , Turkey , Mali , Germany , France and , increasingly , in the Arab world . Africa would seem a long way to book an act to attract more shoppers . But then again , the stakes are high in an increasingly competitive shopping mall-packed Qatar . As long as the mall remains an outlet to spend petro-dollars -- and Doha 's main , all-access social networking scene -- mall developers will have to step up their game to keep consumers happy . E-mail to a friend .
CNN 's Alphonso Van Marsh hangs out at a shopping mall in Doha , Qatar . Spending time in shopping malls is a popular pastime for local residents . Mall managers hire entertainers to attract customers and their dirhams . Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos:Qatar's new luxury city