How would it feel to listen to jazz in “darkness”? The Embassy of Switzerland in Cairo (ESC), along with Swiss musicians Sandro Schneebeli and Max Pizio, are launching a series of musical concerts in “darkness” to raise awareness on blindness.
According to a press statement released by the ESC, the concerts will be held in collaboration with blind Egyptian volunteers who will guide the audience throughout the events, escorting them to their seats and assisting them out of the spaces.
The Swiss duo are going to throw five “Concerts in the Dark”; three in Cairo and two in Alexandria. The concerts in Cairo will be held at ROOM Arts Center.
The first of the performances will take place on Wednesday, November 4 at 8:00 pm, the second and third will be on Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The concerts in Alexandria will take place at El Cabina (11, San Sabaa Street, Raml Station) on Saturday, November 7.
“The Concert in the Dark allows audiences in Egypt to enjoy live music from a new perspective, free from any visual distractions, at the same time, to find their seats and their way around, the audience will depend on the guidance of people with vision loss. It is a unique way of raising awareness on vision loss,” says Markus Leitner, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Egypt.
The Egyptian volunteers include people who have overcome many vision loss challenges to become successful karate champions, theater directors and tour guides.
Schneebeli and Pizio have been invited to many countries and international festivals to perform their jazz music, which is fused with the soulful energy of their diverse instruments, including the acoustic guitar and the saxophone.
According to the press statement, at least 285 million people are suffering from visual impairment worldwide. Thirty-nine million people have complete vision loss, while 246 million have reduced vision, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO).
In Egypt, approximately 1 million people suffer from blindness and 3 million are visually impaired, according to the WHO.
