'Walking keyboard' donated to Egyptian children

CAIRO－Egyptian children with special needs can now enjoy playing a "walking piano" after the Chinese embassy in Egypt donated the big instrument to a local NGO.

"Such a special piano is different from ordinary ones," says Yang Ronghao, cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy in Egypt and director of the China Cultural Center in Cairo.

"It helps cultivate children's artistic perception, and enhance their artistic ability and accomplishment," he said, when he delivered the piano to the Awladna Foundation for the Arts of Children with Special Needs at the center on July 5.

Yang says he hopes that such activities will promote exchanges and cooperation between children of the two countries in various fields such as art, music and painting.

The "walking piano", also known as the big piano and floor piano, is an oversized electronic keyboard. Merging dance, music, and play, the big piano is played by the feet of the user tapping the keys to make music.

The 8-meter-long floor piano, which was built especially for the Awaldna Foundation, is the first of its kind in Egypt.

"I cannot describe how happy I am to receive this priceless gift. This piano will help us improve the outstanding artistic talents of our children," says Soheir Abdel-Kader, founder and president of the Awladna Foundation and Awladna International Forum, which is an international art forum for people with special needs.

She says that the piano will enable the foundation to help children build a new talent and develop their artistic skills.

"China provides cultural support through its cooperation with the Egyptian government and many cultural and artistic institutions in the country. Cultural cooperation and exchange between the two countries have reached unprecedented levels in recent years, which enhance the spirit of friendship and cooperation between the Egyptian and Chinese peoples," Abdel-Kader adds.

Although COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to the world, cooperation between China and Egypt in various fields, including cultural exchange, has not stalled during the pandemic.

In the few years, symphony orchestras from China and Egypt have jointly presented several online concerts to the audience of the two countries. The China Cultural Center in Cairo also held online lectures and exhibitions on social media.