CAIRO: SILENT is an Egyptian band where all of its members are deaf. It is considered to be the first of its kind in the world of theater and dance in the North African nation. The band was formed in 2005 by Beethoven-styled Arab artist Reda Abdel-Aziz, who noticed that the performances showed by the deaf in sign language do not check their own communication and understanding “between them and the ordinary” so he wanted to invent a new artistic direction that aims to achieves “communication and understanding between the deaf and the ordinary.” Through the inspiration of composer Beethoven, who wrote wonderful music after he became deaf, SILENT is trained by the founder of their troop, who adopted a specific style in dealing with the music, alive in his experience known as “contact the great,” meaning a transfer of tones and vibrations that are silent. They chose to name their squad SILENT to express their world, which is represented by “silent static.” Many critics and artists considered the experience of a “silent” state of creativity especially on the artistic scene of exclusivity in the world and the importance of its humanitarian mission for the recruitment of art to integrate the deaf in the community. Recently SILENT displayed the new Cleopatra: Queen of Queens show with 30 Dancers from the deaf community. The show's concept and design, directed by Abdul-Aziz and with the preparation of artist Amr al-Jamal, in a ceremony titled Mahalla: Major Festivals of Spring on the commemoration of Orphan Day last Thursday, was a big success. Abdel-Aziz said the show “is the history of the Queen's life … the legend of Cleopatra, last queen of the Ptolemaic era, who spoke 6 languages and had a magical sound.” He added that the show corrects the many misconceptions about the queen. For example, he added that “it is commonly held that Cleopatra committed suicide after the death of Antony because of the overwhelming love she had for him, but they actually committed suicide so as not to fall in the hands of the Romans after Rome was waiting to be moving the queen captive and humiliated in the victory parade through the streets of Rome.” And he stressed the concerns of his band to commemorate the historical figures and important in human history. The band is also scheduled to participate in a number of festivals and festivities in independent theaters in collaboration with a number of cultural centers in Europe in the coming months. The director added that SILENT is challenging the neglect of the Ministry of Culture in dealing with the disabled community. Despite the scarcity of performances due to the lack of financial support from the Ministry of Culture, he said that every new show “is a resounding cry for art in the face of the officials at the Ministry Culture,” stressing that continuing to ignore SILENT by the Ministry of Culture “is evidence of the cultural apostasy taking place in Egypt, because the officials at the Ministry of Culture do not think at all in private investment and the success of the band for restoring the luster of lost Egyptian culture at the regional and international level, although they are certain full Band that the most important task of the silent drama kinetic targeted in Egypt.” And the ministry does not declare in advance for the shows to the media or through groups on Facebook said. “I do not like that it is not disclosed in advance about the work and we want to deal with them in light of stolen ideas and actions … the technical experience with the creative, so I'd rather talk about my art. It is the same when viewed as successful art and to the media in formal documents to them promoting SILENT,” he added. The group also added that they intend to sue the ministry of culture in order to demand their rights are heard by the ministry in their efforts to perform. BM
