Back to the complete issue
Thursday, 3 December 2020

Good news of 2020: Heartwarming Stories

Last but not least, this year saw a lot of acts of kindness. Some were from individuals and others took a whole community to put together — but all of them are heartwarming.

Orchestra brings Beethoven to the deaf: In early February, Budapest’s Danubia orchestra played a concert for the hearing impaired. Using special hyper-sensitive hearing aids, balloons that convey vibrations, and in some instances by placing their hands on the instruments themselves, the audience was able to “feel,” or “hear through touch,” the music. Aptly, the orchestra chose to perform Beethoven’s fifth symphony, the piece he wrote as his hearing was deteriorating – its opening motif has forebodingly come to be called “fate knocking at the door” in reference to the loss that would soon afflict him. The composer is said to have written the music on his piano by feeling the vibration of the notes.

enterprise

Eid prayer in Ikea parking lot: Bound by strict safety precautions at the height of the pandemic, Muslims in the German town of Wetzlar near Frankfurt still found a way to hold a mass prayer during Eid El Fitr — in the car park of the local Ikea branch. The store’s management “didn’t hesitate” to host the prayer organised by the Ditib Wetzlar mosque. Pictures of the around 800 masked, socially distanced worshippers spread across the asphalt quickly went viral on social media. The event helped lift the spirits of those who attended following a difficult Ramadan — typically a time to celebrate community — marked by reduced contact and visits for breaking the fast.

In Yemen, a cafe by women, for women: In defiance of convention, a cafe in Yemen’s Marib was opened by women, for women. The very word “cafe” comes with stigma and negative connotations in the region, but that didn’t stop Um Feras and her associates from launching the women-only space as a safe hazen from the fighting, a place to catch up and enjoy the odd steaming treat. A stickler for quality, Um Feras imports most of her beans, and looks forward to expanding her enterprise into a leisure spot for women and children.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.