There Are Only 13 Pianos Left In Gaza

There are only 13 pianos in Gaza, a region with a population of 1.8 million people. That’s one piano per 138,461 Gazans.

For comparison, 53,870 pianos were sold in the U.S. in 2007, the latest year from which piano sales data is available. That’s one brand new piano per 5,919 Americans, in just one year.

The BBC reports the count comes from the efforts of Abu Shaaban, administrator of The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music’s Gaza branch, and Lukas Pairon, the founder of the Brussels-based charity Music Fund. After it took control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas banned live music events on religious grounds. Following this summer’s war with Israel, Hamas’ grip on the occupied territory has loosened, prompting the Music Fund to train local teachers in a bid to integrate music back into school curriculums.



http://www.vocativ.com/culture/music/13-pianos-left-in-gaza/