- Title: The beat must go on! Jordanian DJ performs from living room during curfew
- Date: 13th April 2020
- Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (APRIL 12, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DJ ARTIST AND MUSICIAN, RAJA QAMAR, SAYING: "We as musicians or entertainers have a social responsibly towards people to make them happy. The quarantine is going to take a while, we are on day 28 now. Our social responsibly is to entertain people, to make people happy inside their homes so they won't feel stressed."
- Embargoed: 27th April 2020 14:36
- Keywords: COVID-19 DJ Jordan coronavirus curfew performance
- Location: AMMAN, JORDAN
- City: AMMAN, JORDAN
- Country: Jordan
- Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA004C9BQUL1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A Jordanian DJ hosts a virtual party from his living room in Amman, spinning uplifting beats in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Young people in the country were left with limited entertainment options as a result of a strict curfew imposed by the government to curb the spread of the virus.
This inspired Raja Qamar, a disc-jockey who has been performing for 16 years, to use social media platforms to broadcast his tunes live to his followers.
He is often joined by his friend, Bashar Haddad, who plays the Tabla, a popular percussion instrument used in the Arab world.
The 31-year-old artist, known in Jordan as Raja ya Raja, said he felt a responsibility to lift his fans' spirits during these trying times.
One of Qamar's fans, Rakan Azar, said this was a way to bring him and his friends together, even if only virtually.
The most recent performance received over 10,000 views according to the DJ. He is hoping the number will be even higher in coming days.
A total of 389 cases of coronavirus and seven deaths have been confirmed in Jordan, according to Jordan's Minister of Health.
(Production: Mohammed Ramahi, Muath Freij) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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