WOMAD

Circus Ethiopia

From Ethiopia

Civil war, dictatorship and famine have wreaked havoc across Ethiopia in the past 30 years, but the country's music industry has survived the resulting destabilising of the economy. Circus Ethiopia, however, is not part of that industry. Indeed, it's safe to say that Ethiopia has no tradition of circus entertainment at all. So why are they here? Read on ...In 1991, Marc Lachance, a Canadian teacher in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, organised a small circus school for children. The project quickly took off and a group of local sportsmen and their trainer Aweke Emiru, who is now artistic director of the circus company, joined up. The children performed before crowds of hundreds, and then thousands. The circus gave them self-respect - and it provided an education for them as well as a home.Soon, humanitarian organisations wanted to work with the Circus (it now has the backing of Unicef, the Red Cross and Oxfam). These groups help out with costs, and the circus performances include scenes to illustrate the themes of children's rights, disease prevention and other social problems. The Circus performs weekly in Addis, and there is no entry charge. During school holidays, it visits other towns, spreading its message across the country. Education and entertainment go hand in hand.Circus Ethiopia is also backed by the internationally famous Canadian group, Cirque Du Soleil, who raise funds for acrobatic equipment and costumes. Initially, musical accompaniment for the show came from a cassette player powered by a car cigarette lighter. Now, the Circus has its own band, with drums, saxophone and a variety of kirars - an Ethiopian instrument that looks like a lyre. Years of civil war and dictatorship took a huge toll on Ethiopia's cultural life. Circus Ethiopia proves that artistic excellence can survive hardship and bring a renewed exuberance to communities. Not only that, but it transforms the lives of the performers - and can even save the lives of some of its audience.