(I wrote a piece about MMCC and the importance of their work. Their co-founder, David Mason, graciously described it as “one of the best articles written about Social Circus and how it helps the children of wars”.

Please enjoy reading it and make a donation to MMCC if you can:)

The sound of children laughing

– how Social Circus inspires hope for Afghanistan ́s future

“When children play, practice and perform together, they become much more than just
representatives of their background, region or ethnicity. They become friends, active members of a joyful family, and advocates for national unity.”

- MMCC Global

A young boy sports a wide grin as he pushes a large wheelbarrow. In the barrow, three girls and a small boy expertly continue juggling balls and keep clubs dancing in the air while being wheeled around in large circles. Children stand around the courtyard, clapping and encouraging this small and smile-inducing spectacle. Another child balances barefoot atop a huge ball with micro yet fast-paced steps, required to maintain balance. An expression of intense concentration occasionally breaks into a smile - the joy of mastery. A group of older children practice acrobatics on a gym mat. Excited cheers ring out every time someone lands on their feet - or face! Large shipping containers, brightly painted in green, blue, yellow and red, form a kaleidoscope of colours, framing this creative chaos.

“There are not many reasons to laugh in Afghanistan” says David Mason of Mobile Mini Circus for Children (MMCC) which he founded in 2002 alongside Berit Muhlhausen. Twenty years later, at the time of writing, 24 million Afghans are in need of vital humanitarian aid. Half of the population experiences acute hunger. The healthcare system has collapsed. Basic human rights for women and girls are declining. Farmers and shepherds are fighting the climate crisis. The economy is in freefall.

Whilst aid organisations are busy meeting the population’s needs for food and medicine, MMCC's main focus is to bring children together in the circus ring. In collaboration with their local partner Afghan Educational Children Circus (AECC), they have been creating circus activities with and for children in Afghanistan for two decades. Since the takeover of the Taliban in August 2021, their work has become more difficult. However, this article will not delve into the political situation in Afghanistan, but highlight its children and the magic of circus - for children in all areas of conflict, and their need to laugh and play!

Send in the clowns
The landscape of explosions and gunfire common in warzones is not a natural habitat for clowns and acrobats. Yet in recent decades circus performers being sent into areas of conflict has become a growing trend. A leading organisation in this field is Clowns Without Borders (founded in Barcelona as Payasos Sin Fronteras) which began in 1993, after a school class exchanged letters with children in a refugee camp in Croatia. One of the letters from a child in the camp simply read “We miss laughter.”

The Catalan schoolchildren's imaginations were ignited and they were determined to send their favourite and funniest clown - the legendary Tortell Poltrona - to their new penpals. Poltrona packed his bags and travelled to Croatia, where he was met by over 4,000 children who were excited to enter the clown's universe of play, colours and magic. Paltrona saw the overwhelming need for laughter and play in societies experiencing traumatic events. Clowns Without Borders was born. Since 1994, professional clowns, acrobats, magicians, dancers, mimes and jugglers have travelled to areas of crisis and conflict to create performances and hold workshops with the children who live there.

In conflict areas, children's needs for play and learning are under-prioritised in favour of more immediate needs of food and healthcare. It’s not so obvious to any local bureaucrat or international NGO how to deal with clowns and acrobats within the landscape of conflict. Isn't that enough chaos, after all? Yet if we dare to think long-term - and take into account that a country needs people who grow up with the capacity to lead, build, teach and convey art and culture - then children must get something more. They will need to play.

People who live in war zones and areas of conflict have plenty to worry about. Living this way for such long periods can understandably make someone become overprotective, chronically worried and short-tempered, which intensifies post-traumatic stress in children. The performers and teachers are there to help the children explore and learn, fool around and be silly -all fundamental aspects of a healthy childhood. This help and support doesn't always have to come from the outside, but such extra resources can be pivotal when everyday conditions are draining all your strength.

Through play, we develop relationships, empathy, trust and the ability to set boundaries. Laughter and play releases endorphins which can reduce feelings of pain and stress, and can strengthen the immune system. Laughter is contagious, and forms positive bonds with other people. Circus skills such as tight rope and other balancing arts, as well as juggling and acrobatics, all help with training coordination, support brain development and strengthen cognitive skills. It has been proven that circus training builds self-confidence and a sense of mastery. It puts the child at the centre - “Look at me! Look what I can do!” - and they are seen and heard, as in “You matter! You are important!”

Children are largely adaptable. Yet without access to play and laughter their development can be hindered, as can their ability to overcome trauma. Providing data in this growing field brings academic weight for important groups like MMCC - to be able to build on their work of bringing circus and physical comedy to children in such areas of conflict.

 

Play is a human right

“Laughter, collective physical play and trusting relationships are essential for building social bonds, resolving conflict, creating cohesive communities, developing resilience, and securing personal and social wellbeing.”

- The Flying Seagull Project

Every morning the sound of trumpets could be heard in the temporary refugee camp on the border between Greece and Macedonia. All the children in the camp knew this was a signal from the clowns, and children of all ages instinctively gathered. Together they formed a big circle, where they played Follow the Leader and sang songs - all under just the right amount of silly leadership by Bash and his fellow clowns. “Some days the children were there before we arrived”, says Bash, whose civil name is Ash Perrin and the founder of The Flying Seagull Project. “There were days” he continues, “when what the children needed most was just to stand in a ring and shout as loud as they could!”

The Flying Seagulls are based in England, and send clowns, musicians, acrobats and other artists to travel wherever there is a need for play - which unfortunately is almost everywhere, as they write on their website. In a TED Talk, Perrin tells of the young people he meets. “These are children who should not have seen what they have seen, or experienced what they have experienced. They know far too much about life for their young age. Their faces were like 60-year-olds, but they were 6 and 7.”

While there are many articles with neuroscientific and biochemical explanations for why play is important, Ash Perrin likes to put it simply. “Bodies and minds that feel good, heal good”. He asserts that childhood should be accessible to everyone, not just a select few. It is, in fact, a human right. He refers to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 31, which states

All children have the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.

Travelling circus
Initiatives such as Clowns Without Borders and The Flying Seagull Project work closely with aid organisations such as UNCHR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) and other NGOs operating in the area and with local groups. This collaboration is fundamental to gain access to areas where children need this most, as well as for safety reasons. Up-to-date information on activity in each area is vital for the safety of all involved - to always be careful, take precautions, plan well and be prepared for absolutely anything.

Whilst organisations like the ones mentioned above are based abroad, their visits provides a pivotal but more short-term service in areas of conflict, MMCC and their local partners are working toward an enduring, long-term vision for the children and young people in Afghanistan. Ideas and educational methods are constantly being developed and applied in the country, with main operations based at MMCC’s headquarters at the Children’s Culture House in the capital of Kabul. On the other side of the country, their center in the western province of Herat sees over 200 girls and boys attend activities every day.

In Afghanistan, many of the children live in rural areas, and MMCC's aim is to reach as many children as possible. Traditionally circus has been a mobile art form, where the company of artists pack their carts with equipment and tricks, and travel from place to place. MMCC’s influence has remained in several areas, however, and is evident by permanent Funtainers – these colorful and affectionately named containers have been established in many places such as schools and IDP camps. Connected to an adjoining playground, they provide storage for equipment and spaces to practice and stage performances.

MMCC target groups are orphans, homeless children, the disabled or children on the run. In short,those who are most vulnerable. And when they visit a refugee camp, they make an effort to return andfollow up on the projects they have initiated. The goal is to give children the tools and skills todevelop creative and fun ways to learn across Afghanistan. As a core pedagogic principal, 80% of all the activities are done by the youths themselves. ”We always consider children as our dynamicinspiring partners who actively work together with us in discovering their potential and allowing themto bloom to the highest potential for making the world a much better place. They always know betterthan us and it is all up to us and our ability to learn from them to provide them all they need for theirgrowth”, they write on their homepage. This approach makes their limited resources extremelyeffective and as the activities adopted, expanded and sustained by the youth themselves, the circustraining can continue long after the MMCC have moved on.

Social circus
MMCC defines its activities as Social Circus - a form that, in addition to training and performing, focuses on the transformative power circus has on the people partaking in it. Social Circus combines education, physical skills and social development, with an emphasis on the psychosocial aspect of training, learning, and building something together. Can you imagine trying to build a human pyramid without learning something about cooperation and trust? In an academic context, Social Circus is referred to as ‘a social intervention, where circus art is used as a tool to foster personal and social development in vulnerable groups and individuals’. A study conducted with young refugees in Turkey showed that the circus classes offer essential structure and meaning in life. The participants in this study became more active, while impulsive behaviour and acting out were significantly reduced. Observations MMCC itself has made with children in IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps confirm this. In addition to more relaxed and contact-seeking body language, other outcomes included increased eye contact and greater overall levels of concentration. Through these programs, traditional circus techniques are used to train social skills and work with trauma, as well as develop basic capacities and the ability to take responsibility.

MMCC makes sure they use their platform to inform and educate on issues in a context where there is a lack of schools and access to important knowledge. One way they do this is by illuminating relevant themes in their shows such as the ever-present danger of landmines, as well as encouraging personal hygiene and traffic safety. These performances are often a collaboration between professional circus artists and local musicians who play traditional folk music. Not only is it important to celebrate and honour local artists and use music and other forms of expression that have been suppressed and forgotten for decades, it’s essential for nurturing a sense of identity and belonging.

Can circus save the world?
The security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated considerably of late. The withdrawal of international forces, political takeover and a global pandemic have thrown the country into chaos. And with everything else going on in the world at large, the media ́s spotlights have largely turned away from Afghanistan and what is happening there. Millions of children have few prospects for a carefree childhood, and the work with the circus has become much more difficult - but is also more important than ever. When an increasing number of foreigners left the country in August last year, MMCC was asked in an interview if they would also be leaving. “We will NOT leave the children especially at such a crucial time” was the unwavering answer. They continued by saying “we are modifying our activities and management systems to guarantee the continuation of our work. Some of these modifications, adjustments, and adaptations are what we have been doing on smaller scales, and now we are developing our new strategy to cope with any potential radical developments.”

The basic idea is that where every child is recognized and seen, the local community flourishes. Strengthening and supporting children in a learning process is an important element of building a society at its foundation. In recent years, we have seen very competent children challenging status worldwide during times of adversity, such as Malala Yousafzai - the youngest peace prize winner in history - from Afghanistan’s neighboring Pakistan. Colours and cartwheels, concentrated faces, laughter and human pyramids. The children at MMCC`s programs in Afghanistan continue to play and learn. Centering children and giving them opportunities to grow and blossom is crucial in moving forward towards a democracy. In this context, circus can be a building block towards a better future.

https://www.unhcr.org/afghanistan-emergency.html
https://mmccglobal.org/info/
https://www.clowns.org
https://www.theflyingseagullproject.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNAtVKLxjnA

BIO info
Siw Aduvill is the author of two non-fiction books, as well as feature articles in Norwegian magazines. She has a circus background and studied at Circomedia (UK) and Cirkuspilotarna (Sweden). In 2001 she founded Oslo ́s first youth circus and has experienced first hand how transformative circus training can be.

Much gratitude to Craig Malpass for his invaluable help with the English version of this article.