Making an impact on African circus
IN A BID to draw attention to the circus arts in Africa, Zip Zap circus school flew the country’s flag with a perfectly synchronised performance called Simunye (we are one) at the second African Circus Arts Festival (Acaf) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The social circus school training young people in the arts attended the event organised by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) with the aim of empowering young African circus performers to maintain their impact in their respective communities.
The Acaf plays a crucial role of promoting cultural exchanges among circus companies in the African continent to stimulate the development of a circus market in Africa.
Circus teams from Morocco, Mozambique, Kenya, Guinea and Ethiopia took part in the festival.
Zip Zap artistic director and co-founder Brent van Rensburg said: “We shared an exciting performance which showcased our collaboration, co-creation and trust in each other.
“This being representative of the way Zip Zap has changed the lives of many young children.
“We learnt a lot from our experience in Ethiopia and look forward to future exchanges and collaborations,” concludes Brent.
Performer Saskia van Rensburg said: “With the streets a hub of life, fruit trading, taxis and traffic, donkeys pulling carts, people walking – everywhere. It was vibrant, busy and so alive we knew we were in for an adventure, and quickly realised that Ethiopia is far more than what meets the eye at first glance.”
She said their show Simunye was well received. The event was held from February 28 to March 4.
“We arrived in Addis on February 27 around 8pm. It was a quiet drive from the airport. What looked like, from the outside, intertwined shacklike structures, turned out to be a buzzing hub with bars, food stalls and meeting places known as a ‘cultural haven’,” said Saskia.
“We were even given an extra night of our full-show performance inside the big, traditional circus tent. The feedback from the other groups and spectators was heart-warming, energising and reminded us why we do what we do.
It was vibrant, busy and so alive we knew we were in for an adventure
“Our work seemed to inspire and dazzle them, but in truth, I think it was our team that was truly in awe of our new African friends.”
“It was a week we will never forget, and we would like to thank our Zip Zap family behind the scenes who made it all possible for us.”
From the first day in Ethiopia the group dove into chock-a-block schedule including group workshops with all the circus teams where they exchanged skills, taught classes, learnt traditions from all over Africa. We quickly experienced blossoming friendships with these people.”