Clowns Without Borders - USA

November and December

Volunteers: Jamie Lachman, Tim Cunningham, Liz Turkel, and Jon Gunning

Project Overview
Number of performances: 22 shows
Length of expidition: 23 days
Total audience reached: 3,000
Number of artists: 4

The Expedition to South Africa was Clowns Without Borders first mission to the region. Four clowns – Jamie McLaren Lachman (Project Coordinator), Elizabeth Turkel, Tim Cunningham, and Jonathan Gunning – participated in the trip which lasted from November 20th to December 12th. They performed 22 times for over 3,500 orphans affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis, working with 16 different local community aid organizations traveling over 5,000 miles through Mpumalanga, KwaZulu/Natal, the Free State, Lesotho, and the Western Cape.

The Show

Gracie steps on the stage with a shy smile displaying a gap between her front teeth. She shakes hands with a clown who presents a shiny, brass taxi horn instead of his hand. “Honk! Honk!” She jumps back in surprise as the crowd roars with laughter. After a series of magic tricks and acrobatics, she finds herself standing on the clown’s shoulders to wild applause. Beaming with confidence and achievement, she returns to her friends in the audience with a red nose clutched tightly in her hand. An orphan living with HIV/AIDS at Beautiful Gate Children’s Home in Crossroads, South Africa.

Our first shows were with the Masoyi Home Based Care project in the hills just outside of Kruger National Park. Arriving the next morning in incredible summer African heat, we find 200 children crowded in the shade under a solitary tree in the middle of a field. The field is strewn with plastic bags and bottles but we manage to clear away a performance area and begin our show, Pata Pata, named after the popular dance from Johannesburg: a parade with ukulele-banjo, drums, concertina, harmonica; Tim wows them with juggling tricks and acrobatics; then, a Jamie begins blowing bubbles moving through the audience allowing the children to blow bubbles themselves.

The atmosphere is magically serene until Jonathan interrupts by swallowing the bubbles quickly becoming “intoxicated” with laughter. Liz takes command with a map of South Africa. But where are the clowns? They cannot decide where on the map they are which leads them into a series of hijinks with a matador and three angry bulls. Then we segue into a newspaper routine followed by a chase culminating in the selection of a brave volunteer who is brought onstage for a magic routine. The magic goes “badly” as planned and to save face, we produce a balloon to give to the child who is wide eyed in wonder. We try and try to blow up the balloon finally creating a human pump that blows it up too enthusiastically until “POP!” Silence. All four of us burst out into tears. We gather the pieces and process into the audience accompanied by a musical saw and the ukulele-banjo.

After a brief benediction on the behalf of a bereaved balloon, we bury it in the center of the audience. The music crescendos into a climax of dancing and celebration ala New Orleans stomp to the children’s delightful laughter. Other routines follow: drinking bad water, the suitcase that won’t move, stuck in a bucket, until our finale – a dance celebration to the song “Pata Pata” involving the entire audience. At this point, we are drenched with sweat and in need of a break. However, as we discovered time after time, the children do not leave when the show is over. Instead, they remain in the field as expecting more; not to disappoint, Tim and Jamie return and improvise for another 45 minutes.

This period of improvisation proves to be invaluable as we were able to create new routines and insert them in the main show replacing the ones that didn’t go over as well. A horn orchestra is born as is a two-high acrobatic routine. One of our most successful routines comes out of this: the Last Banana, a piece performed by Jonathan which involved an adult member of the audience who, in the native language of the children, explains to Jonathan that this is the last banana in Africa and must be guarded until Madiba (Nelson Mandela) comes. Of course, Jonathan cannot help himself and after many fits and starts, he starts to eat the banana. We chase him off as he thrusts it into the arms of a child. One time, this proved to be a gift from the heavens. The young boy began to eat the banana which made the clowns very upset until Jamie remarked, “maybe, this is the next Mandela,” to the applause of the audience.

 
There is much work to be done both here and overseas and it will take many hours of dedication in order to ensure that the celebrations of laughter were not a mere flash in the pan but a beginning of a sustained relationship of emotional healing through joy and happiness for years to come. Our work in Southern Africa has only just begun. The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread, wreaking havoc on communities throughout the region. The rate of abandoned children and their suffering grows daily at an exponential rate. Yet, there is hope. A smile can break through the darkness of isolation, fear, and depression.

 
After our last performance at The Homestead Project in Cape Town, we were deeply moved by a heightened awareness that our expedition was both blessed and a blessing for all involved. A magic moment occurred at every one of our site visits. It was the magic of love blossoming through laughter. It shone in the eyes and faces of the children, in the steadfast conviction and sacrifice of the community workers, and in the hearts of the four clowns who traveled thousands of miles to bring happiness one child at a time.

“Your sacrifice has brightened the lives of these children, many of whom come from and are living in desperate circumstances. Thank you for the time, effort, and personal sacrifice that it has cost you to come and entertain our children today. You have been a blessing to Beautiful Gate and are always welcome in the future!”
-Vaughan Stannard, (Community Coordinator from Beautiful Gate in Crossroads, Cape Town)

Report

Mission
The mission of this expedition was to provide emotional relief to South African children who are affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and poverty. Underscoring this objective were four points of focus: 1) to perform for as many children as possible and bring laughter and healing for a brief moment in their lives; 2) to establish connections with local grassroots organizations that are working to alleviate the suffering of communities due to the HIV/AIDS crisis on a daily basis; 3) to connect local performers to these organizations so that celebrations of laughter can continue on a more frequent basis after the expedition is over; and 4) to gather information and assess the situation in South Africa in order develop future expeditions to the region.

Itinerary
We flew into Johannesburg from New York and Dublin, rehearse for two days at Jamie’s grandfather’s house, and then head northeast to Mpumalanga, a province north of Swaziland and west of Mozambique. In Malelane, we were joined by South African based performer, Garth, at Amazing Grace Children’s Home, an orphanage for 55 children from all over Southern Africa, and conducted a successful workshop on juggling using stones found outside in a field. Then our team headed for KwaZulu/Natal where we worked with Ingwavuma Orphan Care in the highlands north of Durban, the Sibusisiwe Orphan Community Project in Ntandabantu – an area stricken by drought for the past 2 and a half years, St. Philomena’s Orphanage in Durban, Pietermaritzburg Child Welfare Society, Howick Hospice in Mphophomeni township, and the Woza Moya Project. In Ntandabantu, we led a brief workshop on creating the sound of rain with our bodies which amazingly culminated in a brief shower as we drove away. Our time in the Mphophomeni was especially memorable with home stays in the township with members of the community. After KwaZulu/Natal, our mission took us to the Free State – a bastion of Afrikaneer culture and the Sotho people. We briefly visited Lebone Land in Bloemfoentein performing for their preschool graduation and then to Ficksburg where we performed an exhausting five shows in one day including a visit to a children’s ward at a hospital in Lesotho and at a fancy dinner party for members of the local Rotary Club who were our hosts. Finally, we had a long drive to Cape Town for site visits with Beautiful Gate in Crossroads and Muizenberg, Baphumelele Orphan’s home, and the Homestead Street Children Project. Then, we hauled our donated Nissan Sentra (which was packed to the brim and on its last legs) back to Johannesburg where the team dissolved after an exhausting but thoroughly blessed expedition.

Nov 18-19 Arrive in Johannesburg
Nov 20 Nelspruit, Masoyi Home Based Care, 900
Nov 21 Malelane, Amazing Grace Children’s Home, 55, workshop
Nov 22 Ingwavuma, Ingwavuma Orphan Care, 600
Nov 24 Ntandabantu, Sibusisiwe Orphan Community Project, 150
Nov 25 Durban, St Philomena’s, 200
Nov 26 Mphophomeni, Howick Hospice, 200
Nov 27-28 Weekend off
Nov 29 Ixopo, Woza Moya Project, 200
Nov 30 Pietermaritzburg, Pietermaritzburg Child Care Society, 200
Dec 1 Ixopo, Woza Moya Project, 200
Dec 2 Drive to Free State
Dec 3 Bloemfoentein, Lebone Land, 150
Dec 4 Ficksburg, Sunshine Organization, Lesotho Hospital, Rotary Club, 500
Dec 5-6 Drive to Cape Town
Dec 7 Crossroads, Beautiful Gate, 150
Dec 8 Khayelitsha, Baphumelele, 150
Dec 9 Muizenberg, Beautiful Gate, 12
Dec 10 Cape Town, Homestead Street Children Project, 40
Dec 11 Return to Johannesburg

The Situation
The condition of children in South Africa is desperate due to HIV/AIDS and poverty, especially in the rural areas in KwaZulu/Natal and border towns near Swaziland, Lesotho, and Mozambique. As it has been widely reported, the South African government has been slow to respond to the AIDS crisis in the region. There are few clinics and even less governmental support for children who have been either abandoned or left orphaned due to the high fatality in the region. According to a 2002 study by the Center for Disease Control, South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV positive individuals in the world (11% of the country’s population). Of the estimated 4.8 million South Africans living with HIV, 85% are between 25 to 40 years old – depriving households and children of principle caregivers. As a result, there is an estimated 420,000 children living without parents due to the virus. At this rate, 1.6 million more will be orphaned by AIDS by the year 2008.

Race is still a huge issue in South Africa. There also exists a dichotomy between white humanitarian workers and the black population which they serve. Many of the organizations we worked with were run by white South African women who volunteered many hours of difficult service to help alleviate the suffering of children orphaned by AIDS and their parents. We found that there is yet to be real empowerment for the people who come from the African communities. On the other hand, the orphanages were operated primarily by African women. Whether our experience and contact with organizations run by whites was due to accessibility to the internet or that this is the norm in South Africa remains to be seen.

The fact that our team was composed of four Caucasian performers added an unforeseen welcomed element to our work. Many of the children had never seen white people dressed in our costumes and acting like clowns before – never mind for their benefit. Often, we would arrive at a site and emerge out of the car to instant laughter without doing anything. As a result, we were able to break down some misconceptions of racial behavior and barriers that normally exist between whites and blacks in post-Apartheid South Africa. Our attempts at learning Zulu and Xhosa also had a beneficial effect on the expedition. We noticed that it meant a lot to both children and adults if we spoke in their language first before using English to communicate.

The loss of primary caregivers causes deep emotional scars to many orphaned children. Beyond basic needs such as food and education, these children need emotional support, protection and a sense of belonging. While many find care from relatives, especially grandparents, some children either take care of themselves in their homes, become street children in urban areas, or join foster homes and orphanages. In Pietermaritzburg, the Child Welfare Society told us that foster parents actually receive more government funding than single parents or next of kin resulting in the abandonment of young children due the inability to provide for them. In addition, the increasing population of orphans also far outnumbers the capacity of many orphanages that are financially struggling to provide services. In Khayelitsha outside of Cape Town, Rosalia Sibulelu Mashale of Baphumelele must rely on untrained volunteer child workers to care for abandoned infants. Likewise, Amazing Grace Children’s Home in Malelane, Mpumalanga, provides shelter, food, and nurturing for over 50 children from all over Southern Africa even though she only has funding for 35.

In the orphanages, especially, as well as across the board, we were met by children who were extremely hungry for affection and attention. Often, a hand would slip into ours or we would hold a child in our arms for some time. Upon arrival to a site, our reception varied from laughter or silent curiosity before each performance. There were numerous occasions in which we each surrounded by a crowd of children wanting to interact with us before and after shows. In Southern Africa, it is important to note that audiences do not leave after a performance but remain sitting almost as if they are expecting more. We sometimes would improvise for an additional hour and a half after a show to the delight of the children until exhaustion would finally force us to say goodbye. Singing and dancing was very popular at these times as well as call-and-response. At other times, a workshop was conducted immediately after the show. It wasn’t uncommon for the children to also perform for us in appreciation of our work. In the end, leaving a site was difficult as the need for emotional relief persisted after temporarily being lifted.

Visit http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html for the joint report by UNICEF, UNAIDS, and USAID on the affects of HIV/AIDS on children and a proposed plan of action for more information.