Clowns without Borders-USA has been active
since 1996, when Moshe Cohen went to perform in Chiapas and
Guatemala. Links to Reports of some of our expeditions are
listed to the right in reverse chronological order.
Upcoming Fall-Winter 2008
Expeditions planned to :
Egypt
Haiti
Guatemala
Chiapas
South Africa (cooperation w/ CWB-SA)
India
Indonesia
September 2008
International CWB meeting in Quebec City. Sept 16-18
Just Finished:
Indonesia: Feb 11-April 20
Dan Roberts will be leading the Circus Indonesia
Expedition,
We will use circus arts to reach anak anak-jalanan (street
children) and children living with poverty in Indonesia’s
capital, Jakarta. We plan to set up locations where children
can come to train and learn in a friendly, non-competitive
way. There will be three types of programs that we start.
Performance Troupe: These students will
learn the art of circus and perform their skills for audiences
around Jakarta. This group will be a combination of international
and Indonesian students.
Outreach Classes will be taught to a number
of different children ages 5-20.
Circus with a Message: We will develop circus
shows with social messages. These pieces will give information
and education about pressing issues in Jakarta’s impoverished
communities.
Recent Expeditions 2008
Guatemala: Jan 27-Feb 11 2008
Sayda Trujillo, David Lichtenstein and Rudi Galindo
were in Guatemala performing in communities still recovering
from Hurricane Stan (2 years ago).
Journals
Chiapas Jan 11-30
Rudi Galindo and Nick Trotter were in Chiapas performing
for flood victims in Northern Chiapas, Mexico. Clowns
Without Borders has been active in the region since 1996
Haiti Dec 10-24th
27 Shows in 2 weeks, 3 Hospital Visits and numerous workshops
in the Torbeck/Les Cayes area (1 Week), and Port-au-Prince
(2nd Week). 5 Clowns and much laughter!!!
Journals
Report
Katrina III.Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama
July 4-20th
Selena McMahan and Alice Nelson were in New Orleans performing
and teaching workshops in communities still affected by Hurricane
Katrina.
journals
Katrina Land 2007
Deven Sisler and Mindy Ferraraccio were
in New Orleans
June 19-26th performing and teaching in schools and
communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Journals
Katrina Land 2007 . April-May 2007
Gwen Rooker and Elisa Lane just returned for performing
numerous shows. More details to follow.
Journals
India-Project "Muskurahat"-January/February
2007
Project Muskurahat is an expedition that went to Bombay,
India to bring laughter and light to children living on the
streets. There were 17 shows in 15 days for 1500 people. In
additon, the group went to the remote islands of Andaman and
Nicobar which were severly affected by the Tsunami. There
they performed 10 shows in 6 days.
Report to follow.
Journals
Recent Expeditions
Year 2006
Egypt, November-December 2006
Gwendolyn Rooker and Elisa Lane to performed and taught workshops
to Sudanese refugees in Cairo, Egypt. They offered 16 performances
to 1600 children and teenagers, and offered 21 workshops to
880 children and teenagers. There are currently 30,000 Sudanese
refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR).
Report
Chiapas November-December
2006
Rudi Galindo and Selena McMahan brought performances and
workshops into the indiginous communities and small towns
of Chiapas, Mexico. They went down to la zona fronterisa south
of Las Margaritas where hurricane Stan hit hard; where lots
of communities are almost cut off from the rest of the state.
Haiti October 30th-November 15th
14
shows, 4 hospital visits, 4 workshops, numerous walk around
performances all together for over 2,500 people; clown work
in Aux Cayes, Port-Au-Prince, Torbeck, and Larnage; collaborations
with the White Flowers Foundation, Maison de Naissance, and
Médicins Sans Frontières, and all in a span
of 13 days—
REPORT
Project Njabulo
May: Swazi Clown Initiative, Swaziland
Participants: Matt Chapman, Sibusiso Dlamini, Sarah Liane
Foster, Jamie McLaren Lachman, and Garth Van Vliet
Partner Organizations: SOS Global Villages and Positive Vision
for Swaziland www.positivevisitionforswaziland.org
An international team of United States, South African, and
siSwathi clowns and teaching artists developed a performance
about HIV/AIDS prevention and the stigma associated with the
disease to tour throughout Swaziland.
3 American Clowns, 5 Swazi Clowns
23 shows
14 days
10335 children
JOURNALS
August: Clown Residencies
in KwaZulu/Natal, South AfricaParticipants: Jamie
McLaren Lachman, Alice Nelson, and Liz Turkel
Partner Organizations: Woza Moya Project, Rob Smetherham Bereavement
Service for Children
Our team of teaching artists and clowns furthered our partnership
with communities of the Ufafa region and near Elandskop.
They taught theatre arts education to local professionals
as well as conducting workshops to children to promote self-confidence,
creativity, and compassion for others.
JOURNALS
September – October: Follow-UP
Expedition to LesothoParticipants: Jamie McLaren Lachman, Selena McMahan, and
Alice Nelson
Partner Organizations: Lesotho Save the Children, Lesotho
Child Counseling Unit, Kananelo School for the Deaf and other
grassroots organizations.
JOURNALS
Katrina Return-Alabama-Mississippi-Louisiana April
13-23
Deven Sisler and Yvette Feuer are traveled to the
region to offer performances and workshops in schools and
communities for children affected by Hurricane Katrina. They
performed a total of 13 shows in New Orleans, Baker, Baton
Rouge, Gulfport, Bay St Louis, Kiln, Poplarville and Ocean
Spring.
Journal
Haiti-April 4-14
Project Haiti: Performance expedition to Torbeck
near Les Cayes on the south coast of Haiti. 3 performers:
Liz Turkel, Jamie Lachman, and Tim Cunningham participated
on this expedition sponsored by the White Flowers Foundation.
They worked with two local organizations: Partners in Mission
and Maison de Naissance doing perfomances, workshops and clinic
visits.
Report to follow.
Journal
Sudan March 16-27. Khartoum. Joint expedition with
CWB-Belgium and France.
10 shows in 10 days,plus workshops. Moshe, Kevin,
Julien, Anestis, Fanny, Sebastien and Olivier in the heat
performing in displaced (IDP) camps/settlements, Cheshire
Handicapped Center, Ethiopian Refugee School, and the communities
of El Duem and El Sufi.
Report
Journal
Project Njabulo
South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland
Phase One: September 5th to January 24th.
A Three Year Intervention Program focused on providing psycho-social
support to children affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Southern
Africa. “Njabulo” is the Zulu word for “Joy”
ON-board Journal
Report
Newsweek
Article
Guatemala-January-18 shows in 13 days-In
response to the extreme devestation due Hurricane Stan-David
Lichtenstein, Sayda Trujillo and Shea Freedom Howler were
in Guatemala to offer performances to communities as they
work to rebuild their world. The organization CAPAZ(Capacitacion
en produccion agropecuaria para la zona) coordinated their
performances with the communities.
Field Report Jan 7th
Year 2005
Chiapas-December 2005
Rudi. Adrian Mejia, and Malin Ohrn from Sweden just
returned from a month long tour -December 1st until January
1st- of communities in la zona norte, El Bosque, Chenahlo,
and various colonias in San Cristobal.
Baton Rouge, LA -Sep. 9-12
In response to Hurricane Katrina, Moshe Cohen traveled
to Baton Rouge to perform in shelters and to explore what
CWB might be able to do there in the near future.
Report and travelogue
Texas-Austin/El Paso-May 25-June3
Tim Cunningham and Esther Haddad performed in women's
shelters, juvenile detention centers, soup kitchens in Dallas
and El Paso reaching out to children caught
in difficult situations.
Report
Ciudad Juarez-April 4-9
Wise Fool New Mexico returned to perform, create
and perform a parade with children in several of the colonias
in the maquilladores zone. Report to Follow
Haiti-March 9-30th CSF-Quebec with participation
of CWB-USA
Sara Foster and Zuzka Sabata AND the Clowns sans Frontieres-Quebec
were in the Gonaives area to perform in the schools (in cooperation
with CARE-Haiti). They performed 24 shows in 18 days for an
estimated 25 000 children during their stay.
Report
FEb 11-14th Ciudad Juarez.
Wise Fool New Mexico performed several
shows in colonias around the Ciudad Juarez maquilladores zones.
they also set the stage for upcoming workshops and performances
in early April.
Report
Year 2004
South Africa-November-December 2004.
Jamie Lachman, Tim Cunningham, and Liz Turkel were joined
by Irish clown, Jonathan Gunning, for a 3 week exploratory
expedition to assess Clowns Without Borders-USA’s capacity
for work in the region. They performed and taught workshops
for over 3,500 children affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic
and poverty throughout South Africa.
Expedition Report
Journal Entries
and Photos
Nepal, October-November 2004
Moshe Cohen joined up with Desastrosus Circus and Arnau Vilardebò
to return to the Bhutanese refugee camps in the south east
of that country. They performed in all 7 camps as well as
two local schools. They also performed in Khatmandu at the
Children's Hospital, Maiti Nepal, Balmadir, Siphal, and the
Tibetan reception center (refugees from Tibet transiting to
India). 16 shows in 12 days for some 25 000 people.
Nepal
Report
Photos
CWB-USA The Balkans. August 2004 The Obfuscated
Tortoise, Yvette Feuer and Bruce Macphail, performed in Serbia,
Bosnia and Kosovo. They played 27 shows in 16 days for a total
of 1900+ children.
Expedition Report
CWB-USA Chiapas, Mexico April 2004- In honor
of the Day of the Child, Rudi Galindo. Jane Chen and Tim Cunningham
performed 16 shows in Chiapas from April 19 to May 1. They
performed around the San Cristobal area and la zona del Norte.
Report
Chiapas, Jan2004. Rudi
Galindo in a solo expedition performed 12 shows in 10 days.
Report soon to follow.
Chiapas Expedition Report
Year 2003
Nepal, 2003 Bhutanese Refugee Camps, Tibetan Settlements
Performers: Rudi Galindo, Steven Beuscher,
Emilia Sumelias, Emma Leak (Australia), Nalle Laaneta and
4 Swedish Circus Artists (CWB Sweden) performed for 67, 500.
Nepal Expedition Report
Emilia's Journal
Chiapas, Mexico Dia del Nino y de la Nina tour
April 19-May 3
Performers: Rudi Galindo, Heather Pearl, Michael O'Neill
and Zuzka.
Report: 11 shows in 10
days full of joy and laughter. A resounding success with
another expedition planned for December. The planned workshops
were cancelled due to logistical problems that often surface
in Chiapas.
Zuzka's Journal
Chiapas, Mexico Caravana de la Risa March Tour
March 17-27
Performers: Rudi and Izzy Galindo, with (from CWB-Sweden)
Nalle Laneta and Angela Wand.
Report: A short expedition
that for the first time included several workshops, one
with community members, another with social workers from Alianza
Civica Chiapas, and Melel. These workshops set the stage for
a return in April where we will lead more workshops as well
as performances.
Year 2002
Chiapas, Mexico Caravana de la Risa March Tour
March 25-April 9
Performers: David Lichtenstein, Rudi Galindo, Izzy
Galindo, and Rock Lemur.
Report: David Lichtenstein
solo, then the four together, a total of 17 performances in
fifteen days. Quite a few large shows.
Year 2001
Chiapas, Mexico Caravana de la Risa Tour
Performers: Bryan Welch, Rudi Galindo, Moshe Cohen
and Bernie Glassman.
Report: 20 performances
in 18 days with various combinations of the performers.
Concentration in the Los Altos area with shows also in the
Oxchuc and Tuxla Guiterrez areas.
Year 2000
Kosova/o Tour
November 6-16, 2000
Performers: Tortell Poltrona and Moshe Cohen
Report: 12 Performances
in 9 days in Serbian, Albanian and Roma/Hashkali communities:
schools, cultural centers, collective centers (refugee camps).
Chiapas, Mexico Caravana de la Risa Tour
November 6-18
Performers: Rudi Galindo and David Lichtenstein
Muralists in Guatemala Expedition
May 25-June 19
Artists: Carlos Loarca and Betsie Miller-Kusz
Report: In a project
co-sponsored by Payasos Sense Fronteras, Casa Alianza and
SOMAR Gallery, Carlos Loarca(SOMAR Gallery) and Betsie
Miller-Kusz (Mural resource Center) are currently working
in Guatemala City with Street Children to create several Murals
in their neighborhoods. Traveling into Guatemala with Acrylic
Paints and Brushes, these Muralists are guiding the children
to create drawings and then murals based on the drawings.
The project will then travel to Antigua or perhaps to Quetzaltenango.
This is the continuation of a long term project between Payasos
Sense Fronteras and Casa Alianza, Moviemento 48 Munod and
HORTEBE entitled "Superviventes de la Calle del Relleno.
Chiapas, Mexico Dia del Nino Tour 2000
Wise Fool Puppet Intervention
April 12-May 6
Report: Seven women
from Wise Fool traveled by van to Chiapas performing 8 shows
and conducting 3 large puppet creation workshops in communities.
Great Success and great community interactions.
Year 1999
Chiapas, Mexico Caravana de la Risa Tour December
November 30-December 8
Performers: Moshe Cohen and Rudi Galindo
Sponsored by PSF-Spain and a donation from the Cartoon Network.
8 shows in 5 days. Surrounded by laughter.
Post War Kosova/o Tour
August 12-September 3
Performers: Moshe Cohen as Mister YooWho, in conjunction
with PSF-Spain, MSF-Spain and Save The Children, USA
Report: 20 Shows, 6 Hospital
Visits, 3 Workshops w/ Teachers, 3 Workshops with Teachers
and Students, constant informal nose presence.
Kosova Report 99
Chiapas, Mexico Dia Del Nino y De La Nina Tour 99
April 22-30
Performers: Moshe Cohen, Rudi Galindo and David Lichtenstein
Report: 10 shows in seven
days. Lots of happy people
Year 1998
Chiapas, Mexico Dia del Nino y de la Nina Tour
April
Performers: Moshe Cohen
Report: Eight shows in
4 days including shows in Acteal Abejas and Acteal Autonomo
and Polho.
Year 1997
Chiapas, Mexico Caravana de la Risa Tour
December
Performers Wise Fool and Chaos.
13 Women and a four year old boy travel in a converted school
bus from Texas to San Cristobal de las Casas and proceed to
travel extensively during 18 days performing a large scale
circus in
16 different towns and communities.
Nepal Bhutanese Refugee Camps and Tibetan Settlements
November 6,1997
Performers: Moshe Cohen solo with Desastrosus Circus,
Spain
Mister YooWho joins forces with the Desastrosus Circus (PSF
Spain) to perform for more than 20 000 Bhutanese refugees
in seven shows in each of seven camps in the very Eastern
edge of Nepal based in the city of Damak. Also group performances
in Nepalese orphanages and schools and in Tibetan schools
in Katmandu as well as individual performances in all four
Tibetan settlement in the Pohkara area.
Chiapas, Mexico October Tour
October
Performers: Moshe Cohen
Logistics planning for Wise Fool December Tour
No shows possible.
Chiapas, Mexico Dia del Nino y de la Nina tour
April
Performers: Moshe Cohen
Based in San Cristobal. Mister YooWho does in 11 shows in
8 days.
Year 1996
Guatemala
with Payasos sin Fronteras, Spain
February
Performers (from US): Moshe Cohen
Moshe joins Spanish Expedition to perform in and around Guatemala
City, as well as up in the Ixil triangle highlands
Chiapas, Mexico, organized by the Saltimbanqui, Mexico
in cooperation with Payasos Sin Fronteras, Spain
Performers (from US)
Moshe joins los Saltimanqui (Mx) along with 3 performers
from Italy to go perform in the Zapatista aguascalientes
as well as several other indiginous communities.
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