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Zimbabwe

Early History

Humans have inhabited Zimbabwe for at least 100,000 years. Beginning in the 10th century, Shona people started to trade with Arab merchants and expanded their civilization into a series of sophisticated kingdoms that persisted until Portuguese colonizers arrived in the 1600s.

Portugal, intent on monopolizing trade with the Shona, started a war which left the kingdom in collapse. In response, a new Shona state emerged, known as the Rozwi Empire (1684–1834). The Rozwi Empire successfully expelled the Portuguese, only to be conquered by Zulu warriors of the Ndebele clan, who eventually settled in what is now southwestern Zimbabwe.

Colonial History

Cecil Rhodes‘ British South Africa Company obtained permission to mine from the Ndebele people. Rhodes leveraged his connection between the Ndebele clan and the British empire to encourage militarized settlement from the UK, and establish control over the region. In 1895, the territory was named Rhodesia. Shona and Ndebele groups initiated insurrections even as the Rhodes administration organized the territory with strong preference for the minority of white immigrants.

The Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries.

The ruling white minority declared Rhodesia’s independence from Great Britain in 1965, and then faced a 15-year guerrilla war led by black nationalists. A 1980 peace agreement established Zimbabwe’s de jure sovereignty, meaning it was recognized as an independent nation on paper, if not in fact. Robert Mugabe became prime minister of Zimbabwe in 1980, and president in 1989, establishing a brutal dictatorship that lasted until 2017. He was placed under house arrest after a military coup, and the country held deeply contested elections in July 2018.

The opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), staged protests throughout 2018 and into 2019, despite recent threats that participants would “rot in jail.” The country currently faces economic turmoil, including inflation and a shortage of essential goods. Amnesty International criticized crackdowns on protestors and opposition members, including the violent torture of at least two people.

Aline spins her giant hoop as a crowd of families watch

Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in South America, and the fifth largest country in the world, both by area and population. It’s a culturally and ethnically diverse nation thanks to centuries of immigration from around the world, and is home to a large indigenous population, though millions of people were wiped out through Portuguese colonialism. Some of the earliest human remains in the Americas, and the earliest known pottery, were found in Brazil. People have lived in the region for at least 11,000 years.

The country’s economy was founded on the slave trade, importing enslaved people from Africa to work in the sugarcane fields. During Brazil’s gold rush, in the late 1690s, the colony expanded to approximately its current national boundaries. Brazil achieved independence from Portugal in 1822, and experienced cycles of political, economic, and military instability until 1930, when a military coup initiated Getúlio Vargas’ dictatorship. Vargas ruled Brazil through World War II, siding with the Allies, and was overthrown after the war.

From the mid-1950s to the 1980s, Brazil was ruled by a series of short-lived dictatorships. From the 1980s through the early 2000s, Brazil experienced elections and the peaceful transition of power. Current president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been praised by U.S. president Donald Trump, and has made disparaging, inflammatory comments about sexual assault, LGBTQ+ people, indigenous people, Black people and other marginalized members of Brazilian society. He has pushed against environmental regulations, including those preventing agribusiness from accessing indigenous lands.

 

Justin lies on the ground, pretending to be dead

Romania

A member of the European Union, Romania sits at a crossroads between Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The country is home to the oldest known Homo sapien remains in Europe, dated to about 40,000 years ago. It has long been a site of complex civilizations and fluctuating national boundaries.

Middle Ages Through World War II

Between the Middle Ages and the 19th century, the territory of Romania shifted and subdivided many times. The region of Transylvania was annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Hungary in 1867. Between World War I and World War II, Transylvania joined Romania, lost its northern territory to Hungary, and was then reclaimed by Romania. The regions of Wallachia and Moldavia remained independent from the Kingdom of Hungary, but were overseen by Ottoman suzerainty. After fighting on the (victorious) Russian side of the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, the Ottoman Empire recognized Romania as an independent nation. Unity against Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman rulers laid the groundwork for 19th and 20th century Balkan-region nationalism.

Soviet aggression during WWII pressured Romania to join the Axis powers, leading to Ion Antonescu’s fascist regime. Antonescu oversaw the Romanian Holocaust, including the murder of approximately 380,000 Jews and 11,000 Roma people. After a 1944 coup, Romania switched sides, joining the Allied powers. After WWII, Romania experienced Soviet rule, and in 1965, Nicolae Ceaușescu came to power as the country’s second, and last, communist leader. In the later half of the 20th century, the World Bank instituted severe austerity measures in response to Romania’s ballooning national debt. While Romania’s debt to foreign governments was paid in full, the national economy plummeted and poverty rose. In 1989 the Romanian Revolution violently deposed Ceausescu.

Romanian Revolution

After 1989, Romania established a series of social democrat coalition governments. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007, and has enjoyed rapid economic growth in the 21st century thus far. In 2017, Romania had an annual economic growth rate of seven percent—the highest in the EU.

European Migrant Crisis and Treatment of Roma People

Romania remained largely uninvolved during the peak of the European migrant crisis, but ultranationalist border policies and practices in neighboring EU states have forced some migrants to reroute through Romania. Additionally, Romania and some of its neighboring nations continue to discriminate against Roma people, often lumping migrants and Roma people together as economic and racial scapegoats.

Bekkah rides with a kid on her shoulders

Italy

Italy’s long and complex history intersects with the work of Clowns Without Borders in relation to the ongoing European migrant crisis.

World War I

Italy suffered huge military and civilian losses during World War I. As the Russian Revolution inspired leftists across Europe, liberal Italian officials nervously put their support behind Mussolini’s nascent National Fascist Party. In 1922, Mussolini’s Black Shirts attempted a coup of the Italian government. King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Mussolini as prime minister, and he swiftly squashed dissent. Mussolini’s dictatorship served as inspiration and support for other ultra-nationalist governments, including Nazi Germany and Francoist Spain.

World War II

Italy was, of course, one of the Axis powers during World War II. During the interwar period, Fascist Italy had annexed parts of Yugoslavia, forcibly assimilating, deporting or interning people already living in the region. After WWII, the Italian economy was at rock bottom, with per capita income at its lowest point since the beginning of the 20th century. The nation received economic support from the U.S. as part of the Marshall Plan, an economic recovery plan that funded neoliberal ideologies of industrial growth, reduced regulatory control and fewer trade barriers. It was also meant to stop the spread of communism. The economy rebounded and Italy joined NATO, and was a founding member of the European Economic Community, which predated the European Union.

Into the 21st Century 

Between the 1960s and the beginning of the 21st century, Italian society and economic stability was in crisis. Assassinations, political scandal, disbandment of a major political party and skyrocketing debt all occurred in the course of about 40 years. At the turn of the 21st century, Berlusconi’s center-right coalition and Prodi’s center-left alternately governed the country.

2008’s Great Recession had a deep effect on the Italian economy, causing years of GDP loss. Though the Great Recession is commonly thought to have lasted between 2008 and 2013, a 2013 blog published via the London School of Economics notes that Italy’s economy had flatlined. A later blog by the same author discusses how the country’s entrepreneurs and educated work force were leaving the country, en masse. In 2015–2016, when the European migrant crisis peaked in terms of overall migrant arrivals, Italy was not far off from this most recent economic crisis.

The Ongoing Migrant Crisis

Since then, the country has adopted severe measures to address the migrant “problem.” Notably, the Italian government formed a deal with Libya, a key site for North African migrants heading to Europe, to detain and repatriate migrants who attempt the sea crossing, and to interfere with NGOs rescuing people. The Libyan coast guard and navy has since been emboldened to threaten NGOs, many of which have ceased operations in the Mediterranean. Intercepted migrants are returned to Libya, ostensibly for processing. However, there is active human trafficking in Libya, and no formal government. It’s impossible to determine how people are treated once they’re detained. Italy has failed to set a humane example, banning NGOs operating in the Mediterranean from making phone calls to aid migrant departures and transferring rescued migrants to other vessels. Thanks to these efforts, the number of migrants arriving in Italy has decreased, but it in 2017, 85 percent of all migrant arrivals took place in Italy. This means that Italy is still the “country of arrival” for migrants, and it is the country where, under EU law, they must apply for asylum.

A Shift To The Right

As Italy struggles to address its own tanking economy, xenophobic and bigoted rhetoric against migrants has paved the way for newly emboldened nationalist parties. Using the guise of populism, these groups have moved from the far-right and neo-fascist fringe into mainstream conversation. Though many factors, both within Italian politics and the larger EU project, contributed to Italy’s economic collapse, these parties conveniently blame migrants. There is a resentful sense among Italy’s disaffected youth population that they have been abandoned by other EU countries, some of which refuse to take their quota of migrants.

When Italians voted on March 4, 2018, fringe far-right parties which played off of immigration fears did well. The election was inconclusive, with no party winning a majority, but various far-right and center-right parties have discussed working together. Now, the Italian parliament must convene to build a coalition and include the newly emboldened ultra-nationalist parties.

 

 

 

 

Sabine performs with her hoop in the Balkans

Slovenia

Present-day Slovenia has a long history peppered with displacement, invasion, war and migration. It is now part of #refugeeroad, a path to Europe for refugees and migrants fleeing conflict, persecution and lack of resources. The current migrant crisis echoes Slovenia’s own history.

Early History

Slovenia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and during the Middle Ages the territory was caught in the midst of skirmishes between the ruling Hapsburg dynasty and the Ottoman Empire. Slovenia experienced a massive wave of emigration at the end of the 19th century, coupled with renewed interest in the Slovenian language political autonomy.

Tens of thousands of Slovenes died during World War I, and hundreds of thousands more were resettled as refugees in Austria and Italy. During this time, thousands of refugees in Italy died of malnutrition and disease. Slovenes who remained in Italy were subject to fascist Italianization, the forced cultural domination of emerging fascist Italy. In response, Slovenes and Croats in Italy are thought to have formed one of Europe’s first militant anti-fascist organizations.

Turn of the 20th Century

Though the Slovenian people had demanded independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it wasn’t made reality until October 29, 1918, when the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs took power in Ljubljana. On December 1, 1918, the State merged with the Kingdom of Serbia to become the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929, it was renamed to the more familiar Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It’s worth noting that Slovenia’s industrial development historically outstripped that of its neighboring Balkan nations, which would go on to affect territorial relationships during the Balkan War.

World War II

During World War II, Slovenia was invaded by both Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The Nazis resettled approximately 18,000 Slovenes to a puppet region and expelled tens of thousands more to Germany. Many children were separated from their parents and given to German families while thousands of Slovenian men were conscripted into the Germany military. Slovene resistance in the area annexed by Italy was spearheaded by the communist Yugoslav and Slovene Partisan units, led by Josip Bros Tito. In the Italian-controlled areas of Slovenia, approximately 25,000 people were deported to concentration camps.

The anti-fascist and anti-Nazi resistance formed the basis of socialist Yugoslavia, and in 1945 the partisan military liberated the region and formed The People’s Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Slovenia joined with its own pro-communist leadership. Yugoslavia generally enjoyed more cultural freedom than neighboring nations, along with a gradually liberalized economy. Slovenia’s industrial economy remained the strongest in Yugoslavia, and eventually popular opinion expressed frustration over the expensive communist bureaucracy of Yugoslavia, which Slovenes felt was unfairly dependent on their economy.

Post-Communist Society

In the late 1980s, protests pushed for democracy and Slovenian independence from Yugoslavia. By 1989 the Slovenian government introduced parliamentary democracy through constitutional amendments. The nation changed its name to the Republic of Slovenia but didn’t become fully independent until 1991, precipitating the 10 Day War between the Slovenian Territorial Defense and the Yugoslav People’s Army. At that time the YPA was undermined and fractured, transitioning into a puppet institution so that Serbian ultra-nationalist Slobodan Milošević could gain control over the Yugoslav military. Slovenia has since become a full member of the European Union and OECD, a neoliberal, international trade organization.

Current Migrant Crisis

In 2015 and 2016, Europe experienced what has been dubbed “the migrant crisis.” Fueled partially by the ongoing war in Syria, along with generations of conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa, these migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers undertook extremely dangerous crossings over land and sea to arrive in Turkey and Europe. According to the European Union’s border force, the main pathways of migration were through Turkey and Macedonia to Greece, and into the Balkans, the route that CWB – USA traveled in 2017 and 2018. It’s important to note that in 2015, while Germany experienced the highest rate of asylum applications, Hungary was in fact the most impacted, proportionally. Hungary received 1,800 asylum applications per 100,000 local residents. Slovenia and Croatia, two countries currently building a border fence to suppress the “wave” of asylum seekers, received 13 and five applications per 100,000 local residents, respectively.

In March, 2016, Slovenia tightened its border restrictions, and other European countries swiftly followed suit. Slovenia claimed that only refugees with “clear humanitarian needs” would be allowed to enter the country—in other words, economic migrants would be denied entry. Macedonia, emulating Slovenia, prevented migrants from exiting Greece, creating a bottleneck along the border and stranding thousands in makeshift camps. Rather than working together to find a way to safely house and support people fleeing war and destruction, European nations instead tried to one-up each other and keep people out. In 2017, the European Court of Justice ruled that Slovenia and Austria could, in fact, legally deport asylum-seekers back to their country of arrival (in this case, Croatia) as both nations did in 2015–2016. This ruling has created a huge problem for Italy, the country of arrival for thousands of migrants.

Ultimately, Turkey and the EU struck a deal resulting in third-party resettlement of refugees, mostly Syrians, essentially forcing people fleeing the dissolution of their own nation to stay in Turkey, an increasingly unstable country. Now, the UNHCR estimates that between 40,000–50,000 people are stuck along the Balkan Route, with Spain seeing a 114% increase in migrants attempting the far more perilous Mediterranean crossing between 2016–2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, an unincorporated U.S. territory, is home to approximately 3.5 million people. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria, the deadliest storm of the 2017 season and a Category 5 hurricane, made landfall in the Caribbean. The storm was  catastrophic for Puerto Rico, obliterating infrastructure, causing island-wide power failure and water shortages, and resulting in an unconfirmed death toll.

The history of European colonization and U.S. paternalism in Puerto Rico resulted in a debt crisis and thus a neglected built environment, vulnerable to disaster. After Hurricane Maria, a large dam was considered at risk for rupture, while ships with relief supplies sat in the harbor, unable to distribute food or water because roads were wiped out, vehicles were inoperable, and fuel was inaccessible.

U.S. politicking, over issues such as the Jones Act and Medicaid as part of disaster funding, have potentially exacerbated and prolonged Puerto Rico’s recovery. At the end of December, 2017, one third of the island was still without power and thousands of Puerto Ricans had left for the U.S. mainland, perhaps permanently. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has found itself stretched thin and unable to respond to infrastructure needs, when basic survival needs have not yet been met for all residents.

Though the situation is tenuous, CWB – USA received messages and inquiries from citizens, and an invitation from Puerto Rico’s Department of Education to tour throughout the island from February 3–18, 2018. In partnership with the Circo Nacional Puerto Rico, DOE, Mercy Corps, and other partners, our team of four artists will perform in schools and community centers across the island. Our partners have offered us invaluable logistical support, and we are proud to financially sponsor this tour. Check back for more information as we release details about our tour itinerary, and for updates from our artists onsite.

Clowns pose under a tree in Haiti

St. Maarten

St. Maarten is the smallest island in the world that is shared between two nations: The Netherlands and France. With an economy based largely on the tourist industry, the island is very vulnerable to the impact of hurricanes, which can damage infrastructure, make travel impossible and put people in danger.

St. Maarten-based Behind the Beyond Community Theater Foundation inaugurated a partnership with Clowns Without Borders in 2017, after Hurricane Irma severely impacted the island. This unique partnership involves multiple international chapters of Clowns Without Borders, including clowns from the U.S., Brazil and the UK.

A clown performs to a crowd of refugees

Sierra Leone

In 2015, Payasos Sin Fronteras (the Spanish chapter of Clowns Without Borders) performed in Sierra Leone. At the time, one of our volunteers, Tim Cunningham, was working as an Ebola first responder. After years of performing with CWB, this was Tim’s first experience as an audience member, an experience he shares about on our blog.

Sierra Leone, is a West African country, bordered by Liberia and Guinea. Its coastal location attracted Europeans, and it became a significant port town during the transatlantic slave trade. Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, was founded in 1787 to repatriate former slaves. The country’s modern history developed alongside its diamond trade. The gems fueled a 10 year civil war, from 1991 until 2002, when the United Nation declared that the disarmament was complete. In 2012, UN war crimes court concluded its investigations. After a decade of war, followed by a decade of sanctions and reconciliation, Sierra Leone turned a corner in 2012, when it held its first election without UN oversight.

In July 2014, Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency in response to the Ebola epidemic. The World Health Organization estimates that 14,000 people were infected, out of which more than 4,000 died. In 2017, Clowns Without Borders – Sweden contacted us about collaborating on a project to bring laughter to children impacted by the epidemic.

Serbia

A part of Serbia’s story is connected to the modern history of the region known as the Balkans. Much of the Balkans was formerly called Yugoslavia, a nation that no longer exists. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was created after the end of WWI and was formed with sections of lan that had belonged to the Austrian-Hungarian empire and the Ottoman empire, both of which ended at the conclusion of WWI. The Serbian royal house controlled the new nation, which also comprised the  Slovenes and Croats, who were now joined together under a new set of borders. In 1946 the country changed to a communist government and was renamed the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia. During this era, more territories were added to Yugoslavia so that eventually it included: Bosnia and Herzgovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Serbia. Yugoslavia was controlled by the most powerful person in the country, Josip Broz Tito.

After his death in 1980, ethnic tensions grew leading to the breakup of the nation. Ethnic clashes and economic and political turmoil lead to the Bosnian War. The conflict was between ethnic groups and lead to horrible acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing committed by groups of Serbians against Muslims. The children in this part of the world suffered the worst forms of cruelty, terror, and fear. Clowns Without Borders responded by visiting families and children throughout the war-torn region and in refugee camps. It was the efforts of several clowns working and providing laughter and joy as a form of humanitarian aid that started the Clowns Without Borders organization. Founder Moshe C0hen was one of those early pioneers working with founder Tortell Poltrona in the region. Moshe was so inspired that he founded the USA chapter of Clowns Without Borders. Read more about our history.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

A part of Serbia’s story is connected to the modern history of the region known as the Balkans. Much of the Balkans was formerly called Yugoslavia, a nation that no longer exists. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was created after the end of WWI and was formed with sections of land that had belonged to the Austrian-Hungarian empire and the Ottoman empire, both of which ended at the conclusion of WWI. The Serbian royal house controlled the new nation, which also comprised the  Slovenes and Croats, who were now joined together under a new set of borders. In 1946 the country changed to a communist government and was renamed the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia. During this era, more territories were added to Yugoslavia so that eventually it included: Bosnia and Herzgovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Serbia. Yugoslavia was controlled by the most powerful person in the country, Josip Broz Tito.

After his death in 1980, ethnic tensions grew leading to the breakup of the nation. Ethnic clashes and economic and political turmoil lead to the Bosnian War. The conflict was between ethnic groups and lead to horrible acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing committed by groups of Serbians against Muslims. The children in this part of the world suffered the worst forms of cruelty, terror, and fear. Clowns Without Borders responded by visiting families and children throughout the war-torn region and in refugee camps. It was the efforts of several clowns working and providing laughter and joy as a form of humanitarian aid that started the Clowns Without Borders organization. Founder Moshe C0hen was one of those early pioneers working with founder Tortell Poltrona in the region. Moshe was so inspired that he founded the USA chapter of Clowns Without Borders. Read more about our history.