In the American circus, “first of May” refers to someone who is in their first season with the circus. In that spirit, we interviewed three artists about their respective first CWB – USA tour. This is the second in a four-part … Continue reading
Tag: refugees
First of May Part 1: Dustin Allen, Melissa Aston, and Ania Upstill
CWB – USA Executive Director Naomi Shafer interviewed Dustin Allen, Melissa Aston, and Ania Upstill on May 1 2020. In American circus, “First of May” is a nickname for somebody who is in the circus for the first time. These … Continue reading
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts Refugees
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt and upended people’s sense of security. The unknown, and all its associated stress and fear, has become the new normal. It’s important to remember that global crises of inequity continue, and … Continue reading
Bonding over Bubbles
November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the first day of our current tour in Haiti. Clowns Without Borders’ primary audience is children, but we also perform for their adult caregivers. The UN … Continue reading
In Response to Bruce Bawer’s article, “Improving Muslim Integration, Sending in the Clowns.”
On July 19th, 2017, Frontpage Mag published an article by Bruce Bawer entitled, “Improving Muslim Integration, Sending in the Clowns.” In it, the author shares his opinion about the Swedish Migration Board financially supporting Clowner Utan Gränser, or CWB-Sweden. In … Continue reading
What’s All This Talk About the NEED for Laughter?
Manfred Max-Neef, a Chilean economist, postulates that across all cultures and societies, humans all have the same needs. And unlike Maslow, Max-Neef argues that these needs are not hierarchical, or in other words, the need for food is just as … Continue reading
Need Your Daily Exercise? Try Clowning.
By Guest Blogger and Performer, Molly Siskin There is no exhaustion like the one that comes at the end of a long day hard at work in clown training. Clowning has a particular way of exercising performers both physically … Continue reading
The Pictures We Don’t Take
On August 28th, 2011, Hurricane Irene hit my hometown in Vermont. The photographers arrived before the National Guard. As we walked with our neighbors to explore the damage—houses, roads, orchards disappeared by the river—strangers turned the town into a tourist … Continue reading
Look Away From Fear and Towards Education
By Molly Rose Levine As someone with friends and colleagues scattered around the world, the fallout of violence and disruption hits close to home, no matter where that happens to be: Juba; Beirut; Nice; Baghdad; Athens; Aleppo; Paris. After … Continue reading
New Education Program: Take Laughter With You
By Naomi Shafer What do Albany, NY, Dallas, TX, Burlington, VT, and Boise, ID all have in common? Craft Beer? Bears? Nope (well, maybe): Each is a designated Refugee Resettlement City. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is a … Continue reading
South Sudan Dares To Live
By Molly Rose Levine Yesterday was a sad day. I woke up to an email that I never want to get. Our partners in South Sudan letting us know that the situation in Juba has devolved violently. Our partners … Continue reading
Resilience through Laughter with Refugees
The global refugee crisis continues in 2016 and so does the response from Clowns Without Borders. We closely monitor the situation and hope for a peaceful resolution that addresses the problem at its core while compassionately respecting the lives of … Continue reading
