Bamyan-MMCC
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In
the winter 2008 MMCC received a container full of amazing
equipments for our circus. The container itself was part of
the present, and has now been modified into a home for permanent
MMCC activities in Bamyan. In one part of the container we
have made an isolated sleeping room for MMCC’s Bamyan
staff, who have been trained in our center in Kabul for a
year. The other part is full of circus equipment, acrobatic
mattresses and plenty of other amazing things. Our goal is
that the Bamyan container will become a model for many more
Circus Homes in other provinces in the years to come. A model
for plenty of activities for thousands of children with a
relatively very low cost. The 16th of May we celebrated the
opening of Bamyan-MMCC with a big performance for more than
1,500 audiences. |
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The
modification of the container took place in MMCC’s
center in Kabul, and lasted literally until the container
was sent to Bamyan. The final night it was welded, painted
and packed until 3 am in the morning. At 5 am the crane
arrived and an hour later the container was on its way.
Late in the same evening, the container arrived in Bamyan. |
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The
container is now placed on a piece of land ideally located
right next to a big football stadium in the centre of
Bamyan city.
The
owners of the land have kindly borrowed us this unique
location for 5-6 months. This is a brilliant opportunity
for the circs to develop and promote itself in Bamyan.
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The
container is functioning as an open Circus Playground 24 hours
a day independent of when MMCC’s Bamyan staffs are present.
So
far it has a slide from the roof and a fixed stage that is
extended for larger events and performances. In the months
to come, more play structures will be added.
Already
in the same evening some curious kids discovered our slide
and started to enjoy climbing the container and playing with
it. Later small groups of girls and boys were playing with
it until the dark.
Children
of Bamyan themselves found a name for our Circus Play Ground
”Khane-e-Sarkas” which means Circus Home. A good
project in Afghanistan is a project not just accepted but
adopted and nourished by Afghans themselves. In this case
the children of Bamyan as well as the officials and adults
have all welcomed their Circus Home and would take a good
care of it.
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A
big number of our Kabul children are originally from
Bamyan. During the war they had to flee from Bamyan
but now many of them are gradually moving back to Bamyan.
After a few years as we saw that a number of our children
have already moved to relatively secure central region
of Bamyan we decided to bring their circus to them.
One
of the best Acrobatic boys of MMCC is Ahmad (his photo
is at the right bottom of this textbox). He joined MMCC
in 2003 and been progressing since then especially in
acrobatic. He performed in Europe in 2005 and Japan
in 2006 and now has moved to Bamyan from Kabul and is
coaching our Bamyan children in acrobatic.
Ahmad
will be back and front to Kabul for the big performances
and upgrading his skills and keeping the contact with
his circus friends in Kabul in his school holidays.
He is one of the stars of the acrobatic dream team which
is hopefully soon becoming the “Afghanistan’s
National Circus Team”.
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The
very first steps of the Bamyan-MMCC project was already taken
in spring 2006 by a circus workshop conducted for children
next to the ancient Buddha site.
In
February 2007 we organized an audition to find and train the
chosen candidates as the representatives, artists and instructors
in Bamyan. The 3 lucky ones out of the 80 who signed up in
the audition have been trained in Kabul center as well as
in the mobile activities in the provinces.
In
2007 a group of MMCC children and adult artist both girls
and boys made the first children festival in Bamyan.
In
last January 2008 in another audition our artists chose 14
children from Bamyan province and invited them to our center
in Kabul to participate in the winter program. The winter
program was a great opportunity for them to experience all
kinds of artistic and cultural activities with 300 other children.
After
the children went back home our Bamyan staff, who are now
fully trained, supported these children with their rehearsing
and practices. In the opening ceremony of the “Circus
Home” in Bamyan city 30 children artists from Kalu and
Shibar District of Bamyan as well as the Bamyan city all together
charmed and fascinated 1500 audience by their performance.
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Besides bringing a lot of joy and
fun to the children of Bamyan, this Khane-e-Sarkas is
hopefully going to become a pioneer model of many Circus
Homes for many other provinces.
First
of all we need to find the best way to organize the
activities with all the children. Many of the children
who were in Kablul in the winter are already teaching
and training the new ones. Less than a week after the
Circus Home came to Bamyan the children prepared and
made their premier performance in an orphanage in Bamyan.
MMCC’s main objective is to reach and serve as
many children as possible. In the next few months gradually
some special activities for the girls will be developed
and organized as well.
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Singing
and music is an essential part of all MMCC’s
activities. Now our songs in Bamyan sound a bit
different when these children with their sweet
Bamyan accent sing it. |
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days after arrival of the modified container in Bamyan a big
premier performance opened this Circus Home. Hamid with our
mobile team’s rented vehicle went all around the city
and with the loudspeakers announced the good news of the opening
ceremony. 1500 enthusiastic audience showed up.
The artist kids on the stage are the 14 kids
who came to Kabul for training in the winter plus all the
new ones who were motivated and trained by them from Kalu
and Shibar district.
The day before the grand premier we invited
all these kids from Kalu and Shibar to join in Bamyan for
rehearsing and preparation of this big event.
The second big event in Bamyan will be a full
week children festival in August with workshops and a lot
of fun for children of Bamyan province joined with Kabul children
artists.
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After
the performance, a representative from the Governor
House and the provincial Showra (Islamic Democratic
Provincial Forum) made a very encouraging positive speech
about the performance. She thanked MMCC and asked for
more activities of this kind.
To make sure that MMCC activities are adopted and followed
by Afghans themselves we always have a close corporation
and contact with schools, and officials as well as women
groups.
There is not many other organization working for children
in Bamyan unfortunately.
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The
Bamyan-MMCC project has so fare no general funding.
At the moment we are waiting for a response to our proposed
3-years-project from DANIDA. This project aims to develop
methods of introducing, promoting and expanding the
Circus Homes to the whole country. The initial start
up activities were sponsored by our German friends :
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