What?
This is a very early stage of planning. We hope to take a circus over and to run circus skills workshops for the kids, but of course a lot depends on the practicalities. Some of us will travel straight to Iraq and others will travel overland. If possible we may stop in towns and cities along the way to spread information.
Why?
During the war, one of the most powerful things was playfulness when the bombs were falling - a birthday party, a football game, singing, blowing bubbles.
There was a four year old boy called Mohammed who was hurt in the bombing of the farmhouse at Diyala, near Baghdad. A lad called Shane from the US sat down next to his bed the day after it happened and drew pictures and blew bubbles. When Mohammed put out his hand and popped the bubble, he smiled for the first time since the bomb destroyed his home and killed his sister and his aunt. It was inspiring to see that healing and peace making were still possible between two boys from countries that were ostensibly enemies.
People are traumatised, tired and worn down by years of war and sanctions and are still without many basic necessities, despite the obligations of the occupying powers to provide humanitarian items. We're not aid workers and, in any case, Iraq is a wealthy country which doesn't need charity. We think the best thing we can do is bring a bit of colour, a bit of normality, a bit of playfulness and make people smile.
When?
We plan to leave the UK for Iraq in January 2004.
Who?
We're a group of activists and performers. One of us was in Iraq during the bombing as a humanitarian observer. Some of us have been involved with taking circuses or other performances to Bosnia, Serbia and East Timor. Several of us have done international solidarity work all over the world.
How you can help
Fundraising is our big project at the moment, along with working out the practicalities. We'll have someone in Iraq from October getting things together from that end. In the meantime we're working out how much it will cost to get everything over.
Anyone with skills, experience, donations or ideas to offer is welcome to get in touch. Please be sure to include the word 'Circus' in the subject line.
fisheye@circus2iraq.org
jo@circus2iraq.org
This is a very early stage of planning. We hope to take a circus over and to run circus skills workshops for the kids, but of course a lot depends on the practicalities. Some of us will travel straight to Iraq and others will travel overland. If possible we may stop in towns and cities along the way to spread information.
Why?
During the war, one of the most powerful things was playfulness when the bombs were falling - a birthday party, a football game, singing, blowing bubbles.
There was a four year old boy called Mohammed who was hurt in the bombing of the farmhouse at Diyala, near Baghdad. A lad called Shane from the US sat down next to his bed the day after it happened and drew pictures and blew bubbles. When Mohammed put out his hand and popped the bubble, he smiled for the first time since the bomb destroyed his home and killed his sister and his aunt. It was inspiring to see that healing and peace making were still possible between two boys from countries that were ostensibly enemies.
People are traumatised, tired and worn down by years of war and sanctions and are still without many basic necessities, despite the obligations of the occupying powers to provide humanitarian items. We're not aid workers and, in any case, Iraq is a wealthy country which doesn't need charity. We think the best thing we can do is bring a bit of colour, a bit of normality, a bit of playfulness and make people smile.
When?
We plan to leave the UK for Iraq in January 2004.
Who?
We're a group of activists and performers. One of us was in Iraq during the bombing as a humanitarian observer. Some of us have been involved with taking circuses or other performances to Bosnia, Serbia and East Timor. Several of us have done international solidarity work all over the world.
How you can help
Fundraising is our big project at the moment, along with working out the practicalities. We'll have someone in Iraq from October getting things together from that end. In the meantime we're working out how much it will cost to get everything over.
Anyone with skills, experience, donations or ideas to offer is welcome to get in touch. Please be sure to include the word 'Circus' in the subject line.
fisheye@circus2iraq.org jo@circus2iraq.org 
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