Clowns Without Borders (CWB) harnesses the power of humor to bring people together, especially in challenging environments. 

Our recent tour in Egypt exemplifies this mission perfectly and demonstrates how laughter can be a catalyst for both social cohesion and environmental awareness.

The journey began with a collaboration between CWB Artist in Residence Hannah Gaff and a talented Egyptian team, including Nelly Abd-El Maksoud, Saly Ahmed, Sami Gomaa, Tarek Ahmed, and Diaa Eldin Rayad, under the guidance of Project Manager Ahmed Moussa.

Then the Garbage Monster showed up…

Project Summary: A Creative Collaboration

CWB-USA partnered with Vassar College and Dawar Arts Egypt for the groundbreaking Theatre for Climate Justice Project to address the intersecting crises of climate change and forced displacement in Egypt.

By leveraging the power of theatre and puppetry, the team aimed to support the work of vulnerable communities, particularly refugees and asylum seekers, while addressing environmental concerns.

Through interactive workshops and captivating performances, the team explored the challenges posed by climate change, including sea-level rise, pollution, and resource scarcity. These issues disproportionately affect forcibly displaced populations who often live in overcrowded and precarious conditions. 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation generously supported the project through the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement, and Education (CFMDE).

Now let’s explore how play and laughter are potent tools for building community, fostering creativity, and addressing pressing global challenges.

Defeating the Garbage Monster

The team developed a captivating one-hour play centered on the pressing issue of pollution in the Nile River.

A central character in the play was the formidable “Garbage Monster,” a symbol of the environmental challenges facing Cairo. 

Kids with refugee or asylum seeker status from Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen helped defeat the play’s Garbage Monster that was destroying their villages.

Artist Diaa Eldin Rayad shared that, “Interacting with children is one of the most enjoyable moments for me. One child told me, 

When we came to the end of the show, he collected the plastic bottles by himself without being asked to do so.

By engaging children, particularly those with refugee or asylum-seeker backgrounds, in confronting this monstrous foe, the team encouraged a sense of agency and empowerment.

And when you defeat the Garbage Monster, you, of course, need a dance party to celebrate your victory…

He Found His Voice Through Play

Workshops hosted by the team lead children to transform everyday trash into vibrant puppets of fish, crocodiles, and cobras.

The act of upcycling empowered children to become active participants in environmental conservation. This creative approach sparked imagination and ignited a sense of responsibility for action.

One particularly heartwarming story emerged from the workshops. 

Children’s voices, too frequently silenced by adversity, found expression through play and creativity through the Theatre for Climate Justice Project.

Tarek Ahmed recalls another moment when a child practiced agency and self-expression: 

“A girl decided to make the tail in her own way. After suggestions from me about how to make the tail, she told me, ‘Hmmmm…, I will draw it.’” 

Nelly Abd-El Maksoud shared how a child’s passionate creativity inspired her own creativity:

“Today there was a little girl who made the crocodile puppet. And for the first time, I experienced the feeling that someone was fully aware that she was doing something beautiful. This is a new feeling for me. She kept putting in a lot of details of her own, and I kept cutting her pieces and doing anything she wanted. She was very passionate about the puppet and had a great interest in it. She made me feel it was possible to turn the simplest things into beautiful things.”

These events highlight the transformative power of play in unlocking children’s potential and fostering self-expression.

Laughter Unleashed in Egypt

Hannah Gaff, our artist-in-residence, observed firsthand the transformative power of play. She recalls, 

“In the beginning of the workshop, two kids said they didn’t think they could make the puppets (made of plastic and garbage found on the street) and by the end they were so proud of the puppets they made, showing them off to everyone.”

And,

A newfound confidence was palpable as they brought their puppets to life, imaginations soaring.

Diaa Eldin Rayad, a member of the Egyptian team, also witnessed the magic of play unfold. He shared, “The children played with us while laughing. A 6-year-old-boy of Sudanese nationality told me, 

‘We will make a snake from a bag of chips. This is difficult!’”

Beyond the technical skill of puppet making, the children demonstrated a remarkable capacity for problem-solving and adaptation.

The workshop became a safe space where they could express themselves freely, build friendships, and develop a deeper understanding of one another.

By providing opportunities for imaginative play and collaborative creation, the team empowered children to overcome challenges, build resilience, and envision a brighter future.

Conclusion

The project brought together children from diverse backgrounds, such as Sudan and Eritrea, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding. 

The shared experience of creating, performing, and laughing helped bridge cultural divides and build a stronger community.

In our universe, imaginative play is a tool — a bridge for people experiencing displacement caused by conflict, political turbulence, economic struggle, and environmental crisis.

El Salvador, where people face multiple causes of displacement, found itself in the spotlight of a tour in November 2023.

Join us under the big top to learn how clown energy brought play, laughter, and relief to people in El Salvador.

Families Face Multiple Causes of Displacement in El Salvador

For decades, deadly gang violence has shaped life in El Salvador. To find safety, many young people left their homes and family members to migrate north. El Salvador has also become a destination for Venezuelans escaping dangerous political and economic conditions.

Even as deaths and migration continue, arbitrary arrests of men suspected of gang activity have added to the heartache.

You love to laugh — and you know how much laughter has helped you through difficult moments.

You can give the gift of laughter to a child in crisis every month with a donation of just $11 monthly.

For these reasons, CWB-USA planned a tour for November 2023.

No one anticipated that the stage was also set for another cause of displacement: Tropical Storm Pilar.

Navigating a Red Alert: Tropical Storm Pilar

Clowns Without Borders performances aren’t just fun, they’re strategic endeavors. 

When Tropical Storm Pilar hit, the red alert prompted even more caution than we’d already applied and anticipated.

Hundreds of people left their homes to seek safety from the storm.

Bringing laughter must never jeopardize people’s safety, both the journey to the performance and the gathering itself, nor inadvertently divert vital resources.

Fortunately, adapting to fresh traumas of already vulnerable groups isn’t a new dynamic for CWB. We’ve been here before. Just weeks before the El Salvador tour, we redirected a tour in Guatemala to assure audience safety during political protests.

After the storm subsided, CWB-USA artists were ready to bring the transformative power of laughter.

Sharing the Vibe: Clown Energy and Laughter

So what happened when our artists could safely gather children and families for clown shows in El Salvador?

Here are stories from the events:

Our first show was intimate, with only 32 people in attendance. All were migrant adults and children seeking refugee status and asylum.

There were lots of excited parents who were thankful to see their children so happy and taking part. A group of kids, 8 to 11 years old, said they’d, “never seen magic before.”

Aileen, 6 years old, volunteered to come on stage. With assistance, she made an egg appear out of thin air. When asked to throw the egg into a basket, she said she couldn’t do it.

CWB artists offered her space to leave the stage but also offered encouragement. She compromised by saying, “I’m going to throw it as well as I can.”

As the audience cheered her on, Aileen threw her egg.

She got it in the basket on the first try and left the stage with a huge smile on her face!

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At a school in the town of Santa Maria, Edwin, who’s 9 years old, asked where Josie was from. She said the US.

Josie asked Edwin if he had ever visited the US and he said, “No.” And added that he wasn’t able to get a visa.

Then she asked him if he’d ever seen a clown before. Edwin said, “Yes. But they weren’t as great as you and you made us laugh a lot more.”

In Panchimalco, a town that’s considered one of the most dangerous in the country, there was a special older participant named Marcerito. On stage, she shared her huge smile and youthful energy. Audience and artists alike delighted in her joy.

Clown Energy for the Back Pocket: A Special Abracadabra

You know the word “abracadabra” makes magic happen. But the clown energy on this tour intended for people to recognize the ever-present source of magic within themselves.

During each show, the audience shouted, “Mi vida es magica!” (“My life is magic.”) to conjure enchantment.

After the show, audience members would approach artists and repeat the phrase, “Mi vida es magica.” It became the anthem of the tour.

Now it’s your turn! Say it with us: “Mi vida es magica.” “Mi vida es magica!”

Jed Doherty, a CWB artist who performed in El Salvador, shares a story of a child who made the magic his own:

Conclusion

CWB-USA holds clown energy for crowd after crowd after crowd, making laughter happen amid complex realities of displacement.

Our El Salvador tour was planned in collaboration with our local partner ACNUR and Tour Leader Ricardo Bamaca (Guatemala) and featured artists Josie Mae (United States), Jed Doherty (United States), and Val Juarez (El Salvador).

Check out this Instagram reel from the El Salvador tour:

You Can Help CWB Plan the Next Tour

A gift to CWB-USA is a gift of laughter to children and families who are experiencing crisis. The laughter becomes a moment of shared joy by which children and community members build resilience.

Will you join us in spreading joy and laughter?

But that’s exactly what happened for many of the 540 people who attended one of 13 CWB shows in Romania, November 2022.

When our Romanian partner, Terres Des Hommes, described their challenge to meet refugee children’s needs for play, CWB-USA and CWB-UK came together to produce a tour that blurred the line between performer and audience.

The result? Sometimes the entire audience was on stage!

A Line Ukrainian Refugee Children Actually Want to Join

Adult Ukrainian refugees wait in a lot of lines (read: dull, impersonal) to receive goods and services they need — and their children are often right next to them. Every hour spent in a long line is an hour not spent at play.

Our Romanian partner, Terres Des Hommes, works hard to create fun and personal experiences for refugee children in Romania that “guarantee inclusion and participation.”

Of course, we’re tickled they asked our clowns to come.

The Romania tour consisted of a series of shows with small audience numbers. Some shows had over 40 audience members, others had as few as 11. Our artists, Robin Lara, Arturo Gaskins, Vicky Moraru, and Alexandra Gavris, seized the opportunity to create personal connections.

For example, Vicky shares that there was a moment of dancing with the moms. “It was like each of us had become Beyoncé.” Instead of sitting quietly, each mom was strutting her stuff and shaking and laughing and taking a moment to be a queen.

The following photos were taken by photographer John Rudoff in Bucharest and Brasov Romania, where CWB artists connected with Ukrainian refugees.

At one show, a girl of about 10 hugged me and climbed me as if I were a tree. I could feel how much she missed her papa.

– Arturo Gaskins

Two girls helped me disassemble the cyr wheel with so much love. They had such a desire to help in their every action.

– Arturo Gaskins

The kids loved that we involved them in the actual show. Their expectation was that it would be them sitting there the whole time like a movie. It was a fun surprise that we interacted with them.

– Robin Lara

A boy told me that his favorite moment of the show was from the beginning to the end.

– Alexandra Gavris

Some girls said to me:

“Can you stay with us a little longer? We want to play hide and seek.”

– Alexandra Gavris

Ukrainian refugee audiences in Romania experienced 13 engaging shows and one workshop produced and performed by CWB artists Robin Lara (United States), Arturo Gaskins (United States), Vicky Moraru (United Kingdom), and Alexandra Gavris (United Kingdom).

Our partner was Terres Des Hommes and Clowns Without Borders UK. John Rudoff was our photographer.

Want to see more fun photos from the tour? Check out the montage below!

But that’s actually not the goal.

The goal of a CWB clown show is to offer moments of laughter.

This Smile Roundup post showcases moments of laughter experienced by communities of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, where CWB toured this past October.

Dig in to get a big dose of warm fuzzies while gaining insight into the value of a moment of laughter.

We’ll start with the story of Anya, a 9-year-old girl who came to a CWB show in Poland.

When Bombs Fell, Ukrainian Kids Became Refugees

The day before Russia invaded Ukraine, Anya* was going to school, playing with her friends, and living without fear.

When the bombing started, everything changed in Anya’s world. She had to leave home with her family to seek safety. But her father couldn’t go with them because of the federal policy that all men aged 18-60 had to remain in Ukraine.

* Anya’s real name is not used here.

In Poland, Anya misses the normalcy of her life in Ukraine.

She has made new friends, but her mom knows the stress of war and displacement has been as difficult for her as it’s been for the rest of the family.

It’s hard for the family to relax. It feels like a heavy cloud is hanging over them.

At the Ukrainian Refugee Center, Mouths Dropped and Eyes Grew Wide

Anya lit up when the clowns came to her resettlement center. She was engaged throughout the show — so much so that the clowns knew right away that they’d invite her on stage.

The clown’s instincts were spot-on. Anya was an energetic and joyful performer. She leapt into the air, spun in circles, and played with the clowns.

Anya got to be the star of the show. She said, “I am so happy. I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.”

Anya’s moment of joy is now a memory she can look back on as a time when she celebrated life amid the challenges of displacement. This will help her build resilience so that she can keep going — until she’s able to return home.

What’s the value of a moment of laughter in your life? 

Does laughter elevate your mood and lead to more positive experiences?

Do you seek moments of laughter during your day?

Science tells us that laughter has a ripple effect on our physical and mental health. We even wrote a blog post about the power of laughter.

Photographer John Rudoff took the following photos in a school for Ukrainian children living in Poland.

I can’t believe you all came here for us. I feel I am important and that my kids are important because there was an effort made to make a connection.

– Ukrainian refugee, mother of two

These children have the right to freedom and the right to laugh. They don’t have any fault for the political situation in their country.

– Alex Pizano

Everyone in a family needs healing. Everyone needs a moment of rest — not thinking about why they’re displaced.

– Olivia Sblendorio

Everyone in a family needs healing. Everyone needs a moment of rest — not thinking about why they’re displaced.

– Olivia Sblendorio

Ukrainian refugee audiences in Warsaw, Lublin, and surrounding towns experienced 16 magical shows (that’s 1305 people in attendance!) produced and performed by CWB artists Olivia Sblendorio (United States), Alex Pizano (Mexico), and Moi de Tiana (Spain).

Our partner was Payasos Sin Fronteras Spain. Asia Reczek managed logistics, Olga Szczudlarka provided translation services, and John Rudoff was our photographer.

Here’s a quick video that will add some sunshine to your day!

It’s important to remember that global crises of inequity continue, and worsen, amid the pandemic. Clowns Without Borders International wrote in its statement regarding the human rights catastrophe along EU borders:

“As COVID-19 sweeps the globe, all of us are in search of safety for ourselves and our loved ones. Meanwhile, on the borders of Europe, many people are also in desperate need of safety from war and persecution. How much more difficult is their plight now, in the face of the current global pandemic?”

This statement applies to migrant and refugee crises around the world, not just at the EU border. Displaced people often lack access to basic material resources, face discrimination, and are denied human rights, like clean water, health care, or the ability to travel. How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting some of the most vulnerable people on the planet?

Exposing Weaknesses

According to the UNHCR, over eighty percent of the world’s refugees and almost all internally displaced people (IDP) are hosted in low- or middle-income countries where resources are scarce. If it wasn’t already clear, this pandemic reveals our global community to be as healthy as the sickest person among us and as safe as the most vulnerable. Refugees and migrants often live in crowded conditions where social distancing is impossible, and medical facilities are ill-equipped. The UNHCR has rushed to provide emergency medical equipment and expertise, but it’s a bandaid for a larger wound.

Prevention and Inclusion

The majority of refugees are hosted in countries with weak or inadequate health systems. Stopping the spread of COVID-19 is imperative, and it becomes even more so when few treatment options exist. The UNHCR is using a multisectoral response, which coordinates access to water, sanitation and hygiene, housing, medical care, and more, to support refugee communities and refugee-hosting nations. The agency is also working to stockpile supplies, identify outbreak response teams, and monitor misinformation.

Displaced people experience discrimination and xenophobia, and may even be denied a nationality. Now, fear, a sense of helplessness, and media rhetoric may impact pubic opinion about who “deserves” access to medical care. A coordinated COVID-19 response will not leave anyone behind, no matter their legal status or nationality. A highly contagious disease can only be controlled if everyone is included in prevention and education, and everyone has access to equitable treatment.

Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, write:

“Panic and discrimination never solved a crisis. Political leaders must take the lead, earning trust through transparent and timely information, working together for the common good, and empowering people to participate in protecting health.

Ceding space to rumour, fear mongering and hysteria will not only hamper the response but may have broader implications for human rights, the functioning of accountable, democratic institutions.”

Unity

Whether a someone is confined to a camp or fully integrated into a new community—or something in between—refugees and displaced people are vital members of society. They are teachers, farmers, care-givers, artists, engineers and more, and they are working tirelessly to subdue the COVID-19 pandemic:

• The UNHCR has maintained a list of positive stories, highlighting the ways displaced people and their supporters have come together during this crisis.
• Refugees in the medical field are pushing through fear to serve their home and neighbors.
• Even when resources are scarce, members of refugee camps find ways to care for one another.

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 and emotionally because in many ways it is both an art and sport.

You might not immediately think of clowns at athletes, but traditionally circus clowns would often perform alongside the acrobats in the troupe, executing some of the same skills but with a unique twist that only a clown can bring. Clowning is a very physical form of theatre and requires a high level of physical dexterity, awareness, and control. Additionally, the long hours and fast-paced schedule of a clowning career (particularly in the circus), require stamina and strength. Modern clown training is easily comparable to physical theatre or modern dance, both practices that utilize body movement to tell a story or convey a mood, and may even use similar exercises, games, and movement-improvisational work. The parallels between clown and dance have not gone unnoticed. Charlie Chaplin was once called “the greatest ballet dancer that ever lived” when he received his honorary Oscar. The ability to communicate a story with one’s body requires nuanced control of your body and facial muscles. Physical awareness and expressiveness take time, sweat, and practice. For some, that can mean a rigorous regiment of daily training to gain strength and physical ability. Famous Russian ballet dancer, Mikhail Baryshnikov once said, “Get used to pain. It’s part of a dancer’s life.”

One way that clowning differs from most dance is what Clown Theorist Jacques LeCoq called “the flop” or the moment the clown fails. If the clown is attempting an acrobatic stunt or a beautifully executed dance move, the flop often constitutes a fall or intentional use of incorrect form to complete an intricate or dangerous physical task. Falling and failing are fundamental parts of clowning, and although they appear to be chaos, they are approached very carefully. Just as in the principles of stage combat or stunt work, when falling, it is important to be in total control before you can safely appear to be out of control. Falling can take practice and time to perfect. A long day of falling is sure to leave a clown-in-training tired and sporting a new bruise or two.

In an era of more subtle, theatrical clowning gaining in prominence, not all clown routines are equally physically performative and taxing. However, clowning also takes a high level of emotional energy. Many teachers continue to develop LeCoq’s clown theories of finding each performer’s personal clown, following creative impulse, and staying strongly connected to an audience using the partial mask of a clown nose to both hide and reveal the performer who wears it. This methodology can leave the performer feeling very personally vulnerable, meanwhile staying connected to the audience can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. Many training programs emphasize honesty in clowning. Even when the clowning experience is not traumatic, being a proxy for a whole audience and honestly, openly, and physically expressing one’s experience can be exhausting.

At the end of a long day, a clown-in-training may feel like they have run a marathon, fallen off a chair, and attended a particularly moving therapy session. Though this may be exhausting, the feeling of using your whole body and emotional range, particularly when it is working towards the goal of laughter and joy, is particularly satisfying.

It is the personal satisfaction, sense of accomplishment, and cathartic release of emotion that are hallmarks of the workshops facilitated by Clowns Without Borders performers. Whether you are attending a workshop like “Find Your Funny” at the Omega Institute in New York, or are a refugee living in a refugee camp for the indefinite long-term, the workshop principles remain the same. People are encouraged to learn new physical skills. They are encouraged to build community with others through simple moments of joy that build into exuberant laughter. It’s like remembering a great secret you once forgot: That people can and do stay connected when bonds are formed in laughter.