- Title: ETHIOPIA: BACKGROUND FEATURE - CIRCUS ETHIOPIA
- Date: 20th May 1997
- Summary: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. CARS IN STREET 2. CRIPPLED BOY BEGGING FROM CARS 3. YOUNG SHOESHINE BOYS AT WORK 4. STREETKIDS IN CITY 5. INTERIOR OF CIRCUS 6. BOYS LEARNING ACROBATICS 7. BOY JUGGLING 8. VARIOUS OF TEENAGERS CIRCUS 9. CANADIAN TEACHER MARC LACHANCE WORKING WITH CHILDREN 10. LACHANCE SAYING WHAT I'M DOING NOW IS JUGGLING AND IT'S A SKILL I'VE HAD FOR YEARS AND I BASICALLY STARTED TO TEACH IT TO CHILDREN IN ETHIOPIA. I WAS WORKING AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ADDIS ABABA AND WORKING THERE WAS LIKE WORKING IN AN IVORY TOWER. AND I THOUGHT, LET ME GET OUT, LET ME DO SOMETHING OUTSIDE." (ENGLISH) 11. TEENAGERS TRAINING 12. GYMNASTIC TRAINER AWEKE EMIRU AT WORK 13. EMIRU SAYING THEY ARE COMING FROM ZERO AND THEY ARE GROWING UP WITH TALENT. IT'S AMAZING. BEFORE, THEY DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GYMNASTICS. AFTER THEY ARE STARTING GYMNASTICS THEY ARE GROWING VERY FAST. 14. GYMNASTS PRACTISING 15. EMIRU SPEAKING 16. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN AT CIRCUS SCHOOL 17. HOMELESS BOYS GATHERED OUTSIDE SCHOOL 18. HOMELESS YOUTH EFIREME TSAFE SAYING CIRCUS ETHIOPIA HAS CHANGED MY HABITS. SINCE I'VE BEEN COMING, I'VE STARTED TO WASH MY CLOTHES AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO SMOKE AND PICK POCKETS. 19. GROUP OF HOMELESS YOUTH 20. BOYS WASHING 21. LACHANCE SAYING THE STREET KIDS, FOR WHATEVER REASON THEY COME ON THE STREETS ARE LIVING THERE. THIS IS WHERE THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEM IS. THIS IS WHERE THEIR FRIENDS ARE THIER PROTECTION. WHAT WE'D LIKE TO START ON THE STREET HERE IS BUSKING, STREET PERFORMING, TO EARN A LIVING. (ENGLISH) 22. CIRCUS STUDENTS PERFORMING FOR CROWD 23. VARIOUS OF CROWD AND CHILDREN PERFORMING 24. CROWD APPLAUDING 25. BOY SAYING "I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I'D LIKE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE IT TOO. I'M GOING HOME AND TELL MY PARENTS I'D LIKE TO JOIN THE CIRCUS." 26. BOY SAYING I WATCH IT OFTEN. IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY. WHEN I GO BACK TO MY VILLAGE I TRY TO DO ALL THE THINGS I'VE SEEN THEM DO." 27. GYMNASTS AND ACROBATS PERFORMING 28. EMIRU SAYING MY HOPE IS CIRCUS ETHIOPIA KIDS TO REPRESENT ETHIOPIA BY CULTURE, BY TALENT, ALL OVER AFRICA AND EUROPE - TO REPRESENT LIKE AMBASSADORS OF ETHIOPIA. 29. TEENAGER SKIPPING AND TUMBLING OVER BURNING ROPE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 4th June 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
- City:
- Country: AFRICA Ethiopia
- Reuters ID: LVACRZCES70G91XERTUGVXKQXS3M
- Story Text: INTRO:Across the world a growing number of children are trying to survive on the street. Often their tales are horrific.
Many have been abandoned; others have suffered dreadful abuse.
But in Ethiopia, two men are doing something to help the street kids. Reuters Television's Gulnaar Bradbury reports.
------------------------------------------------------------ A CRIPPLED CHILD BEGGING ON THE STREETS OF THE ETHIOPIAN CAPITAL, ADDIS ABABA.
AND BOYS - WHO SHOUOLD BE AT SCHOOL - EKING OUT A MEGRE LIVING SHINING SHOES.
THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN LIVING ON THE STREETS OF ETHIOPIA'S TOWNS AND CITIES HAS RISEN DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST DECADE.
NOW A UNIQUE SCHEME IS ATTEMPTING TO SOMERSAULT THEM OUT OF THEIR BLEAK EXISTENCE AND AND INTO A COLOURFUL NEW LIFE. IT'S CALLED CIRCUS ETHIOPIA.
CIRCUS ETHIOPIA'S BRIEF GOES FAR BEYOND HELPING JUST STREET CHILDREN.
BY TEACHING JUGGLING, ACROBATIC AND DRAMATIC SKILLS, IT AIMS TO BOOST THE POTENTIAL OF ETHIOPIAN CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE.
THE PROJECT WAS FOUNDED IN 1991 BY MARC LACHANCE, A CANADIAN TEACHER.
--------------- CAPTION: MARC LACHANCE, FOUNDER, CIRCUS ETHIOPIA "WHAT I'M DOING NOW IS JUGGLING AND IT'S A SKILL I'VE HAD FOR YEARS AND I BASICALLY STARTED TO TEACH IT TO CHILDREN IN ETHIOPIA. I WAS WORKING AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ADDIS ABABA AND WORKING THERE WAS LIKE WORKING IN AN IVORY TOWER. AND I THOUGHT, LET ME GET OUT, LET ME DO SOMETHING OUTSIDE." (ENGLISH) ---------------------- NEWS OF MARC'S JUGGLING CLASSES REACHED THE EARS OF AWEKE EMIRU, A GYMNASTIC TRAINER WITH DREAMS OF SETTING UP AN ACROBATIC TROUPE.
THE TWO MEN GOT TOGETHER AND CIRCUS ETHIOPIA WAS BORN.
AWEKE HAS BEEN STUNNED BY THE TALENT OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE HE'S SEEN SINCE THE START OF THE PROJECT.
--------------------- CAPTION: AWEKE EMIRU, CO-DIRECTOR, CIRCUS ETHIOPIA "THEY ARE COMING FORM ZERO AND THEY ARE GROWING UP WITH TALENT.
IT'S AMAZING. BEFORE, THEY DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GYMNASTICS.
AFTER THEY ARE STARTING GYMNASTICS THEY ARE GROWING VERY FAST." ---------------------- THERE ARE NOW FOUR CIRCUS ETHIOPIA GROUPS - IN ADDIS, JIMMA, NAZARETH AND MEKELE - WITH OVER 400 MEMBERS.
THE CIRCUS SCHOOL IS OPEN TO CHILDREN BETWEEN EIGHT AND THIRTEEN.
IT COMPLEMENTS THE EDUCATION THEY RECEIVE AT THEIR REGULAR ACADEMIC SCHOOLS.
THREE TIMES A WEEK, AROUND 40 HOMELESS BOYS COME TO THE CIRCUS SCHOOL TO TRAIN.
------------------ CAPTION: EFIREME TSAFE, HOMELESS BOY "CIRCUS ETHIOPIA HAS CHANGED MY HABITS. SINCE I'VE BEEN COMING, I'VE STARTED TO WASH MY CLOTHES AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO SMOKE AND PICK POCKETS." ------------------ THE AIM IS NOT TO TAKE BOYS OFF THE STREETS - A GOAL CONSIDERED UNREALISTIC - BUT TO GIVE THEM SKILLS TO ENABLE THEM TO SURVIVE THERE WITHOUT BEGGING OR RESORTING TO CRIME.
------------------- CAPTION: MARC LACHANCE "THE STREET KIDS, FOR WHATEVER REASON THEY COME ON THE STREETS ARE LIVING THERE. THIS IS WHERE THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEM IS. THIS IS WHERE THEIR FRIENDS ARE, THIER PROTECTION. WHAT WE'D LIKE TO START ON THE STREET HERE IS BUSKING, STREET PERFORMING, TO EARN A LIVING." ------------------- EACH OF THE FOUR CIRCUS ETHIOPIA GROUPS PUTS ON AT LEAST ONE SHOW A WEEK.
ADMISSION IS FREE IN ORDER TO ATTRACT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY TO GO TO THE THEATRE.
IN CIRCUS ETHIOPIA'S EARLY DAYS THESE SHOWS DREW A FEW HUNDRED NEIGHBOURHOOD CHILDREN.
TODAY THEY SOMETIMES PERFORM IN HUGE STADIUMS WITH AUDIENCES IN THIER THOUSANDS.
CIRCUS ETHIOPIA IS FUNDED BY UNICEF, THE RED CROSS, OXFAM, THE SWEDISH BRANCH OF SAVE THE CHILDREN AND CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.
INCLUDED IN EVERY PERFORMANCE ARE PLAYS CONVEYING EDUCATIONAL MESSAGES ABOUT HEALTH AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
IN THIS DRAMA, A GIRL WHO'S BEEN UNFAITHFUL TO HER BOYFRIEND HAS DISCOVERED THAT BOTH SHE AND HE HAVE CONTRACTED AIDS.
TWELVE YEAR OLD GROUME BEKELE IS ONE OF ETHIOPIA'S SUCCESS sTORY.
A FORMER STREET BOY, HE'S NOW ONE OF THE REGULAR CIRCUS PERFORMERS.
-------------- CAPTION: GROUME BEKELE, FORMER STREET KID "WHEN I WAS ON THE STREET I HAD A PROBLEM WITH FOOD AND CLOTHING - I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING. BUT SINCE I STARTED COMING TO CIRCUS ETHIOPIA I HAVE SHOES, I HAVE CLOTHES. I CAN GO OUT WITH MY FRIENDS SO I'M VERY HAPPY." ------------------- WHEREVER THEY PERFORM, CIRCUS ETHIOPIA ENTERTAINS AND INSPIRES AUDIENCES.
--------------------- VOXPOPS: "I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I'D LIKE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE IT TOO. I'M GOING HOME AND TELL MY PARENTS I'D LIKE TO JOIN THE CIRCUS." "I WATCH IT OFTEN. IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY. WHEN I GO BACK TO MY VILLAGE I TRY TO DO ALL THE THINGS I'VE SEEN THEM DO." ------------------------- CIRCUS ETHIOPIA'S APPEAL IS SPREADING WELL BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE COUNTRY. THE PERFORMING GROUP HAVE RECENTLY RETURNED FROM A SERIES OF SHOWS IN GERMANY AND WILL BE TOURING EUROPE AGAIN LATER THIS YEAR.
DURING 1998 AND 9 THEY HOPE TO TAKE THE CIRCUS TO THE AMERICAS, AUSTRALIA AND THE FAR EAST.
------------------------- CAPTION: AWEKE EMIRU, CO-DIRECTOR, CIRCUS ETHIOPIA "MY HOPE IS CIRCUS ETHIOPIA KIDS TO REPRESENT ETHIOPIA BY CULTURE, BY TALENT, ALL OVER AFRICA AND EUROPE - TO REPRESENT LIKE AMBASSADORS OF ETHIOPIA." ------------------------- IT LOOKS LIKE A DREAM THAT WILL SOON BE REALISED.
note narration at 10.10.49 to 10.15.25
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