Circus school in Palestine? Yup! I read about the Palestinian Circus School on the blog ePalestine. The school, founded in 2006, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization registered with the Palestinian Authority since February 2007. In the their own words:
We believe a future Palestine is possible, with people who dream of a better life and invest positive energies in their society. The occupation is devastating our lives, as individuals and as a nation. Trust, unity, dignity, respect and hope are under threat. With our circus school, we want to develop the creative potential of young people in Palestine to engage them, empowering them to strengthen their identity, and enter into a constructive and positive dialogue with each other, in order to become positive actors in their society. We offer a safe space where people meet in equality and by working together we achieve the most meaningful result.
Our goal is to overcome the divisions within our society by working with everybody, everywhere. By bringing people together in our trainings and traveling all over the country with our shows, we challenge the multiple boundaries that have been imposed on us for far too long: political, geographical, economical, religious and gender.
They have circus clubs for boys and girls in the West Bank, in Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin. In October 2011, the school started new circus clubs for beginners in Bethlehem, Al Faraa Camp and Birzeit. The Palestinian Circus school also has a summer camp and entertains people with their mobile circus and street parades. What could be more healing for a people whose ethnic identity most often conjures the word 'occupation' or worse, 'terrorist'? Check out their web site, read about their mission, look over their photos and I think you too will be inspired - smiling.
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