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Clowns Without Frontiers
Clowns Without Frontiers
| 20 December 2010
The French Alliance has invited the Clowns Without Frontiers in December 2010.
Clowns Without Frontiers is an international association, working as a federation of independent national organizations. The French section, Clowns sans frontières, dates from the early 1990's : following his meeting with the Spanish clown Totell Poltrona, Antonin Maurel creates the association in France in 1993, supported by professional volunteering artists and strong NGOs. With the purpose of promoting humor and laughter among communities living in crises (wars, occupation, starvation, epidemics...), this association fleetingly gathers acrobats, clowns, actors, dancers and musicians to spread a strong message of support and peace to those populations (the action is uppermost aimed at children). Because humanitarian aid and material support do are necessary, but are not always enough to pacify moral suffering.
On a three weeks mission in Pondicherry, Clowns sans frontières got involved among children (orphans and disabled children particularly) in Notre Dame des Anges, Cluny hospital, Mother Theresa Convent, Alliance Française, and in NGO's such as Volontariat. The team also intervened in nearby villages among Dalit and Gypsy communities.
We met Dauriane Moretus and Achil, two volunteers of Clowns sans frontières, in mission on Pondicherry.
First, can you tell us a little more about Clowns Without Frontiers' action and philosophy?
Clowns without borders is an organisation aiming at creating shows with professional artists in countries going through delicate situations (disasters, wars...). In general, we do not arrive in first help : first, medical help is coming. Then, Clowns without borders can act. The first time we came to India was just after the tsunami [2006]; we didn't come directly after the disaster, because first there was a huge bunch of material things to do. Doctors without borders actually called us when
they left, asking us to intervene in fishermen villages, because people were really getting demoralized there.
Clowns without borders has no political or religious aim. The only purpose is to promote laughter, to give to children a time when they can forget, dream, escape in their own imagination.
So you are mainly working with « weakened » children?
Yes, totally. Here in Tamil Nadu, we worked in slums, hospitals, orphanages, leper centers... Two days ago, we also went into villages and met dalit communities.
We are trying to reach children who generally do not have the possibility to be at a show. We went in several centers around Chennai where children actually never go out of the center : they go to school there, eat there, live there until being eighteen... So making a show there is important, children can get some fresh air... And for us, the best reward we can get is just watching them -but also adults working around them such as teachers or nurses- with a big smile on their face!
The show is in English?
The show does not have any specific language, this is very much visual, burlesque comic. And, in this regard, we have to say that humor is quite universal, children here would laugh at the same kind of jokes than in Paris : bad faith, stupidity, clumsiness, love stories... all of those things work perfectly!
We sometimes try to put a few words in Tamil, to have a few short sentences translated... and other words will be in English. But as we work with two Indian actors who have been integrated to the team, they can also connect with the children.
How do you comprehend your action in India? Is the three-weeks mission sufficient?
Three weeks is short. But we are trying to work on a long-term scale. The idea -and what we are trying to develop now- is to start with a large team of volunteers coming, for example in India, then to meet people here and, little by little, managing to have fewer and fewer French volunteers and more and more Indian people taking over the work on a long-term and nonstop basis.
The ideal is to create an Indian Clowns without borders team that could reach autonomy, particularly regarding the research of partnership and donors; a team that would know where to go so as to get the funding and that could be, for sure, supported by Clowns without borders in France.
Finally, as every NGO, if we are achieving a good work, we are bound to disappear. We do not want to come here only for assistanship : the aim is that local people can reach autonomy and that we can leave and go another place where there is more need. Because the most complicated thing, in Clowns without borders, is to know when we can stop a mission in a country, from which moment we can leave...
And so, what about working in India? Is there anything specific here, did you meet any problems during the mission?
Problems? Yes, we have, every time! [laughter]. Working in India is a little complicated, but we are very professional, and very relaxed! We both come from street theater in France, this is very formative regarding the « unexpected »... that's not negligible here! Then, we are just trying to be able to adapt to local conditions. We are trying not to come with our preconceived westernized ideas : we know that we are in India, that the culture is different, that we have to improvise each time. We always have surprises.
Last September, we came here a first time to check out the places where we could perform a show, and sometimes when we came back afterwards, people would not remember us : we had to start again everything. Tonight, for example, we are performing at Notre Dame Church, we came here in September, they had chosen themselves the date and even the time when we were supposed to have the show; we went back there just yesterday and they could not remember anything!
In the same way, we had to perform in a school, the time was decided before. So we got ready, with the costumes and make up... Then, they arrived and told us that it would be better if we would start two hours later because some exams were not finished... so we waited for two hours, with melting make up!
Last year also, we tried to make Santhosha Nanban's children come... But as they are not very organized in terms of timing, they arrived at the end of the show! They thought that when we say 7 pm, it can also be 8 pm. So this year, we told them that if the show is said to be at 7 pm, it means that we do start at 7 pm.
This is the reason why the choice of the team before leaving in a mission is really important... This is a special mindset : you can not take people fearing climatic conditions, food, lack of sleep or lack of landmarks... The thing is not only to take great artists, but also people able to adapt, people who are humanely strong, who will hold on until the mission is over. You also need a good team spirit, because we are staying together 3 weeks nonstop, and most people don't know each other before. The conditions of living are not luxurious either.
Until the last minute, we are never sure of anything. But this is also what is interesting here, we would get bored too fast otherwise!
Clowns Without Frontiers is an international association, working as a federation of independent national organizations. The French section, Clowns sans frontières, dates from the early 1990's : following his meeting with the Spanish clown Totell Poltrona, Antonin Maurel creates the association in France in 1993, supported by professional volunteering artists and strong NGOs. With the purpose of promoting humor and laughter among communities living in crises (wars, occupation, starvation, epidemics...), this association fleetingly gathers acrobats, clowns, actors, dancers and musicians to spread a strong message of support and peace to those populations (the action is uppermost aimed at children). Because humanitarian aid and material support do are necessary, but are not always enough to pacify moral suffering.On a three weeks mission in Pondicherry, Clowns sans frontières got involved among children (orphans and disabled children particularly) in Notre Dame des Anges, Cluny hospital, Mother Theresa Convent, Alliance Française, and in NGO's such as Volontariat. The team also intervened in nearby villages among Dalit and Gypsy communities.
We met Dauriane Moretus and Achil, two volunteers of Clowns sans frontières, in mission on Pondicherry.
First, can you tell us a little more about Clowns Without Frontiers' action and philosophy?
Clowns without borders is an organisation aiming at creating shows with professional artists in countries going through delicate situations (disasters, wars...). In general, we do not arrive in first help : first, medical help is coming. Then, Clowns without borders can act. The first time we came to India was just after the tsunami [2006]; we didn't come directly after the disaster, because first there was a huge bunch of material things to do. Doctors without borders actually called us when
they left, asking us to intervene in fishermen villages, because people were really getting demoralized there.
Clowns without borders has no political or religious aim. The only purpose is to promote laughter, to give to children a time when they can forget, dream, escape in their own imagination.
So you are mainly working with « weakened » children?
Yes, totally. Here in Tamil Nadu, we worked in slums, hospitals, orphanages, leper centers... Two days ago, we also went into villages and met dalit communities.
We are trying to reach children who generally do not have the possibility to be at a show. We went in several centers around Chennai where children actually never go out of the center : they go to school there, eat there, live there until being eighteen... So making a show there is important, children can get some fresh air... And for us, the best reward we can get is just watching them -but also adults working around them such as teachers or nurses- with a big smile on their face!
The show is in English?
The show does not have any specific language, this is very much visual, burlesque comic. And, in this regard, we have to say that humor is quite universal, children here would laugh at the same kind of jokes than in Paris : bad faith, stupidity, clumsiness, love stories... all of those things work perfectly! We sometimes try to put a few words in Tamil, to have a few short sentences translated... and other words will be in English. But as we work with two Indian actors who have been integrated to the team, they can also connect with the children.
How do you comprehend your action in India? Is the three-weeks mission sufficient?
Three weeks is short. But we are trying to work on a long-term scale. The idea -and what we are trying to develop now- is to start with a large team of volunteers coming, for example in India, then to meet people here and, little by little, managing to have fewer and fewer French volunteers and more and more Indian people taking over the work on a long-term and nonstop basis.
The ideal is to create an Indian Clowns without borders team that could reach autonomy, particularly regarding the research of partnership and donors; a team that would know where to go so as to get the funding and that could be, for sure, supported by Clowns without borders in France.
Finally, as every NGO, if we are achieving a good work, we are bound to disappear. We do not want to come here only for assistanship : the aim is that local people can reach autonomy and that we can leave and go another place where there is more need. Because the most complicated thing, in Clowns without borders, is to know when we can stop a mission in a country, from which moment we can leave...
And so, what about working in India? Is there anything specific here, did you meet any problems during the mission?
Problems? Yes, we have, every time! [laughter]. Working in India is a little complicated, but we are very professional, and very relaxed! We both come from street theater in France, this is very formative regarding the « unexpected »... that's not negligible here! Then, we are just trying to be able to adapt to local conditions. We are trying not to come with our preconceived westernized ideas : we know that we are in India, that the culture is different, that we have to improvise each time. We always have surprises.
Last September, we came here a first time to check out the places where we could perform a show, and sometimes when we came back afterwards, people would not remember us : we had to start again everything. Tonight, for example, we are performing at Notre Dame Church, we came here in September, they had chosen themselves the date and even the time when we were supposed to have the show; we went back there just yesterday and they could not remember anything!
In the same way, we had to perform in a school, the time was decided before. So we got ready, with the costumes and make up... Then, they arrived and told us that it would be better if we would start two hours later because some exams were not finished... so we waited for two hours, with melting make up!
Last year also, we tried to make Santhosha Nanban's children come... But as they are not very organized in terms of timing, they arrived at the end of the show! They thought that when we say 7 pm, it can also be 8 pm. So this year, we told them that if the show is said to be at 7 pm, it means that we do start at 7 pm.
This is the reason why the choice of the team before leaving in a mission is really important... This is a special mindset : you can not take people fearing climatic conditions, food, lack of sleep or lack of landmarks... The thing is not only to take great artists, but also people able to adapt, people who are humanely strong, who will hold on until the mission is over. You also need a good team spirit, because we are staying together 3 weeks nonstop, and most people don't know each other before. The conditions of living are not luxurious either.
Until the last minute, we are never sure of anything. But this is also what is interesting here, we would get bored too fast otherwise!