clownswithoutborders.org

For more information about our earlier work with PLAN please view this video.  Plan International 6 months on

Check out the short digital story narrated and edited by Erin Crites: Haiti and Plan International Tour V

Sunday October 24, 2010

Our time is coming to a close. I have mixed feelings about that fact. On one hand, I am ready to see my family and return to my life in the states, and on the the other hand, I could do this work forever, for it doesn’t feel finished. Doing three shows a day for much longer would take a great toll on my body, but with a day off or two, I would be ready to go again…maybe. It is difficult to say, psychologically, how one could sustain this kind of work long term. We have had mixed reactions to our presence in the camps. Many of the adults have looked upon us with skepticism. In speaking with our translator, Saul, Michael discovered that this skepticism is a result of assuming that the clowns are making a good deal of money off of the Haitian people. When Saul explains to them that we are volunteering our time and energy, their entire disposition shifts and they smile at us with gratitude and openness. It is difficult to receive the looks of disdain but
also understandable. It is nice when Saul sets the record straight and we are received rather than the people feeling intruded upon. For the most part, the Haitian people have been really receptive to us, which helps so much. It would be really difficult to do this work if the people didn’t want us to perform, or worse, felt hostility toward us just for being present. I will miss this place. This trip has been an amazing reminder of how resilient, how buoyant the human spirit can be. It will serve as a constant reminder of what constitutes true happiness, connections with the people around you and the choice to build community rather than resort to isolation. We need to support each other in this world. We need to look outside our towers of contentment and heed the call of those in crisis. It is a fine thing to do “well” in this world but if we could do “good,” others, not only ourselves would reap the benefit.

Thursday October 21, 2010

Today was a pretty great day. All three shows were in IDP camps and at the second show, everyone participated. There were more adults laughing and playing with us than we’ve had at any other show. The level of call and response was so great, it energized all of us and we found more moments within the show to really play one on one with the audience. It was so nice to see all of the generations enjoying themselves as if they were all children again.

As we walked along the beach in Cotes de Fer. I saw a small boy, maybe five years old running and pushing a tire over rock and sand, barefoot and in worn clothes. He was precious and we exchanged glances, a wave, and a smile from afar. As we continued to walk we saw women filleting tuna and red snapper, boats carved out of trees and the ocean, a radiant cerulean like I’ve never seen. We sat in the shade and here comes my distant friend rolling his tire proudly. He shyly approaches and sits a small distance away, just observing. I slowly approached him and in my limited creole asked, “quijon rele?” he replied Ouidsi. I gestured to him to show me his tricks with the tire and I ran and followed. Then I tried to play the game myself and ran down the beach with his tire. Then we sat on the rocks and put zed around banging stone on stone. I made him a gyroscope out of old fishing line and a rock and we played.
His sister wandered over and spoke with Kristi. Kristi taught her the game that Pedro had showed us earlier, “chocolate.” choco choco la la, choco choco te te, choco la, choco te, choco la te. Ouidsi wouldn’t play at first but when his sister tried to show him the game, he got excited but wasn’t getting it, she got frustrated and gave up. Then I jumped in “avec mua?” We played for a long time and he got it. We laughed and then it was time to go. I was sad to leave my new friend. He was shy and observant, like me when I was his age, I think he could feel that about me, I was non-threatening, and very interesting looking because I am a tall, blonde, white woman. What a wonderful moment in time. What a lesson in the joy of simplicity. I’ll miss you Ouidsi.
We went and performed for a polite school group. The school was minimal, to say the least. Pieces of slate for chalk boards, planks of wood for benches and all enclosed with cement walls and tin roofs. They marched out single file and looked with calm attention.
Later we performed for 600 kids at a catholic school. We had a stage, it was wonderful, the auditorium began seated but by the end of the show they were crowding the stage. They ate it up.

The third today show was out of control. We pulled up and my friend, OUIDSI!, was outside so I had to get out. I played with a small crowd of children. Ouidsi had a chain about twelve feet long of rubber bands quadrupled in links. He gave me a couple and we played cat’s cradle. Then we jumped rope in the street for a while with the chain of rubber bands. Ouidsi gestured to play chocolate and then kids began crowding and hugging me. Kristi also got out of the car and developed a crowd around her as well. These kids were almost fighting to be the one closest to me. They looked up at me with bright souls shining to connect with this big white stranger that wanted nothing more than to smile and play with them. Then it was time to do the show.
We accumulated over 700 kids, too many to fit under the roof of the CFS (child friendly space) we had to do the show outside. At one point we had to stop the show be use they were swarming in too close. We regained control but for a moment it felt like a riot could ensue, children hurting each other to get a better look. It was the only show thus far where we couldn’t take volunteers for fear that it would incite too much jealousy and create conflict. We made it through the show with a few minor changes, finished and made it to the cars. It felt like a true initiation into the Clowns without Borders tradition. It was a test for our group but we made it through, rather well, I thought. After the shows we drove to eat and saw multiple kids in multiple places trying to juggle rocks. We inspired them to play and practice a new skill, very cool.

Tuesday October 19, 2010

Today is our day off and we needed it. We are all in good spirits and ready for this next week of performance. Yesterday we performed for over 2,000 children, 1,800 at one show! It was at a catholic school and when the performance was over a nun blessed us on our journey, it was heart warming and much appreciated because from there we went to two IDP (internally displaced peoples) camps.
The conditions were brutal. Children were wearing clothes that were really distressed, those that were wearing any clothes at all, and many had gashes or wounds that were unsettling. They had cuts that if treated with something as simile as topical ointment would have healed quickly but without this simple medical attention many of them had abrasions and wounds that may permanently scar. The second camp was the most notorious in Jacmel. The mayor of Jacmel has placed the camp in the hands of the Venezuelan army, a decision that has resulted in high numbers of prostitution and violence.
The children crowded us with curiosity and want, they wanted to play our instruments, hold our hands, they had a deeper want for attachment or connection to us than we have felt thus far. It was difficult to leave that camp knowing what we were leaving behind. But as our cars pulled away we heard the children chanting, “bonjour dlo, bonjour savon, owevwa mikwob!”  “Hello water, hello soap, goodbye germs,” We had left them with a lasting message explained through laughter.
The rest of this week we will be performing in more camps like that one. It will be challenging psychologically but having today to rest and reenergize will serve us and the children well.

A brief update: The group has very limited internet access, but we did receive a short email today:

More reinforcement of the work we’ve been doing. So… as of now we have performed for over 3000 kids in some of the more rural, more mountainous areas of Haiti. It has gone really well. We have beautiful views of rolling hillsides and are sharing stories with the people of Haiti about their experience of and after the earthquake. It has been quite inspiring to hear how the people of this place have kept hope, however, hope seems to be running out. The aide not arriving, the tent structures that were made for short term help are falling apart and the cities are still in disarray. Our show, has provided some relief. The children crowd around us with focus, curiosity and joy. After each show they follow us as our musical procession leads to the cars. We say goodbye and they wave as long as we remain in view. In fact, on our journeys to and from, we have seen children in multiple places and on multiple occasions, trying to juggle rocks. We have inspired them to pursue and practice a new skill and they laugh as we encourage them to keep practicing. These children are so hopeful, so bright, so open, they are a joy to be around and for the time that we are with them they can live in the world of a clown, a world that is buoyant in the face of adversity, a world that can laugh at itself, a world where interaction provokes play and play provokes joy.

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