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In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, plans are underway to develop a new circus center and organizers are reaching out to the global circus community to share their vision and ask for support through their launch event. In an announcement on Facebook, Circus Center Addis Ababa board member Antonella Casella shared information about the launch of Zoom for the fundraising campaign for the center that will take place this Thursday, October 22.
Explaining more about the project will be Mike Finch, Brukty Tigabu (President of Social Enterprise Ethiopia), Wintana Gmaskel (Award-winning circus artist Trilogy, Ethiopia), Anni Davey (Artistic Director, The Flying Fruitfly Circus), Zsuzsanna Mata (Executive Director of the Mondiale Cirque Federation and Founding Director of the Global Alliance of Circus Schools), and last but not least, the Director Founder herself, Sosina Wogayehu (Circus Center, Ethiopia). There will be a question and answer session with the panelists, as well as video messages from Johnathan Lee Iverson (Ringmaster), Pavel Kotov (Senior Casting Director, Cirque Du Soleil) and Jessica Hentoff (Artistic Director / Executive, Circus Harmony.)
Casella describes her enthusiasm for the project, “This will be a center that combines the celebration of Ethiopian culture; social circus and vocational education and training with an incredible career circus path to genuinely transform the lives of young people in Ethiopia. Sosina has been working on this project for over 4 years, with the government approval process underway, now is the time to raise funds to finally make it happen! “
In addition to celebrating culture, Circus Center Addis Ababa is a social enterprise aimed at providing training and employment opportunities for young people and highlighting Ethiopian circus arts and performers. Its aim is to establish a national center for vocational training, arts and circus. Its mission is to empower and support the youth of Ethiopia through circus, education and cultural pride.
The Circus Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has pre-approval to build a circus village within Entoto that will feature a 500-seat performance venue based on a unique design concept that fuses traditional Ethiopian architecture with European cabaret venues. classics known as Spiegeltents. It will also house a community training center, a place where free workshops will be offered to school children. On their website, you can learn more about this ambitious and important project, including construction plans in Entoto Park, a large national park with easy access to the capital Addis Ababa. Another cool reason to visit their website is to take a look at the people for whom this center is being built, Ethiopia’s own circus performers, some of whom are featured in their success stories section.
A spokesperson for the Circus Center says: “This venture will be a critical first step in providing an ongoing source of income and funding for the initial installation of the Circus Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It will continue long-term as an adjunct facility, providing additional employment for the youth involved. “
