Abidjan Circus Festival to Set up Training Centre for Youths by 2020

The second edition of the Inter-cultural Encounters of the Circus of Abidjan which took place in the Ivorian capital from Wednesday February 6 to Sunday February 10, was as inspiring as it was innovative.
The five-day cultural and social festival hosted some 48 artists from Japan, France, Morocco, South Africa and Ethiopia, with a prestigious guest, the Circus of the Sun from Canada.
‘‘Here in Abidjan, there is an idea to create a circus arts training centre that would answer to a great need because there is a lot of talent but there are no training centres and very few training centres in all of Africa. So it’s a great project. We are also on it to evaluate if there are winners to create a partnership”, said Head of Public Affairs and Community Relations at ‘‘Cirque du Soleil’‘, Emmanuel Bochud.
“I found everything colourful, great to see that Africa is progressing in everything that is visual art and circus”, said
“We had a very good time tonight. It’s very pleasant, the children had a great time and it feels good to see shows like this in Abidjan’‘, said Bruno Gonzales, a spectator.
Circus performers performed in schools in a bid to introduce children to the art, organizers said
The festival introduced a pan- African contest bringing together artists from Africa to encourage the creation of new circus troupes.
Organizers hope to set up a Circus training centre in Abidjan by 2020 for young people across Western Africa.
The organizers also said they will support the school ‘‘as long as it is sustainable over time’‘.
According to the organizers, the ‘‘African circus has its own flavour, its own colour and identity to be unique in the world.
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