Circus and theatre project in Gulu, Uganda

In 2003 Djura Dame went with Lisa van der Winden to Gulu, Uganda where they worked with Liesbeth Speelman for the organisation World Vision. This organisation works with child soldiers. In northern Uganda is going on a civil war for over 18 years, lead by Kony. He captures children from their homes, forces them to work for him under the worst circumstances. The children who were able to escape or those who were rescued are being given food, social and psychological help in the center of World Vision, so that they can return to the comunity.

They worked their with two groups and at the end of the month they have given a big show for a lot of audience. These groups not only use the circus for fun and to forget about the bad things happened to them but they also use it to share information, for example about Aids or to tell about what happended to them with the army of Kony (rape, murder etc.)

They also worked with the employees of the same organisation from Ruanda and Kongo to explain them how they can do a project like this in their own country. They have left a manual in english called:”How to use theatre in the psycho-social health care” so that with the help of the manual they could continue to work with the traumatised children in the above mentioned countries.