Activities

1. Training programs

Troupe trainings

The Fekat circus troupe trains five days per week in its own gym, located around Piassa, in the centre of Addis Ababa. The trainings are our way to relax and stimulate our minds and bodies while preserving strong relationships amongst ourselves!

Community trainings

Our gym is joyful & colorful and we are happy to make other children & youth profit from this space! Therefore, we provide circus trainings four times per week to youth living in the neighborhood. These trainings are provided free of cost and extend, not only to the community living around the gym, but to any one interested in circus arts!

Outreach training programs

Through our direct experience we understood the benefits that circus training has on the psycho-social and physical development of human beings. Circus trainings have been recognized as a therapeutic activity by scientific studies and are used in different contexts as a stimulating & rehabilitative tool.
Since 2007, we have worked in several rehabilitation projects for street children and at risk youth in Addis Ababa.

In addition, we provide circus workshops in orphanages and schools.

2. Educational shows

In 2007 we spread awareness on HIV and tuberculosis among more than 8.000 school students through the medium of a circus-theatre performance. The performances were followed by an open-forum aimed to promote the participation and gain feedback from the audience. The project was possible thanks to the support of UNICEF-Ethiopia.
This experience made us realize the power that our art can have among communities. Through our circus performances we can attract the attention of people while transmitting important messages!

In 2008, we conceived two new educational shows focusing on two social problems seriously damaging the Ethiopian society: sexual abuse & physical and psychological child abuse. During these circus-theatre performances, the audience is requested to intervene, giving their opinions and acting in the role as the victims. These two shows were performed in the outskirts of Addis Ababa and in six rural areas of Ethiopia. We are proud to say that the costs related to this performances have been covered by our savings!

In 2009 , Fekat Circus realized the "EU road tour show 2009" which is an awareness raising campaign aimed to promote female education and road safety. The campaign has been sponsored by the Delegation of the European Union Commission from Ethiopia. In total, 21 edu-entertaining shows were done in 18 different towns and villages all over Ethiopia (in schools, markets, open places, etc). The performance alternated circus and theatre performances; at the end audience was requested to come on stage, replace the main actors in order to convince the " patriarchal father" to send her daughter to school!

3. Entertainment shows

Fekat's artists ensure a magic, joyful & colorful show with original costumes, music & clowns, acrobats, jugglers, firemen and contortionist. Since its birth, the Fekat Circus has recorded more than hundreds artistic performances, many of them voluntary. We generally perform in orphanages, hospitals, prisons and during ceremonies, exhibitions and parties.
We do believe that circus performances are important in order to bring smiles among children, youth & adults living in difficult circumstances. In addition, through circus shows, we like to promote awareness on the value of art which requires development in Ethiopia.. and we also intend to promote Ethiopian culture world wide!
Our main specialties are:

4. Workshops and sharing experiences

We are aware that we should never stop learning and we believe it is very important to share our experiences with others.

In the past, workshops and exchange programs allowed us to develop our artistic skills. This helped us to open our minds and making us realize that, despite cultural differences, we are all "one". Among those experiences, these are worth mention:

1. “Clowning” workshop led by Alvaro Neil (Spain) in 2007
2. “Arts for Social Changes” Workshop led by the Director of Zeny Circus (U.S.A.) in 2008
3. “Body expression” workshop led by Giorgio Camadona and Valentina Tricerri (Italy) in 2008
4. Exchange programs with One Love theatre group held both in 2007/08 in Awassa (Ethiopia)
5. Exchange program with the Sarakasi Trust artists held in 2008 in Nairobi (Kenya)
6. "Hospital clowning" workshop led by Pasquale Ippolito & Antonio Iavarone (Italy) in 2009
7. "Puppetry" workshop led by Tartrana Tittelles company (Spain) in January 2010
8. Exchange program with eight street artists from Giullari Senza Frontiere (Italy) held in 2010
9. Workshop in "Hospital clowning 2" led by Pasquale Ippolito and Luca Regina in 2010
10. Workshop in "Game as educative tool" led by Antonio Baglivo (Italy) in 2010
11. Exchange program with Señior Stets (Denmark) in 2011