Kidnapped and forced to become child circus performers,a Nepalese troupe now scale the heights on their own terms In a dusty gymnasium south of Kathmandu, a group of twentysomething Nepalis are rehearsing a unique routine. One girl sways back and forth on a trapeze suspended from the metal rafters, and twisting and turning as two boys play-fight below her. Miming a struggle,one boy ducks as the other tries to grab; one jumps as the other lunges. As the boy shirks off his would-be assailant, he comes close to being hauled offstage, or “kidnapped”,in performance-speak. But the kidnapper manages to grab just the boy’s T-shirt, and tears it from him before running absent.
Kidnappings, or trafficking and fending off villains are key themes for Circus Kathmandu,a troupe founded by and comprised of trafficking survivors. Smuggled as children into neighbouring India and sold into the travelling circus industry, they fill since turned their unique skillset into an educational art form as Nepal’s first – and only – circus. Related: 'My dream is coming true': the Nepalese woman who rose from slavery to politics | Kate Hodal Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com