Jugglers for Peace and Women's Circus perform for peace in Nicaragua

 

Juggling ambassadors to the Sandanistas

(Editor's note: The political views expressed in the following articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the IJA administration. However, the stories certainly represent an emerging use of juggling as political statement, joining its more traditional uses as performance art, educational tool, sport, personal meditation, etc.)

 

Jugglers for Peace

 

by Tim King and Cort Peterson

 

Benjamin Linder was killed by US-backed Contra soldiers just days before our Jugglers for Peace Nicaragua Tour '87 arrived in Managua . We dedicated our 30 shows that month of May to the memory of this Portland , Ore. , juggler slain as he worked to bring electricity to a small village.

 

The original goal of the tour was to bring juggling, clowning and circus performances to the schools, orphanages, hospitals and cooperative farms of this struggling country. Linder's death gave an even more meaningful context to the trip and involved us in an American peace march to the war zone in the northern part of the country. We witnessed a courageous struggle for justice that was being purchased dearly with the lives of men, women and children.

 

Members of the troupe were Graham Ellis and Sean Minnock from Hawaii , Sara Felder from San Francisco , Mark Deutschmann from Nashville , Tim King from Denmark and videographer Cort Peterson from Hawaii .

 

The tour was supported by $2,000 worth of props donated by individuals and prop­makers for distribution to jugglers in the national circus school, touring circuses and small neighborhood circuses.

 

Early in the trip we juggled at a weekly American demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy in Managua . The Jugglers for Peace were asked by CUSCLIN (U .S.

citizens living in Nicaragua ) to join 70, Americans the next weekend to march 45 kilometers to the site of Linder's death. As coordinator of the tour, Ellis felt a responsibility to avoid the dangerous war zone. But each member of the tour felt it was important to be part of an undertaking to affirm that development projects would continue despite the threat of Contra terrorism.

 

The next four days were spent with these Americans teachers, agricultural experts, doctors, nurses and church workers. Jugglers added a little anarchy and fun to this very serious undertaking.

 

The march started in EI Cua and ended in San Jose de Bocay. An American nun met us just outside of EI Cua and said the townspeople were on their way to the cemetery to bury two members of the town militia who had been killed by the Contras the day before. We joined them to express our sorrow at this war that keeps taking their loved ones from them. The village leaders let us know that the pain of the late afternoon should give way to a joyful evening to welcome us to EI Cua.

 

That evening Jugglers for Peace used torches and green glow sticks for light and opened our hearts to these people. This show was special, as it was here in EI Cua that Ben Linder had spent the last months of his life helping, teaching and playing with the families we performed for that evening.

 

Ellis opened the show on stilts swinging flaming torches. Felder juggled boxes, a magic crystal ball and devil sticks that filled the children with wonder. Minnock brought laughter and amazement with his clowning and magic tricks. An inventive three, four and five ball juggling routine by Deutschmann kept audience and performers alike guessing where the balls would be caught and tossed back into the pattern.

 

After the final catch, Felder explained to the audience the purpose of the trip and dedicated the show to Ben Linder.

 

We stopped at the hydroelectric plant Linder helped complete. It was a small plant in a small river valley that for the first time brought electricity to a small town.  But to, the Contras, its makers were targets for death.

 

As the march pushed on, the Jugglers for Peace kept spirits high by juggling clubs, balls and even wet sand from river beds, blowing whistles, singing and clowning every step of the way. We learned much in return, as fellow marchers told us about their lives in Nicaragua .