I don’t claim to be an expert on circus, but I have seen a few. I can remember, as a youngster, when three big circuses toured England and seeing one of them was a high point of my childhood. I have seen Barnum & Bailey and Ringling Brothers circus in America as well as the famous Circus Knie in Switzerland and I even saw a Chinese circus when it toured the UK. I have friends who are clowns and ringmasters. But as I said, I’m not an expert – but almost.
But in all the circuses I have seen I have never seen one from Africa – although I did know a pair of juggling brothers from Somalia. However, when you think of all the brightly coloured costumes associated with that continent and all the exciting percussive rhythms, one has to acknowledge that all the ingredients are there. And that proved to be the case with Afrique en Cirque which I saw last night at Amare in The Hague. Admittedly the show took place on the stage of a grand theatre and not in the sawdust ring of a big tent but circus it was, without a doubt.
Afrique en Cirque is Yamoussa Bangoura’s latest show, inspired by everyday life in Guinea on the Atlantic coast of that vast continent. This performance was one of the highlights of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and brings to Europe the beauty, youth and artistry of African culture.
The scene is set in a small fishing village and the show opens, rather slowly, with the people going about their daily business – mending nets, selling fish and all that. But when the action started it did so with a vengeance with the troupe busting into action with an amazing display of acrobatics.
The company consisted of eight performers plus three musicians. Mr Bangoura, around whom the show revolved, is a multi-instrumentalist and singer. He is a virtuoso on the kora, a large West African stringed instrument that looked like a cross between a sitar and a small oil refinery but sounds like a harp. Not only is he a fine musician but also master of many other circus skills. Of course, there was a lot of percussion, including a couple of exciting drumming sequences. But it was the acrobatics that were the focus of the show.
There was some amazing balancing on display, including things I have not seen before. There was an excellent display on the cyr wheel and some fine juggling but probably the act that caught the attention of the packed audience was a contortionist. Some of the positions he got himself into were unbelievable and had the audience gasping. He bent and twisted himself in places where other people don’t even have places.
This was the company’s first show in The Netherlands and they will be touring for the next month or so. If you like circus and/or African culture, you will like Afrique en Cirque. Michael Hasted 10th December 2024
