Bulaban Circus is a refugee-led social circus based in Saadnayel, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. In a region deeply affected by displacement, economic crisis and social division, Bulaban’s circus tent offers something precious: a safe, courageous and joyful space where children, young people, women, artists and people from diverse and marginalised communities can meet, create and feel that they belong.
Bulaban is shaped and led by a diverse team of Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese and international artists, clowns and activists, including women and members of the queer community.
Through circus, clowning, workshops, parades and performances, Bulaban creates moments of freedom, laughter and connection, empowering people to express themselves without fear and imagine a more inclusive future. Our artistic practice is a form of resistance: it confronts and reflects on colonisation, displacement and oppression while reclaiming space for joy, dignity, collective expression and solidarity.
On Friday, 2nd October, Bulaban Berlin—Bulaban Circus’s sister collective—is organising a fundraising event in the Casino for Social Medicine to materially support the work with communities in Lebanon. As a grassroots circus collective offering psycho-social support to children coming from marginalised classes in Lebanon, we are looking for your help to support our upcoming project.
This year, to celebrate the Bulaban community’s resistance and resilience against the zi*nist system’s terror on Lebanon, a circus parade will take place in the Bekaa Valley. The Bekaa Valley is an area that both bears targeting by airstrikes and hosts displaced people coming from border regions and the south that is still being heavily decimated daily, and until today.
With your support, our children resist by practicing basic rights, playing and experiencing joy at the heart of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Project timeline: Preparations for the parade will begin in September, this is when the Bulaban team in Lebanon starts weekly creative workshops with the children. At the end of October, an international team of artists coming from Berlin and Granada will travel to Lebanon to join the collective creative process. Together, the children, with circus trainers and artists, will build giant puppets, develop the scenography and co-create the magic that will fill the streets during the circus parade.
The money raised during this event will cover the basic needs of the people making this work happen: transportation costs, food, and hygiene materials.
Donation suggestion at the door (cash or PayPal):
€10: Normal ticket
€20: Soli ticket
€40: Super soli ticket
€50: Super duper soli ticket
Food: €5-€15 (sliding, portion-dependent)
Arak will also be sold by Bulaban
