Lap dogs and pigeons co-starring in one routine; scared horses running in circles; malnourished lions and tigers jumping through a hoop of fire – Cairo’s circus is something else. Entirely something else, that is, from what it is supposed to be.
The earliest known depiction of a juggler was found in an Egyptian tomb: Around 2,500 BC, a pygmy clown performed for Pharaoh Dadkeri-Assi.
The exhibition of exotic animals was a common form of entertainment in Ancient Egypt.
With many of the classic circus acts being indigenously Egyptian, there is no good reason for the show to be as pathetic as it is now.
But how can one possibly critique the quality of this, the Egyptian National Circus, at the expense of the performers and staff? Neglected, the end product is simply a manifestation of the Ministry of Culture’s general lack of interest.
Mohamed Abu Leila, the circus manager they call Captain, remembers better days when he was proud of the show – when he was a gymnast, trapeze artist and tightrope walker trained in Moscow. Reservations were made three months in advance back then. Today, the Captain is lucky to see the decrepit tent filled to 35 percent of its capacity.
“The way this started was like a fairytale, Abu Leila insists, nostalgically telling the story of President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s trip to Moscow in 1962 when he fell in love with the circus.
Upon his return to Egypt, the president organized a four-year training period under the tutelage of five foreign professionals. His new Egyptian troop spent that time comfortably in the grand garden of Abdin Palace honing their craft. By January 1966 the inaugural event was an impressive, well-funded and professionally organized success.
Today in the dirty cafeteria on the same plot of El Agouza land, smiling through a polite façade of dignity, Abu Leila told Daily News Egypt that some performers have not been paid in three months. He is embarrassed to admit what he is paid himself.
“Nobody in the circus relies on the money they make here, he says, “They all have other jobs. Still they put on two shows a day, six days a week.
“I’m a circus trainer and it is buried in my heart. He continues, “There is no aid or help for me to teach the next generation, no reason to continue. I do it because I love it.
In 1984, new regulations took many of the maintenance responsibilities off the government and made them the duty of employees, compounding the difficulty of their jobs. Now performers buy their own costumes, feed their animals, and maintain the old and scarce equipment.
Nobody is insured, and their work only becomes more dangerous as materials fall apart, morale declines, and those with training from the good old days pass away.
“Many great artists have died here, says Abu Leila. “It’s not fair.
The Captain told Daily News Egypt that Culture Minister Farouk Hosni reportedly does not see circuses as artistic, would rather not have this show under his jurisdiction, and wants it moved out of the area.
Likewise, the circus staff would rather the show was sold to somebody who wants it.
The Minister of Culture was unavailable for comment.
“Culture is about communication of the souls and minds without words, says Abu Leila. “The government is always saying ‘the child, the child, the child,’ but we are the art of family and happiness.
Looking at the happy audience of young children sitting in awe of a balancing act using taught safety ropes, it is sad knowing they are not experiencing the circus they deserve. What’s more unfortunate is that these children’s expectations are being set so low.
