French Baraka circus brings smiles to flood-stricken Greeks
Athens: The arrival of the French modern circus Baraka in Greece for first time on November 15 this year happened to coincide with a tragedy.
That night torrential rains hit Elefsina, a city about 17 km west of Athens, which was chosen as Cultural Capital of Europe 2021.
The flooding caused 24 deaths, many injuries and hundreds of thousands of euros worth of damage to businesses and homes.
The 14 artistes and technicians from the circus set up their tent on the mud, rehearsed and set out to lend a helping hand in the only way they knew -- trying to heal wounds through art, Xinhua news agency reported.
All revenues of their first performance on December 16 were turned over to flood-stricken locals. Until January 21, when they will pack to head to their next destination Morocco, they will do their best to bring joy to locals, they told Xinhua.
"On the night of our arrival, there were the floods. For us it was really shocking. We came here to do something simple -- circus. But at the same time, 10 km from here something terrible happened. So if we can help in a way, we will," technical manager Thomas Bares said.
The performance of the Baraka circus, based in Mauritius since December 2013, is anything but simple. Through their acrobatics, body theatre, music and dance, they focus on cultural relations, differences and issues of co-existence.
"The project talks about walls. It talks about concrete walls, but also about mental walls, economic walls, boundaries," Bares said.
The artistes do not intend to impose their views on contemporary challenges on audiences.
"We don't have one message, but a lot. That means everyone can get his own message at the end of the show. In the end, everyone is making his own story and gets his own lessons," Bares said.
Kelly Diapouli, artistic director of "Elefsina 2021 -- Cultural Capital of Europe," said the circus was invited to introduce to locals forms of art not well known in Greece.
Most Greeks still have the impression that circuses include wild animals and fire shows, Diapouli said.
Nassia, a young spectator who also studies theater, said: "The show was excellent. The truth is that I did not expect it, but I really enjoyed it very much and I would happily return to watch the show again," she said.
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'Anga, Banga, Kalinga' will have BJP govts next month: Shah
Kolkata (PTI): Asserting that people voted with enthusiasm for a change in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said 'Anga, Banga and Kalinga', the ancient kingdoms that ruled present-day eastern India, will have BJP governments next month.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Shah said the BJP will bag more than 110 of the 152 seats that went to the polls in the first phase on Thursday.
"People of Bengal broke all records in the first phase and voted with enthusiasm for a change," he said, referring to the over 92 per cent turnout.
"I thank the Election Commission and security forces for ensuring no deaths during the first phase polls," he said, noting that 1,278 people were injured in the 2016 assembly elections, and 1,681 in 2021.
Claiming that the TMC's exit is imminent, Shah said the BJP will form a government in the state with an absolute majority.
"I see a tsunami this time, I feel the number of seats and margin of win will be much higher," he said.
"We will have governments in 'Anga, Banga and Kalinga' after May 5," he said, referring to the ancient kingdoms that once ruled the region.
Having come to power in Odisha in 2024, the BJP is now seeking a third consecutive term in Assam and aiming to unseat the 15-year-old TMC government in West Bengal. The party's first chief minister in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary, won a floor test in the assembly earlier in the day.
Assam voted for its 126-member assembly on April 9, while Bengal will vote for 142 seats in the second phase on April 29. The counting of votes will be held in both the states, along with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, on May 4.
"Since the beginning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had a vision of equal development for both the eastern and western parts of the country, and by forming a government in West Bengal, that vision will be realised," Shah said.
He said anti-incumbency was at its peak in the state in 2021 as well, but the polling was not as fear-free as it should have been.
"A large number of booths were looted, and many people were not allowed to reach the polling stations in that election. But this time, the voters' list has been cleansed, security has been tightened, and the EC has made free and fair election its top priority," he said.
Shah claimed the BJP will get more votes in the state's Presidency Range, comprising Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts in the southern part of the state, than it did in north Bengal, which has been the party's stronghold over the last few years.
Asked about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's assertion that the TMC, along with other opposition parties, will "take over Delhi" after winning the West Bengal polls, he said with a wry smile, "Very good! There is nothing left here. Why will she come to Delhi? What should I say?"
He said a Bengal-born and Bengali-speaking person will be the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal, alleging that CM Banerjee was peddling the rumour that "outsiders" would be brought to rule here if the party wins.
Stating that thousands of hectares of land have been illegally encroached in the state over the years, Shah said, "Like Assam, we will undertake a massive drive to free such lands for the development of Bengal."
However, he said the BJP's top priority after forming the government in Bengal will be to ensure the safety and security of women.
"As a gesture in this regard, we have given nominations to women who have been affected by atrocities," he said.
The BJP has given a ticket to Ratna Debnath, the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Panihati and Rekha Patra, the face of the Sandeshkhali agitation, in Hingalganj.
"The woman chief minister of a state who says women should not venture out after 7 pm has no right to rule," Shah said, maintaining that even a teenage girl will be able to safely go out at 1 am if the BJP comes to power.
He said he firmly believes that women of Bengal will give an appropriate reply to the TMC for "opposing" the women's quota legislation in Parliament.
"I want to assure the constituencies where elections are yet to be held that we will abolish syndicate raj and 'bhaipo (nephew) tax'," he said, alluding to TMC MP Abhishek Bhanerjee, the nephew of the CM.
Shah said another priority of the new BJP government will be to allot land to the BSF at the India-Bangladesh border for fencing to prevent infiltration.
Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of institutionalising corruption, Shah alleged that scams worth over Rs 10,000 crore took place during the TMC rule in the state since 2011.
He said that after the BJP comes to power in the state, a White Paper will be released on the alleged corruption that happened during the TMC rule, and an investigation will be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge.
Urging people to vote for 'parivartan' in the second phase as well, he said it does not mean just changing an MLA, a political party in power or a chief minister, but making the state free of infiltration, corruption and appeasement, and ensuring fast development, obliterating red tape and creating employment opportunities.
"A change in the state will also translate to making short-term and long-term policy for infrastructure development, and to make available resources for those to fructify," he said.
The TMC had come to power in 2011, calling for 'parivartan' of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government that ruled the state for an uninterrupted 34 years from 1977.
