Circus - 2 - Iraq
Jo Wilding, Bristol graduate and international peacekeeper, spent much of 2004 in Iraq working with children - she is also vegan.
I confess Id had a few drinks back at the 2004 Big Green Gathering, when I decided it would be a good idea to take a circus to Iraq to work with traumatised kids. Id spent the month before the war and the first 11 days of bombing in Baghdad documenting civilian casualties and writing about what was happening, and when I sobered up at the end of the festival I sent out a e mail asking for performers who wanted to go to get in touch.
We worked with Iraqi theatre groups who were interested in doing similar work. We saw the street kids go from the shelter into long term accommodation and, from there, to and from the streets while they (most of them) settled in and eventually, some returned to school. We taught them juggling and stilt walking.
Being vegan in Iraq is limited Ana nabatia is quite easy - I am vegetarian I could even manage I am vegetarian and I do not eat anything from an animal. No milk, no eggs. You can say it, even in perfect Arabic, but no one will understand you. Ah yes my friend Zaid said I am vegan too. I eat beans and rice. Yes, yes of course I eat meat as well When you ask for no meat you get chicken instead. Apparently that doesnt count. Fish are grilled whole over fires in the streets and chicken roast on spits.
Its hard for people to understand that, if you could afford to buy meat or dairy products, which were not part of the food rations which were the only income for 80% of the population under the US/UK/UN economic sanctions , you would choose not to eat them.
So you try to explain the environment, human rights, land, water, starvation in countries which are still exporting grain for animal feed. My friend Helen was much better at it than me. She not only remained pure vegan the whole time, she converted her Iraqi boy-friend and a few friends and relations to veganism.
I learnt to say Bes mutability just the small plates of hummus, baba ghanoush (aubergine and tahini) tabouleh (chopped parsleyy, lemon juice and cous cous) olives, tepsi betinjan (beautiful aubergine salad) ful (beans) and so on that are served before the main course (which is undiluted meat or fish) and sold in a shop just up the road from our apartment, where I went every single night.
Falluja, though, was something else. I was escorting Iraqi ambulances in US held areas during the April siege, because they were consistently shot at by US marine snipers. As we left the second time we were taken prisoner by suspicious Mujahedin fighters. There were dozens of disparate clusters of local men fighting the Americans and not all of them knew who we were. Once they established we were ambulance volunteers they let us go but the only food in the house was corned beef and egg. And I can tell you Ive never been so grateful for a plate of food in my life.
The latest plan, Baghdad and the south being no-go areas now, is for a couple of the clowns to go to the Kurdish north and carry on the work we started there. Were still raising money for, and working towards, building the school in the squatter camp at Shuala. Every day as I cycle to university I think of Marwa, the 11 year old girl who wanted to be a doctor but couldnt go to school. Huge thanks to everyone whos already donated and fundraised for us you made a big difference to a lot of kids.
Yaoh held a fundraiser for C21 at the level, Bristol, in May 2004, and between us raised a fantastic £1250 for the Circus. Big shout out to all the DJs and performers, especially Mary, Jody (Way Out West) Out of Hand printers and Zane from the Level. And a massive thanks to all the wonderful Bristol people who have dug deep for the Circus in recent months.