Rebuilding Afghanistan? It’s Like Walking a Tightrope

By Michele Hong

“If it can be done in Afghanistan, it can be done anywhere.”

The Web site of the Mobile Mini Circus for Children (MMCC) puts forth this one sentence to describe the non-profit’s mission since it was founded in 2002: to revive cultural expression and laughter in a war-torn country. And if that involves a couple of unicycles and a handful of juggling balls along the way, all the better.

In terms of development projects, the traveling circus is one of the most creative undertakings in Afghanistan. Circus trainers work with Afghan children to plan and perform shows in Kabul and abroad. The whole process is meant to create a venue for artistic and cultural expression through storytelling and performing and to remind the youth of Afghanistan that war does not have to siphon away creativity.

The shows also have a more pragmatic purpose: to teach Afghans about peacebuilding and ethnic conflict euphemistically. For example, skits in which groups of animals resolve their differences spread the moral of acceptance in a country where local cultural messages often pull more weight than federal laws. Other skits have explained ways to prevent malaria and avoid landmines.

Thousands of foreign NGOs have set up shop in Afghanistan with the idea of promoting short-term development by providing state-like services or with the intent of fostering long-term development by building central government capacity. The services of these NGOs, which include educational programs, emergency aid, and humanitarian assistance, are essential for making progress in reconstruction. Charities are also a vibrant part of Afghanistan’s civil society, offering food, shelter, and medical care to the needy.

MMCC has a solid formula for a number of reasons. First, it is dealing with reconstruction from the bottom-up by working not with businesses and political leaders, but with the people themselves — specifically, local children, often orphans or those who have been traumatized by the war in other ways. This generation, which has been most shaped by the war and years of instability, is also the one that will lead Afghanistan in the not-so-distant future.

Secondly, the circus attempts sustainable long-term growth by using educational initiatives. While the MMCC’s Children Culture House offers classes in circus, theatre, and painting, it also holds courses on the Quran, journalism, math, and English. By incorporating religious education into its efforts, it legitimizes its work and creates an environment that local communities can support and trust. By providing training on subjects other than the performing arts, the MMCC doubles as a school for practical subjects, a valuable institution in a country where public education is insufficiently funded and the Taliban has made a mission out of destroying girls’ schools.

Thirdly, the MMCC draws from Afghan cultures rather than bringing Western values into the picture. In the circus, children produce performances that incorporate Afghan and local traditions. Educational programs provide religious courses as well as classes on Afghan history and Pashto language.

Since 2003, the MMCC has involved over half a million children and teachers in 16 provinces in its educational and performing arts programs. It employs a uniquely creative hands-on approach to dealing with reconstruction by encouraging cultural expression. In terms of long-term development, children and education are good focuses for Afghanistan.

But still, the circus is not open to all — membership fees are required, making the programs inaccessible to Afghanistan’s poorest and most in need of the MMCC’s assistance. The lack of central government services is not likely to change, given a House subcomittee’s recent cut of $4 billion in aid to the country. This decision comes at a time when unbridled corruption raises questions of accountability on how aid money is used.

The cut in funding underscores the inefficiency of the government and draws attention to the fear that today’s children may no longer be children by the time they see the Afghan government shaping up its service provision. Given that NGOs like the traveling circus cannot reach the poorest communities of Afghanistan, the problems of corruption and inadequate funds have become ever more emphasized. Solid ideas cannot be implemented and good work cannot be expanded without the critical resource of money.

Social change is neither simple nor widespread in this country. But if it can be done in Afghanistan, it can be done anywhere.

Flickr photo by AlphachimpStudio used under a Creative Commons license.