Afghan MMCC

The Host Organaizer of the Tour: Japan-MMCC.com>

Children Artists Interview>

19th of July 2006 - Counting down for Japan

‘Kunitiuva – Watashiwa Ansar des. Afghanistan kara kimashita’

Wow, this is difficult… It is 1 pm and the group of 13 MMCC children artists who are leaving for Japan in a few days, are having their daily Japan language class. ‘Hello – My name is Ansar. I come from Afghanistan’, translates Japanese Masami, who teaches the class.

Ansar, 7 years, is the youngest star in MMCC’s Japan tour-team. Like the other children, he got a paper and a pen to practice his signature the night before signing his new and very first passport next to his fingerprint.

In Japan Ansar together with 12-year old Samira will be front figure presenting the performance

A good performance is however far from the only thing that needs to be prepared for a tour abroad. Stage decorations are made by MMCC’s painting boys, props and costumes are tailored and presents are made – not to mention all the paperwork to get passports and visas – and Hamid, who has been shopping costumes, props, cloth, bags and toothbrushes among many other things for the children every early morning.

For several weeks, Ansar, Samira, Pariska, Nastaran, Noorshah, Ahmed, Abeda, Rahmat, Moman, Runa, Nawab, Sonam and AliSina – together with their masters, Shaher and Marai, have worked until late afternoon to prepare a fantastic performance for the Japanese audience.
It is circus when it is best – but first and foremost the performance is a presentation of a bright colorful Afghanistan full of hope for the future

MMCC’s local director, Shaher Poopal (right), is in charge of the Japan tour. Since spring he has prepared the children’s performance that is now being rehearsed every afternoon for the last many weeks. Last year Shaher went abroad for the first time with a group of MMCC children who performed in Europe for two month. The experiences and lessons learned from the Europe tour has taught us all a lot that is now being utilized to prepare for Japan.

The Japan tour is somehow like a puzzle that gradually comes together due to great work by many more MMCC’s staff and children than those going on the tour. The performance has come together in a close cooperation between Shaher and MMCC’s circus master, Hamid Ruhan, who is here also assisting the Japan class.

The Japan tour has become a reality due to an invitation from Japan-MMCC - an organization started by Yuki, who got inspired by MMCC’s founder, David Mason, when they first met in Afghanistan in 2003. In Japan suicide among children is a major problem. The hectic lifestyle does not leave space for children to have fun. Japan-MMCC aims to change this fact while at the same time gaining financial support for MMCC in Afghanistan. In February this year eight Japanese MMCC friends visited Afghanistan as part of preparing the tour in cooperation with the Afghans. Three Japan-MMCC members returned to Kabul in late June to assist with the paperwork such as getting the visas. They will all be traveling together with the children and adult Afghans to Japan on Sunday 23rd of July.