In 1993, Tortell Poltrona, a clown from
Catalonia in Spain, was invited to perform in a Croatian refugee camp and he
was reminded that giving a reason for people in conflict to laugh is a way of
healing and giving hope. He is familiar about the power of laughter as he grew
up in Spain during Franco dictatorship.
After this experience, he organized Clowns Without Borders
(CWB) in July 1993. The next time he
travelled for another performance in other Croatian refugee camps, two more
clown friends came with him. Their
missions invited more clowns which, led to the creation of CWB in France and
Sweden, spreading laughter in West Sahara, Palestine, Israel and parts of South
and Central America. To date, Clowns
without Borders have six more organizations in Germany, Belgium, Ireland, South
Africa, Canada and the United States.
All clowns who perform for the group as members or guests do so as
volunteers. Non-performers can support
the organization by giving personal donations, raising funds and/or simply
spreading the word about Clowns
without Borders’ advocacy and activities.
In : Foundation