Acehnese find reason to laugh
Acehnese find reason to laugh
Tomi Soetjipto, Reuters/Susoh, Indonesia
The tsunami victims had never seen anything like it and they were laughing hysterically.
Hundreds of children and adults emerged from makeshift huts and tents to watch Elvo, a New Zealand clown, doing funny tricks in this Aceh west coast village, about 250 km southeast of the provincial capital.
Cries of laughter and joy drifted across the soccer field where the crowds gathered on Tuesday to watch Aaron Ward, 30, an Auckland-born performing artist.
It's a sound that hasn't been heard much in this part of Indonesia for weeks.
Most of the Kiwi clown's acts involved simple magic tricks using a colorful handkerchief and balloons. But they were enough to amuse the children who lost their homes, friends, schools and in some cases their parents, to the Dec. 26 tsunami that swept the coast of Sumatra island.
Dressed in a red magician's hat and checkered oversized pants, Elvo's mime acts and tricks also drew a cluster of curious Indonesian soldiers and policemen in this fishing village.
"The whole family and our friends came today to ease our feelings of sorrow. After seeing the acts of the clown, we have become happy again," said Kusuma Dewi, 37 holding an umbrella to shield her two-month old boy from the sun.
"We can laugh again like we used to. All this time we have been holding back our laughter, but today we can express it again," said Dewi, a mother of five whose house was destroyed by the killer waves.
The Indian Ocean earthquake and the tsunami it triggered left nearly a quarter of a million Indonesians dead or missing.
Ward, who is sponsored by World Vision, an international relief and development organization specializing in children, said his mission was simple but crucial -- make people laugh.
He plans to spend two months touring Aceh camps.
"It's really important to make people laugh, especially in this sort of situation," Ward, who once performed in front of war-affected children in Kosovo, told Reuters.
"Sometimes we can't pull ourselves out of those situations very easily, so to have someone like a crazy clown come over and help you get out of those situations, it's a huge relief for the people ... they just light up," he said.
Kevin Cook of World Vision said Ward's performance was part of an effort to create a "child-friendly space" in the hundreds of refugee camps scattered around the province.
More than 400,000 people are homeless, and many are traumatized, as a result of the massive waves.
"Children who have suffered loss and grief need time to ... switch off from their worries," Cook said.
As Elvo worked the crowd, that strategy seemed to be working.
"I'm happy because there was a magic show," said Azrikal, 7, holding a dog-shaped balloon given to him by Ward. "It's so funny, I've never seen anything like this before."
And the kids weren't the only ones smiling.
"I honestly believe that laughter is the best medicine," Ward said with a grin.