Barcelona, october 2025
Clowns Without Borders is launching three new simultaneous expeditions to Ukraine, Armenia, and Ethiopia with the goal of bringing joy to displaced and refugee children, and to families living in vulnerable contexts.
In Ukraine, where the escalation of the conflict with Russia continues to have devastating consequences for the population, a team of four artists will travel to offer performances that turn laughter into a form of resistance and hope. Currently, 3.7 million people are displaced within the country, and 6.9 million are living as refugees abroad. Daniel Cercós, Karkön, Miner Montell, Luara Mateu, and the president of the organization, Tortell Poltrona, will travel there.
In Armenia, the project focuses on supporting communities affected by the prolonged dispute with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Many families displaced from this area are currently living in vulnerable conditions. The expedition—made up of Daniel Foncubierta, Linda de Berardinis, Marina Benites, and Otto Monedero—aims to promote social cohesion between the local population and displaced families through the universal language of humor and shared joy.
Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, the country is hosting thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan, a war that has caused more than 11 million displacements and a severe food crisis. The team of artists will perform in the Assosa region (Benishangul-Gumuz), a key humanitarian corridor where they will visit the Ura, Tsore, Sherkole, and Bambasi refugee camps—places where local communities share their resources with refugees. Albert Grau, Diana Pla, Moisès Queralt, and Pau Segalés make up the clown team that will travel to Ethiopia to spread smiles.
With these three expeditions, Clowns Without Borders reaffirms its commitment to children and to the right to joy as a basic need in any context, demonstrating that laughter can be a powerful tool for care, resistance, and collective hope.
Photography: Ethiopia 2018.
