20/07
This morning we met two UNHCR colleagues, Winnie and Martin, who took us to a refugee center for people from the Congo in Viana, Luanda.
There, 200 children were waiting for us, sitting quietly with eyes full of curiosity. They had decorated the space with colorful balloons to mark a festive day.
Because the space was so small, we felt their presence very closely and could see how, as the show went on, their eyes began to open wider and shine with happiness.
When the performance ended, it coincided with the moment water bottles were being distributed. We witnessed the harsh reality of their needs, as they fought over a single bottle—setting their innocence aside.
In the afternoon, we went to a second refugee center in the Popular neighborhood of Luanda.
There, parents and children were waiting for us—seated in an orderly way and ready to enjoy the show.
Little by little, they began to enjoy the performance, and through laughter, they released their tension—until everyone in the audience ended up dancing a conga line with us.
21/07
Today at 3:30 a.m. we woke up to catch a flight to Dundo, a land traditionally known for its diamonds and now a place of refuge for people fleeing the Congo.
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we headed to Chitato Hospital.
We found that the hospital was in terrible hygienic conditions, and there was no running water.
What impacted us most was the emotional state of the children—their eyes were filled with deep sadness.
After the performance, we felt that we had helped lift the atmosphere a little, and the presence of the clowns was clearly felt.
In the afternoon, we went to a recently built hospital, but with very limited staff and a lack of medicine, which makes providing care extremely difficult.
We dressed up in our best clown costumes and set off together, the four of us like a street parade, going room to room calling out to patients and their companions to invite them to the show we had lovingly prepared.
After a short tour through the rooms to spread the word, we gathered in a hall with the parents and patients and performed the show.
22/07
After a 1.5-hour drive, we arrived at the Lovua refugee camp, where 13,000 people from the Congo live in tents with rationed food and water.
We had to wait to begin the show until people finished their prayers in some of the 142 churches within the camp.
We noticed that some children climbed trees just to watch us perform.
At the end of the show, we joined a local theatre group from the camp to share the stage, doing a few improvisations and dances together.
We’re now heading into the final stretch of the expedition!
Written by Núria, Marta, Éric, and Héctor during their expedition in Angola in 2018.
