Project in Saxony-Anhalt: much more than a circus

Cartwheeling, headstands, juggling: there is a circus atmosphere in the old industrial hall in Zeitz. But “Circus Upsala” is not a normal circus. Here children from the Ukraine practice with artists from Russia.

The girl’s brown eyes follow three rotating plastic balls. Ann practices juggling. The twelve-year-old Ukrainian squats on a gymnastics mat in an old industrial hall in Zeitz. Above her is written “Circus Upsala” in a black circle with squiggly white letters. Like the artists, he comes from Russia, and they are now mainly trained by Ukrainian refugees in the city in Saxony-Anhalt – where a lot of things still lie fallow.

The gray plaster of the outer wall is crumbling, but the walls in the hall are gleaming white, some of them are paneled with raw spruce boards. In front of it hang unicycles, there are skipping ropes and there is a music system. The circus people renovated the training facility themselves. The “Circus Upsala” is actually based in St. Petersburg. Around 150 children from difficult social backgrounds are currently learning acrobatics there. It is a socio-educational project.

Financed by donations

The circus boss traveled to Zeitz with some colleagues shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine at the end of February 2022. “We had to act and find a way out of this situation,” says Larisa Afanaseva. The project is financed by donations from all over the world and without help from the German state. A total of 60 children can currently train in the hall free of charge.

A boy stands upside down. While it turns red, the child’s legs are flailing in the air. Next to him Goscha kneels, supports and gives tips in Russian. The young artist never wanted to leave St. Petersburg. But when Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization in September 2022, he immediately fled. He’s under 35 and has done military service. According to the decree of the Russian President, he would have been drafted directly.

A terrible idea for Goscha, because his parents are Ukrainians. He spent every summer there as a child. It was also difficult for the trainer to leave the children of the “Circus Upsala” in St. Petersburg, with whom he had worked for years and for whom he was an important person. “A year ago I would have thought I would stay. But when it comes to whether I kill my brothers or abandon my people, I chose the latter.”

Entry from Kazakhstan on a humanitarian visa

Hundreds of thousands of young Russians have fled to avoid going to war. Gosha went to the neighboring country of Kazakhstan. He applied for a humanitarian visa at the German embassy there. This is issued to people who are at risk because of their work against war, for democracy and human rights. According to the Federal Foreign Office, 630 people from Russia received such a visa last year alone MDR-Inquiry notifies. In 2023, after just under 3.5 months, there are already 360. In the year before the war, fewer than ten humanitarian visas were issued to Russians.

After six months, Goscha and other circus artists received visas. They are valid for up to three years. Goscha arrived in Germany just a few days ago. He now assumes that he will never return to his homeland, even though he had to leave his wife and six-year-old child in Russia. He hopes to be able to make up for it soon.

war in the mind

The children with whom Goscha now practices somersaults, cartwheels and balancing are mostly Ukrainian refugees. “We talk to the children about our positions,” says Afanaseva. “In all honesty, we speak about our pain, our criticism and our hatred of the war.” These are important conversations. But the boys and girls should also be given space and time to be children, says the 47-year-old.

Ann hops onto another girl’s back. They piggyback her a few wobbly steps, then they collapse onto one of the blue mats and giggle. Ann fled Kiev with her parents and has been with the circus project in Germany since the beginning. “It doesn’t matter where they come from,” she says of her coaches from Russia. “The important thing about a person isn’t their nationality, it’s their soul.”

In the meantime, some of the Ukrainian parents have also become friends with their children’s coaches – it was not an easy process. “They confirm to us every time: the Russian government is evil,” says one mother. Whenever she has doubts, she talks to the artists. “They keep saying: It’s terrible and they fled the war and the terrible government themselves. So they’re also refugees from their own country, which was their home.”

Zeitz and the hard consequences of the turnaround

Now the “Circus Upsala” is apparently finding a second home. Already in the years before the outbreak of war he was regularly in Germany for performances and projects. Even then, the idea of ​​a branch came up. Afanaseva was looking for a great social challenge – she finally came across Zeitz through a German friend.

The city is located on the southern edge of Saxony-Anhalt and experienced severe de-industrialization after reunification. Many businesses closed, more than a third of the residents moved away. At times, the unemployment rate was well over 20 percent. Zeitz is still struggling with the consequences of structural change to this day.

Now the “Circus Upsala” has big plans for the small town. A center for circus education is to be built in an old industrial hall. Fading red brick, shattered windows and a rusty gate hide a 200-square-meter room with a smooth concrete floor. “For me, this is a good hall for training,” says Afanaseva. The hall could be acquired cheaply.

In a larger hall next door, an event location could be created in cooperation with others. “I think this is a good chance for us to create a hot culture point here,” the boss begins to dream. She is convinced that all of Zeitz would benefit from this. The renovation of the hall would probably cost several million euros, but Afanaseva still believes in the project.

A circus as a great hope for a small town

“I hope that this circus settles in Zeitz,” says Mayor Christian Thieme (CDU). Despite numerous demolitions of prefabricated buildings and buildings in Gründerzeit districts, 23 percent of the apartments in the city are still empty, a total of 5,000. The influx of 1,200 refugees from the Ukraine so far has helped.

“There are more people who pay rent. That is also an important aspect for many,” said Thieme. Even if there are people who see it critically because of the social benefits they have taken advantage of, the positive outweighs the negative for the Christian Democrat: “It shows Germany’s responsibility in Europe and that we are willing and able to accommodate refugees. “

In addition: Thieme sees the circus as the basis for the future, which enriches and enlivens the city. That’s why Zeitz also wrote a letter of support to the Foreign Office to get visas for the artists so that more children could benefit from the training. In the future, according to the will of all those involved, not only Ukrainian refugees but also more refugees from other countries and other German children should learn gymnastics and juggling – preferably in old but renovated halls.