In the women's prison: play, laugh and imagine to forget

or the first time, Sipar has teamed up with Clowns Sans Frontières Cambodian circus school Phare Ponleu Selpak to offer trois semaines d’ateliers artistiques aux femmes détenues de la prison des femmes du Cambodge – CC2 de Phnom Penh.

Améliorer le bien-être des détenus est l’un des objectifs du programme « Education en prisons » program carried out by Sipar since 2012, which has been going from strength to strength ever since. Prison overcrowding at CC2 exceeds 400%, and conditions are testing both physically and psychologically. This artistic project not only gives the inmates access to culture, but above all enables them to forget the harshness of their environment for the duration of a workshop.

With this in mind, from December 11 to December 29, Sipar, CSF and Phare organized workshops in object theater, puppet creation and manipulation, music and acrobatics. The workshops benefited 22 women and culminated in four performances open to all 1,000 inmates, including prison staff.  "They were able to see what theatrical, clowning and circus work was all about... We made company, as we say back home,"says Garniouze, artistic coordinator of the mission. "I have the audacity to think that we were able to help them escape a little through our workshops. The 22 women were fantastic. The results were there, and so was the ambition,", he adds.

Thanks to Fondation Pierre Bellon for facilitating contact with Clowns Sans Frontières, qui apporte un soutien psychosocial à travers le rire et le spectacle à des milliers de personnes vulnérables à travers le monde. Merci aux détenues de la prison des femmes du Cambodge.