How has the jihadist conflict ravaging Burkina Faso destroyed countless childhoods? This is the question that the acrobats of Cirque Dafra try to answer, in their show entitled "Breath".
Presented in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, this show tackles head-on the jihadist nightmares experienced by the children of Burkina Faso.
"For me, Breath speaks above all about humanity, life and, as the title indicates, breath. Because when we talk about life, we talk about hope — and hope is children, confides Jean Adolphe Sanou, choreographer of Cirque Dafra.
For over a decade, the Burkina Faso is prey to abuses by jihadist groups. Children also pay a heavy price, forcibly recruited into the ranks of armed groups.
"The Dafra Cirque company takes a stand against the involvement of children in wars and against the violence inflicted on them during armed conflicts", says Moustapha Konaté, artistic director.
Here, art becomes a weapon to denounce them suffering of the populations — in a context of virtual confiscation of freedom of expression by those who hold the reins of power.
"When I play in Souffle, I feel revolted. This allows me to denounce what I cannot express in words, declares Brice Ismaël Kaboré, artist.
According to a UN report released last year, children have suffered more than any other part of the population spiral of violence in Burkina Faso: more than 2,000 of them suffered serious abuse between 2022 and 2024.
"It is important that artists put on shows on terrorist violence in Burkina Faso. This allows us to measure how much people suffer and how it disrupts their daily lives, testifies Yeli Gnougoh Coulibaly, spectator.
By the sheer force of gestures, the show allowed the acrobats to break the silence on a tragedy playing out far from the spotlight.
