It all started with three oranges. One school breaktime in Jimma, western Ethiopia, Bibi and Bichu Tesfamariam saw a teacher throwing fruit into the air. \u201cHe had three oranges and started doing tricks, and me and my brother were like: \u2018Wow, this is the coolest thing we\u2019ve ever seen!\u2019 We didn\u2019t even know what it was called. He told us: \u2018This is juggling,\u2019\u201d says younger brother Bichu, then 13, and now 38. The brothers were desperate to learn. \u201cWe came back the next day with lots of oranges.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the start of a career that has led to the brothers performing around the world, from appearing at the opening celebrations of the Millennium Dome in London to the Fuji Rock festival in Japan. They have juggled at English National Opera and on numerous TV shows. They provided entertainment for 14 years at Giffords Circus before setting up Circus Abyssinia to showcase the talent of other young circus artists from Ethiopia. Their latest show, Tulu, is about to set out on a world tour, starting in London before going to Edinburgh.<\/p>\n
Circus wasn\u2019t a big part of Ethiopian culture when Bichu and Bibi were growing up \u2013 they\u2019d only glimpsed it on TV \u2013 but after that breaktime encounter the pair became obsessed with juggling. The teacher in question was from Canada and brought in a Cirque du Soleil video, which they would diligently copy. He taught them how to make their own juggling balls by cutting a sock in half, filling it with sand or seeds and sewing it up. They would make their own juggling clubs out of wood in the school workshop. \u201cWe\u2019ve still got scars from the blades,\u201d says elder brother Bibi, 40.<\/p>\n
The brothers would perform tricks in the market opposite their house every Thursday and Saturday, drawing a crowd. \u201cIt was fascinating to us, the ways we could keep the balls in the air,\u201d says Bichu. \u201cAnd the reaction from the audience made us want to keep going.\u201d They started training in acrobatics at a local school, and were invited to join a circus tour in South Africa as teenagers. They had found their calling.<\/p>\n
The response from their parents, however, was mixed. Their mum was supportive. \u201cIt kept us out of trouble \u2013 from getting involved in fighting in the street,\u201d says Bibi. But their father, a maths teacher, wanted them to focus on studying. \u201cAfrican parents, their minds are already set: you\u2019ll be a doctor, nurse, engineer, that kind of thing. They had the shock of their lives when we said this is what we wanted to do.\u201d The brothers were determined, though. \u201cThat feeling you get when you perform, the response from the public, it\u2019s addictive,\u201d says Bibi. \u201cOur minds were already made up.\u201d<\/p>\n
That Bibi and Bichu were in it together gave them the confidence to pursue their dreams. The pair are very close; when we speak, Bichu has been in Ethiopia for three months and Bibi is at home in London. It\u2019s the longest they\u2019ve been apart. \u201cI find it really weird,\u201d says Bichu. \u201cHe\u2019s my best friend. Usually we see each other every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the older one, but he\u2019s stronger than me,\u201d says Bibi. \u201cHe\u2019s more stubborn. I\u2019m more calm. Sometimes I give up on things but if he wants something, nothing will stop him, which is a good thing.\u201d Bichu laughs: \u201cI agree, I\u2019m quite stubborn. When we started Circus Abyssinia we had nothing, no setup, but I said: \u2018Right, I want to do our own thing,\u2019 and he believed in me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once the brothers started touring Europe and making money, their dad changed his mind. They moved to London and carved out a successful career, but they knew they wanted to create something to honour their roots. \u201cWe wanted to make circus with our culture,\u201d says Bichu. \u201cWe want to express ourselves, to be us, and not copy western countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having sponsored a circus school back home, Circus Wingate, for almost a decade, they wanted to show how much skill is there. \u201cEthiopia has a very rich culture: all kinds of costumes, dancing, music,\u201d says Bibi. \u201cYes we wanted to use that, but we wanted to prioritise the act. There are lots of African shows where people go to see the costumes and dancing, but we want people to appreciate that these are world-class performers. They can do all this crazy stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of those performers is Betelhem Dejene, 24, known as Betty. She was 10 and on her way to sign up for a karate class when she bumped into a trainer from Circus Wingate, who persuaded her to join his group instead. One look into the room and she was hooked. \u201cSeeing the freedom of the kids, playing and throwing and catching \u2013 I\u2019d never seen anything like that,\u201d she says. Naturally limber, she trained as a contortionist. \u201cI loved experiencing all the things I never knew my body could do. I knew I was flexible but I didn\u2019t know I was that flexible!\u201d<\/p>\n
Circus Abyssinia\u2019s new show is also about celebrating Ethiopian talent \u2013 that of one woman in particular, the distance runner Derartu Tulu. Tulu was the first Black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal, in the 10,000m in 1992. It was a huge moment for African sport: Tulu and South African runner Elana Meyer were vying for the lead, with Tulu striding ahead on the final lap. \u201cThat was the first time we were allowed to stay up late in our house, to watch her run,\u201d remembers Bichu. \u201cIt was very emotional. I remember how passionate she was about her country. Afterwards she was crying her eyes out. It stuck with us for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made you realise that anything is possible,\u201d says Bibi. It chimes with their own story: \u201cTwo young kids passionate about something and making it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show tells Tulu\u2019s story, growing up tending cattle in her village. \u201cShe used to run in the middle of the night, chased by hyenas,\u201d says Bichu. \u201cI want to show Tulu\u2019s strength, determination and courage,\u201d says Dejene, who\u2019ll be playing her. These are qualities that the performers have, too. Woven into the story will be hoop diving, hand-to-hand acrobatics, roller-skating and fire-juggling. Dejene, having given up contortionism after a back injury, decided to try something much more dangerous. She will be the first Ethiopian woman to perform the daredevil Russian swing: a swinging platform that launches acrobats vertically into the air, into multiple somersaults.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about timing,\u201d says Dejene of mastering the apparatus. \u201cYou have to fly at the right moment and you have to focus literally 100% to do it.\u201d Knowing that one bad landing could put her out of action with an injury (or much worse), she says, \u201cIt was very scary at first, but now I\u2019ve got used to the timing it\u2019s OK.\u201d And now she\u2019s nailed it, \u201cI love the freedom of flying, how high I can go\u201d.<\/p>\n
Being part of Circus Abyssinia has had a huge impact on Dejene and the other young performers. For many of them, when they go on tour, it\u2019s the first time they have left the country or been on a plane. And despite what Bibi and Bichu\u2019s dad first thought, the financial benefits can be significant. \u201cI\u2019m supporting myself and my family now,\u201d says Dejene. \u201cMost of our members, they\u2019ve bought a house, bought a taxi, done so much for their families,\u201d says Bichu. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine any of that when I was their age.\u201d<\/p>\n
What are we going to see that\u2019s distinctive about Ethiopian circus, I ask. \u201cWe are a very smiley people,\u201d says Bichu. \u201cEveryone is genuinely really happy to be on stage, to have that opportunity to show themselves, to have that freedom you feel.\u201d While their show is distinctively Ethiopian, what Bichu really loves about circus is its universality. \u201cYou can express yourself without saying anything,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can tell a story without words. It\u2019s an international language. That\u2019s so powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bibi and Bichu Tesfamariam went from juggling at school in Ethiopia to dazzling audiences with their circus skills around the world. So what\u2019s next?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":8399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,2,36],"tags":[7,14,38],"class_list":{"0":"post-8402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-featured","9":"category-lifestyle","10":"tag-apie-project","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-lifestyle"},"yoast_head":"\n