Yongoyély

Human pyramids as an act of empowerment, acrobatics on indestructible wood as a symbol of resistance, balancing acts against injustice – Circus Baobab uses the language of the circus in order to highlight the situation of women in Guinea, caught between gender stereotypes, female genital mutilation and self-empowerment. In Yongoyély, everyday objects are used as acrobatic equipment, on which the circus performers give each other support. Stability is created not just through strength, but through trust and community.

Circus Baobab is a circus collective that combines traditional West African acrobatics, dance and drumming with contemporary circus artistry. This African circus works on the intersection of modern entertainment and ritual dances. An acrobatic practice that lives on through ritual gestures or as part of initiation rites: aerial acrobatics, symbolic pyramids, masked dances and sacred drumming dances. Aware of the inevitable transformation of this world, Circus Baobab enter into a dialogue with their history and their culture heritage. They devote themselves to the reinvention of the poetry of movement, while incorporating codes of expression from the younger generation.

Circus Baobab is a contemporary circus collective from Conakry in Guinea, which combines traditional West African acrobatics, dance and drumming with modern circus artistry. The company was founded in 1998 on the initiative of the French filmmaker Laurent Chevallier. The aim was to translate the diverse acrobatic and cultural traditions of West Africa into a professional, contemporary form of circus. Work by Circus Baobab features energetic group acrobatics, human pyramids and a strong rhythmic presence. Since 2021, the company has been further developed under the leadership of Kerfalla Camara and, apart from international tours, is active in the education and support of young people in Guinea.