Help Diani Mambo Acrobats Build Their Performance Center
0% complete
$9,835 raised of $20K
74 donations
Title: Help Diani Mambo Acrobats Build Their Training and Performance Center
Two years ago, we asked for your help to purchase a small piece of land for the Diani Mambo Acrobats Group. Thanks to your generosity, we succeeded. Today, that land is waiting to become something extraordinary: the first permanent Training and Performance Center for acrobats in Diani.
Please listen to the group's appeal; the video was filmed on the land that your earlier donations made possible:
The center will address several of the most pressing challenges facing coastal acrobats:
- the lack of a safe, all-weather training and performance space;
- the inability to train during the rainy season;
- the absence of a performance venue where troupes can rehearse and perform under hotel-like conditions;
- the need to generate income independent of employment in hotels, where acrobats are underpaid;
- the lack of recognition of acrobatics within Kenya's creative industries; and
- the absence of stable infrastructure that allows the next generation of acrobats to develop.
Because of your support, we were able to purchase the land for the future Training and Performance Center. We have now received an estimate of approximately $15,000 to build the stage and a small building that will house our props, chairs, an office, and provide accommodation for one member of the group to safeguard the property. Because GoFundMe displays the funds already raised for the land purchase, the campaign goal has been increased to $20,000. The first $5,000 has already been invested in the land, and the remaining $15,000 will allow us to complete this first phase of construction.
We invite you to join us in making this dream of the Diani Mambo Acrobats Group come true! Your support will help transform an empty piece of land into a permanent home where future generations of acrobats can train, perform, and build sustainable careers.
Please note: No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.
Below are the materials from our original fundraiser, including information about the group and the successful campaign that enabled us to purchase the land:
Hello, we are the Diani Mambo Acrobats, a group of acrobatic performers based in Diani, Kenya. We came together in July 2021 and formed a self-help group, registered here in Kwale County. Visit our website to watch videos of our performances and learn more about our journey and individual biographies.
Our mission? To preserve the incredible art of Kenyan acrobatics while inspiring and training the next generation of performers. For many years, our dream has been to have our own training and performance center for acrobats. Here is Barro, our chairman, talking about the Center:
We want to train the next generation of acrobats and also offer training to local children and anybody interested in acrobatics.
Listen to Tetez talk about training the next generation:
Kenyan acrobatics is a really great art form that comes out of our traditional culture. Here is Dickson talking about our culture:
We want to celebrate that tradition and also develop acrobatics in new ways. And we want to create jobs for trainers and performers.
So one of the reasons to organize was the training and performance center, which we are now calling Circus Ukunda. Then we received a generous donation from Mary (Long Yan Hui—thank you forever!!), $10,000, which made us feel that we can reach our goal. So we started looking for land. And we found a plot that we like!
With your help, we bought the plot, and now we a seeking funds to build a stage, dig a well, fence the property, and laying the groundwork for even greater things to come.
Your support will help us fulfill our dream of creating Circus Ukunda—a space where acrobatics, tradition, and innovation thrive, and where young people can find inspiration, purpose, and opportunity.
For more information about our group and to stay connected, visit our website. You’ll also find links to our Facebook and Instagram pages where you can see our work in action.
Thank you for believing in us!
(Photo by Sabine Skiba)
(Photo by Sabine Skiba)
(Photo by Sabine Skiba)