1 Feb 2024

Yamoussa Bangoura brings Africa to life in a high-energy circus show

From Nine To Noon, 10:05 am on 1 February 2024

It's the circus - but not as you've seen it before! Yamoussa Bangoura is has brought his home country of Guinea in West Africa to the stage in a high-energy circus show called Afrique en Cirque.

He left Guinea as a teenager to travel the world with various circus companies, adding to his already impressive range of circus skills. He ended up with the renown Cirque Eloize, which is based in Montreal - home to another well-known circus company, Cirque du Soliel.

He stayed based in Montreal while he set up his own circus company Kalabante. And it's a family affair - his brothers and sisters are part of the troupe.

Yamoussa is bringing his Afrique en Cirque to New Zealand as part of the Auckland Arts Festival in March. He joins Kathryn to explain how he got started as a circus performer.

Yamoussa Bangoura, left. Afrique en Cirque, right.

Photo: Wendell Teodoro