About Friends of Yenegew Tesfa Circus

J.J. Hespeler-Boultbee Jeremy Hespeler-Boultbee met the Yenegew Tesfa Circus during his forays into the Highlands of Ethiopia on behalf of the Department of History of the University of Évora, Portugal. He was there to research Portugese influences on Ethiopian architecture during the 16th and 17th centuries.

In 2000, he returned to Canada to reside in Victoria, British Columbia. In 2004, he learned that an old friend, the Rt. Rev. John Hannen, was also living in Victoria. He lost no time in reconnecting, and soon they were meeting with members of Victoria's Ethiopian community and members of various churches to plan ways of helping his friends in the Yenegew Tesfa Circus.

Formed initially by a group of congregationalists of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Friends of the Yenegew Tesfa Circus presently consists of both interdenominational Christians and secular individuals interested in lending their support and effort.

In 2006 the Diocese of British Columbia of the Anglican Church of Canada agreed in Synod to support the effort by making the Yenegew Tesfa Circus a diocesan outreach project. As well as convincing the Diocese to sponor the effort, the Friends of Yenegew Tesfa Circus have thus far toured a promotional presentation of song, dance and video around to various churches of the region, and have held a sold-out Ethiopian Night at one of the downtown churches.

In a largely illiterate country where more than 85% of the population consists of rural agriculturalists, it has been generally recognized – by educators, medical personnel and the Ethiopian Red Cross – that circus as practiced by Wude's group is the single most effective means of educating large numbers of the local population about the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

In November 2007, Jeremy left Victoria to join the history department of Bahir Dar University, and to act as a liason between the Circus and its Friends in Victoria.