Circus comes to Afghanistan

The Afghani capital has truly come into the world of high entertainment with the arrival of the circus.

It is not quite Barnum and Bailey: The tent is ripped, the ropes are frayed, the trapeze artists balance on rickety boards and tightrope walkers sway only 4 feet off the ground.

But for the audience in Kabul, such details are irrelevant, the Chicago Tribune reports. With wide eyes, people watch the performers, and laugh at the clowns' slapstick antics and clap when the announcer tells them to do so, the report said.

"I have never seen this before, not even on television," says Abdul Manan, sitting in a plastic chair in the front row. "I cannot wait to see what will happen next."

A $1 admission will get a patron two hours of entertainment. The circus tent is near a stadium where the now-deposed Taliban regime chopped off the hands of thieves.

Besides the circus, Kabul also has a zoo, movie theaters and even television channels, in addition to cricket and soccer games. There is even a golf course and at least one pool hall, the Tribune said.

© Copyright 2005 by United Press International