Zach Warren

Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children

Laughter in a Time of War

Zach Warren

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In the Fall of 2005, Zach Warren set the World’s Record for running the Philadelphia marathon--while juggling!

In 2006, he is gunning to set another world’s record for the fastest 100 miles on a unicycle, a record that has stood for almost 20 years. In the summer of 2005, Warren, a native of West Virginia, traveled to Afghanistan to work with children as part of the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children. All this while a student (and "laugh researcher") at Harvard Divinity School.

In this second installment in his series on Play, Globeshakers host Tim Zak asks this World Record holder to describe what gives him the inspiration to pursue these feats of extreme endurance. What role does “play” have in the health of the planet? And ultimately, what has he learned about what it takes to re-build an entire country? "One of the first casualties of war" says Zach Warren, "is imagination."

In one of the most war torn regions in the world, the Afghan Mini Mobile Children's Circus (MMCC) serves as a child protection program to help Afghan children recover from the traumas of war. The MMCC, a Danish-registered NGO, is run by native Afghans. It helps children to be more self-directed in creating their own dreams for the future through theatre and the arts. So, what is the role of the jester in a time of extreme danger?

“If we’re really serious about building a democracy in this country," says Warren "then we need to protect their imagination. This is the seed of entrepreneurship.”