Little Amal will arrive in the city with a powerful message.
Embarking on an incredibly lengthy 5,000 mile journey from Syria, a giant puppet of a young girl is set to walk to Manchester (with stops in Lewisham and Central London) as part of a huge art project, and it’s for a very touching cause. [Featured image: Walk With Amal | Bevan Roos]
Made by the Handspring Puppet Company, who previously worked on War Horse, Little Amal will travel across Europe in a bid to “rewrite the narrative” about refugees, embodying the important message “Don’t forget about us” as she pushes through her important journey.
After crossing the Turkey-Syria border, Amal will make her way through Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, before arriving in Dover. From there, stops at Folkestone, Canterbury, London, Oxford, and Coventry follow, before Amal arrives in Manchester this November, with free public events taking place to welcome her in each town.
Speaking of the project, Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director of The Walk said: “It is because the attention of the world is elsewhere right now that it is more important than ever to reignite the conversation about the refugee crisis and to change the narrative around it. Yes, refugees need food and blankets, but they also need dignity and a voice.
“The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances. Little Amal is 3.5 metres tall because we want the world to grow big enough to greet her. We want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.”
Little Amal’s story began in Good Chance Theatre‘s award-winning play, The Jungle, which premiered at London’s Young Vic Theatre back in 2017, before a West End run the following year. Amal opened as a character who represented the hundreds of unaccompanied minors in the Calais camp who were separated from their families. Now, after critical acclaim, Little Amal will be continuing to spread her message in support of young refugees. You can find out more about her journey, and support The Walk, here.