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Little Amal has been welcomed in the UK as she approaches the end of her journey from Syria, which started in July 2021. The travelling installation has helped to raise awareness of the plight of refugees, making an incredible impact that has spanned countries and continents.
Little Amal, a young refugee, has embarked on a remarkable journey – an epic voyage that is taking her across Turkey, across Europe. To find her mother. To get back to school. To start a new life. Will the world let her? Can she achieve what now seems more impossible than ever?
Following the phenomenal international success of The Jungle, Good Chance, in collaboration with world-famous creators of War Horse Handspring Puppet Company, is presenting its most extraordinary work yet: The Walk – a travelling festival of art and hope in support of refugees, with Artistic Direction from Amir Nizar Zuabi.
In 2021, from the Syria-Turkey border all the way to the UK, The Walk is bringing together celebrated artists, major cultural institutions, community groups and humanitarian organisations, creating one of the most innovative and adventurous public artworks ever attempted.
At the heart of The Walk is ‘Little Amal’, a 3.5 metre-tall puppet of a young refugee girl, created by the acclaimed Handspring Puppet Company. Representing all displaced children, many separated from their families, Little Amal is travelling over 8,000km embodying the urgent message “Don’t forget about us”.
At this time of unprecedented global change, The Walk is an extraordinary artistic response: a cultural odyssey transcending borders, politics and language to tell a new story of shared humanity – and to ensure the world doesn’t forget the millions of displaced children, each with their own story, who are more vulnerable than ever during the global pandemic.
Little Amal is a 9 year old refugee who has fled her war-torn country and is in search of her mother. There are tens of thousands of Amals, boys as well as girls, who need to find their way into education and to rebuild their lives. To try to help we’ve launched The Walk’s Amal Fund which will be administered by our close colleagues Choose Love. Amal means hope in Arabic. If you’ve been moved by Amal’s journey help young refugees like her find a more hopeful future.
Little Amal arrived in the UK earlier in October and the reception has been wonderful, with droves of well-wishers attending the welcoming events. Little Amal arrived firstly in Folkestone, which is a town on the English coast. This location is significant as this area is often where refugees who have crossed the treacherous English Channel from Europe will first set foot in the UK.
Additionally, there has been mounting controversy from right-wing politicians and media outlets in recent years specifically over this area in the UK as they question whether there should be provisions for welcoming and saving the lives of refugees who arrive at or near the English coast in these perilous conditions. The conversation has continued around questions of human rights that have been highlighted by Little Amal’s walk. Beth Gardiner-Smith, CEO of Safe Passage explains:
“At a time when public debate is so polarised, and safe and legal routes for refugees are being closed down, art has a critical role to play in changing the conversation and bringing people together. We hope that The Walk will shed new light on the journeys refugees are forced to take and galvanise support for a world where everyone seeking asylum has access to a safe passage.”
After travelling all the way from Turkey, Little Amal has made it through Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. Arriving in Dover/Folkestone in the UK, the journey continued to Canterbury, Lewisham, Central London, Oxford, Coventry, Birmingham, towards the north of England and will culminate in Manchester in November.
There are events taking place as Little Amal arrives and heads north in England towards her final destination in Manchester on 3rd November, while there is an interactive exhibition taking place in Athens, Greece titled One Step Forward. You can find out more here.
To donate there is The Amal Fund which has been created with grassroots refugee aid organisation Choose Love, both of which gratefully receive donations put to meaningful effect. Choose Love has a store where you can purchase urgently-needed products and services from hot meals to mental health support. They also sell branded merchandise whereby 100% of profits are spent on the cause.
You can also check out Craig Leo talking to us in Episode 42 of the TheatreArtLife podcast about why this project is so important
“Art affirms our shared humanity regardless of language, culture, finance or education. We believe that The Walk has the power to create lasting change. By telling the stories of people who are often marginalised, feared or pitied we can help transform their lives and our own.”
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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