A giant refugee girl puppet, known as “Little Amal”, walked around New York City's Times Square on Friday, raising awareness of the plight of displaced children seeking safety across borders.
The 3.6-metre-tall puppet, whose name means “hope” in Arabic, started her journey at the Syrian-Turkish border in July 2021, met Ukrainian refugees in Europe and will visit New York's five boroughs over the next two and a half weeks.
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A giant puppet walks on a street in Gaziantep, Turkey. -
The 3. 5 metre Syrian refugee puppet will walk across Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the UK to focus attention on the urgent needs of young refugees. -
The puppet is part of 'The Walk,' an art initiative that will travel 8,000 kilometres in support of refugees. -
The puppet's name is Amal, Arabic for 'hope'. -
Amal's aim is to draw attention to all displaced children, many separated from their families, whose plight has been overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic. -
Little Amal's journey embodies an urgent message: 'Don't forget about us'. -
Amir Nizar Zuabi, the initiative's artistic director, says the goal is to highlight 'the potential of refugees'. -
Many of the puppeteers are former refugees. -
Communities will stage cultural programmes by local artists along Amal's journey. -
It takes a total of four puppeteers to animate Amal: one for each arm, one for her back and one inside her body, walking on stilts.
Amal represents a 10-year-old looking for her mother who set out in search of food and never returned, said Peter Avery, director of theatre for the New York City Department of Education and producer of Little Amal Walks New York.
“After the Middle East and Europe, the producers of Little Amal chose New York because they said America and Europe specifically are where the 'huddled masses' are welcome, the Emma Lazarus poem,” said Mr Avery, referring to the words inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
Broadway performers and about 200 New York City pupils serenaded Amal to calm her in bustling Times Square.
“To see a little … Syrian refugee girl being welcomed like a rock star all over the world is just so moving,” said Eric Sirakian, who stars in The Kite Runner on Broadway.
Designed by the Handspring Puppet Company based in South Africa, Amal comes to life with the help of a puppeteer on stilts inside her bamboo frame, controlling strings that create the puppet's facial expressions. Each arm is operated by a puppeteer outside.
“Little Amal's message to the world is, 'Don't forget us,'” Mr Avery said.
