You’ve all heard of “Where’s Waldo” and Flat Stanley, but now there is a new character in town. Come meet Little Amal who is not so little. She is a 12-foot puppet who represents a 10-year old Syrian refugee girl and she is coming to America in general and Hartford in particular to encourage peace and hope for our troubled world.
In 2017 the idea of Little Amal was born. Her birth took place in London at the Good Chance Theatre when a play about an infamous refugee camp in France called “The Jungle” told the tale of thousands of refugees wanting to get to the United Kingdom. It featured a single child named Amal whose only word known in English was “school.”
When a trustee of the theatre David Lan decided to call attention to immigrant rights two years ago, he planned to walk the route a Syrian refugee would take but instead an over-sized puppet of Amal burst to life. Built by South African Handspring Puppet Company, Amal took on a Mexican style who could walk and whose face moved with the help of a trio of puppeteers, including one inside her body. She has an incredibly expressive face that can show emotion even though she cannot talk. Her name means “hope” in Arabic and she is alone on her travels, seeking her mother. She represents our human family, a little child desperate to find her parent. Her walk’s purpose is to highlight not just the devastating circumstances of refugees but also their potential. When you think of Little Amal, remember the amazing puppets for the Broadway play “War Horse.”
As the symbol for human rights, Amal has been welcomed by over a million people in 15 countries from Turkey to Canada, Ukraine to Norway, with the message “Don’t forget about us.” From September 7 to November 5, Amal will travel 6000 miles across the United States, from Boston to San Diego, with a visit to Hartford at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, "when a family of cheeky squirrels test her determination.” Come fill the streets of Hartford, starting at Trinity and Elm Streets, in Bushnell Park, to Gold Street, Main Street, right on Prospect Street, into Burr Mall to share her message of hope. Amal will chase the squirrels as she dances through the music laden streets. Artists from theatre, vocalists, teachers, government and religious groups, even an orchestra, and a group making a patchwork blanket will mark her visit to Connecticut. Go to WalkWithAmal.org for more information. The Amal Fund has been created to raise money for children who have fled persecution and war.
Follow Little Amal as she unites the community, traveling the avenues of Hartford, drawing attention to the pressing needs of immigrants, refugees and those seeking asylum. Come welcome this animatronic child who has been described as “the most ambitious public art project ever attempted,” winning the “Time Out Public Art Award|” in 2021. Little Amal is too big to ignore.
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