A giant doll raising awareness about the millions of young children caught up in the horrors of war and conflict will walk on Australian soil for the first time after travelling through 15 countries to promote peace. Source: Canberra Times.
Towering at over 3.5 metres tall, Little Amal depicts a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl with long hair.
Little Amal is joining The Walk, an international work added to the line-up of events yesterday set for the 2024 Adelaide Festival from March 15 to 17.
The puppet’s journey began in 2021 when it “walked” 9000km from the Syrian-Turkish border through Europe and to the UK.
Palestinian theatre director Amir Nizar Zuabi, who worked with a team of producers to bring the complex sculpture to life, says the puppet is aimed at humanising the refugee story to be one of community potential and hospitality.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas extended his welcome yesterday to the “world star” on her anticipated arrival.
“As the grandson of Lithuanian and Hungarian refugees, I understand the profound impact when the Australian nation opens its collective heart to the plight of refugees and migrants,” Mr Malinauskas said.
Little Amal has visited about 90 cities worldwide. On September 10, 2021, Little Amal travelled to the Vatican and “met” Pope Francis and Cardinal Michael Czerny.
Cardinal Czerny greeted Little Amal in St Peter’s Square beside the bronze sculpture Angels Unawares, which depicts migrants huddled together on a raft.
“Amal is big and beautiful, and meeting her is a pleasure,” Cardinal Czerny told Vatican News at the time. “But she immediately reminds us that meeting vulnerable migrants, insecure workers and asylum seekers in our midst requires more than just a glance.”
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Not so ‘little’ refugee doll makes its way Down Under (By Belad Al-Karkhey, AAP via Canberra Times)
