Little Amal, the 12-Foot-Tall Puppet of a Syrian Refugee Girl, to Walk Across America
Over nine weeks this fall, Amal will join 1,500-plus artists at more than 100 artistic events across 35 towns and cities.
By: Stephi Wild May. 31, 2023
Little Amal, the internationally celebrated 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl who visited New York City last fall, and has been welcomed by more than 250 uniquely created artistic events across the globe since she set out on her initial 5,000-mile trek across Europe in 2021, will embark on an epic 6,000-mile journey across the United States this September.
Over nine weeks this fall, Amal will join 1,500-plus artists at more than 100 artistic events across 35 towns and cities. The nationwide journey will begin in Boston, MA on September 7 and culminate on November 5 in San Diego, CA. The journey will take her through the nation’s capital, the Midwest, the South, along the Southern border, north to Los Angeles, and end in San Diego. Additional details will be available over the summer, and updated frequently, at WalkWithAmal.org.
Amal Walks Across America is produced by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company.
“The story of the United States has been shaped by a complex history of migration and movement that touches every corner of the globe,” said The Walk Productions Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zuabi. “But the myriad challenges of today’s interconnected world are forcing many to revisit America’s status as the land of opportunity. Our hope for Amal is that she can spur conversations in communities across the country around the important role of refugees and newcomers in writing the ongoing story of the United States.”
Amal will visit some of the country’s most iconic sites, such as the U.S. Capitol, Boston Common, Joshua Tree National Park, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and other natural landscapes that have become synonymous with the vast expanse and sprawl of the United States. More than 1000 artists and artistic partners will curate local events that reflect the uniqueness of their community, welcoming Amal as she passes through on her journey. Leading cultural institutions will also welcome Amal at each stop, as well as elected and civic leaders, arts and community groups, and school children. National partners for Amal Walks Across America, including the American Library Association, Welcome.US, Welcoming America, and the American Immigration Council, will also leverage their resources to help Amal reach hundreds of thousands of people at artistic-led events throughout the U.S.
The current schedule will trace Amal’s journey across the United States at the following planned stops:
- Boston, MA: September 7-9
- Ashfield, MA: September 10
- North Adams, MA: September 10
- Hartford, CT: September 12
- Philadelphia, PA: September 13-14
- Baltimore, MD: September 15-16
- Washington D.C.: September 17-19
- Pittsburgh, PA: September 20-21
- Cincinnati, OH: September 22
- Columbus, OH: September 22
- Akron, OH: September 23
- Detroit and Dearborn, MI: September 24, 26, 27
- Chicago, IL: September 28-30
- St. Louis, MO: October 1
- Memphis, TN: October 4
- Nashville, TN: October 5-6
- Chattanooga, TN: October 7
- Atlanta, GA: October 8, 10
- Birmingham, AL: October 11-12
- Selma, AL: October 13
- Montgomery, AL: October 13
- New Orleans, LA: October 14-15
- Lafayette, LA: October 18
- Houston, TX: October 19
- Austin, TX: October 20
- San Antonio, TX: October 21-22
- Uvalde, TX: October 24
- Marfa, TX: October 24
- El Paso, TX: October 25-26
- Nogales, AZ: October 27
- Tucson, AZ: October 28
- Joshua Tree, CA: October 29
- Los Angeles, CA: October 31 - November 3
- San Diego, CA: November 3-5
The Walk Productions is led by David Lan and Tracey Seaward. Playwright/Director Amir Nizar Zuabi serves as Artistic Director, Sarah Loader is Executive Producer, and the Associate Artistic Directors are Khadijat Oseni and Enrico Dau Yang Wey.
The U.S. Producing Partner for Amal’s journey is THE OFFICE performing arts+film, a global producing and production company that leverages art for social good. Amal’s Impact and Outreach will be led by The Soze Agency, a social impact creative agency located in Brooklyn, NY. Marketing and advertising for Amal’s journey will be led by Cause Lab, a human-centered advertising agency.
Amal was designed and built by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, creators of the award-winning puppets for the hit show War Horse.
During her 4-month journey across Europe in 2021, Amal was welcomed by hundreds of artists and civil society and faith leaders, including His Holiness Pope Francis, as well as legendary actors Jude Law and Mark Rylance, Speakers of both the House of Commons and House of Lords (U.K.), the Mayor of Marseilles, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. She was also invited by the Mayor of Lviv to visit refugees from the war currently raging in Ukraine. Amal’s walk covered a vast territory, including 65 villages, towns, and cities. In New York City last fall, she was greeted by Mayor Eric Adams, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, actress Whoopi Goldberg and members of the NYC Council Women’s Caucus and participated in more than 50 events organized by artists and community groups across the five boroughs. The New York Times called her “the hottest celebrity in New York right now.”
Since the beginning of her journey, Amal has been welcomed in communities across the globe at various artistic-led events that are authentic and meaningful to the local people she meets. During her travels through Europe, Amal participated in events hosted by prominent cultural organizations and changemakers, including at an installation in Turkey that paid tribute to those who lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean in search of refuge and an appearance at Glastonbury alongside the Refugee Choir Citizens of the World Choir and global rock superstars Elbow. In New York City, she was welcomed at events hosted by world-renowned cultural institutions, including the American Museum of Natural History, St. Ann’s Warehouse, and the Brooklyn Children's Museum. And this summer, Amal will also be welcomed at artist-curated events at the Luminato Festival – Toronto's annual international arts festival – and Olavsfest, the annual arts festival in Trondheim, Norway
An international symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees, Amal is walking across the United States to learn firsthand about a country that has long been a refuge for those seeking safety and opportunity – but is simultaneously struggling with how to manage long-standing issues related to immigration. Amal’s engagement with hundreds of communities across the country will help spark meaningful conversations to help us better understand who we are and where we come from.
Along her epic cross-country 6,000-mile journey, she will meet with a wide range of displaced and disenfranchised people, including North American Indigenous people, communities of color whose contributions to the story of America have historically been overlooked, recent migrants, and the ancestors of earlier immigrants, to learn more about the stories of the American people who established roots in these communities over the last hundred-plus years.
As a public art project, among the largest ever produced, she has been heralded as “one of the most ambitious live artworks ever staged” (The Observer, 2021) and “an international symbol of human rights” (The Guardian, 2022).
Amal is inspired by a character in Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s play The Jungle, about a refugee camp in Calais, France. The Walk 2021 was a co-production with Good Chance Theatre.
“We’ve long believed that artists, grassroots communities, and civic society leaders should come together to make art that matters in the real world,” said The Walk Productions Producer David Lan. “Amal enables that coming together.”
"Little Amal’s arrival during Welcoming Week and her journey through American communities offers a profound moment of reflection for our nation as we grapple with who belongs and who has the freedom to move. We are proud to partner with Little Amal, as our member communities work to extend a warm reception that shows the best of who we can be as a welcoming America," said Rachel Perić, executive director of Welcoming America.
Photo Credit: Respective Collective
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