Produced by Birmingham Rep, Little Amal will make her first-ever visit to Birmingham city centre on Thu 23 Jun. The free event and festivities will begin at 11.30am outside the Council House in Victoria Square before Little Amal then walks across the city centre, through Chamberlain Square, concluding in Centenary Square.
Along the route, joined by drummers from The Rep’s Commonwealth Connections schools project, Little Amal will stop to meet different ‘families’ made up of relatives, friends and community groups for a special photo portrait by acclaimed Birmingham photographer, Dr. Pogus Caesar. Each portrait will be set against giant moveable photo frames that will pop up along Little Amal’s route; photographer Jaskirt Boora will document her journey. Birmingham and West Midlands based community groups taking part include Journey Asylum Seekers Group, Women & Theatre, City of Sanctuary schools, Stories of Hope and Home, Saathi House, RESTORE and Refugee Action. At the conclusion of Little Amal’s walk through Birmingham, all of her new friends will gather for a final group photograph in Centenary Square where she will be presented with a memento of her day in the city.
This theatrical installation celebrates Birmingham’s diverse population and introduces Amal to everything ‘Brummie’.
Rachael Thomas, Executive Director at The Rep said; “We are extremely honoured to be producing Little Amal’s first-ever visit to Birmingham’s city centre, marking World Refugee Week. Little Amal is not only an arresting and beautiful moment for the public to be part of but a rousing symbol of human rights that is so relevant in our world right now. We look forward to introducing Amal to the ‘families’ that make up our rich and vibrant city.”
Little Amal’s New Steps, New Friends tour of England will mark World Refugee Week (19-27 Jun). Her visit will be supported by Birmingham City Council and in partnership with Active Arts.
Since her initial 8,000km journey from Syria, Little Amal, a 3.5 metre puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian girl refugee, has become an international symbol of human rights. She has come to represent the millions of refugee children including those who have been separated from their families.
One year on from leaving Syria and 5 weeks after her visit to Ukraine, she will mark World Refugee Week by visiting 11 towns and cities across England, including Birmingham, meeting old friends and making new ones. Amal will be sharing a message of resilience and hope with anyone who has been forced to leave their homes.
Little Amal will also visit Manchester, Stonehenge, Liverpool, Bradford and Leeds, Bristol, Cheltenham, Canterbury and London. Her journey will end in Kent where she arrived in the UK, standing on the shore in Folkestone remembering the life she left behind and her first days in her new home.
It takes three puppeteers to operate Little Amal, a stilt walker whose legs become Amal’s and who also animates her face, one puppeteer on each of her arms. There is a team of ten puppeteers, some from refugee backgrounds. The puppet is crafted from moulded cane and carbon fibre.
Little Amal represents the millions of refugee children separated from their families. Her urgent message to the world is “Don’t forget about us”.
The Walk is produced by David Lan, Tracey Seaward and Stephen Daldry for The Walk Productions in association with the Handspring Puppet Company and led by artistic director Amir Nizar Zuabi.
New Steps New Friends is supported by Choose Love.
For more information visit birmingham-rep.co.uk.
