Breaking Down Boundaries with Art

Can a giant puppet inspire us to think big and to act bigger?

Jun 18, 2023

“It is because the attention of the world is elsewhere right now that it is more important than ever to reignite the conversation about the refugee crisis and to change the narrative around it. Yes, refugees need food and blankets, but they also need dignity and a voice. The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances. Little Amal is 3.5 meters tall because we want the world to grow big enough to greet her. We want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.”-Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director of The Walk

See

The heroic journey of Little Amal

In 'The Walk,' a massive theater piece spanning eight countries and 5,000 miles, a giant puppet of a refugee girl named Amal travels all across Europe looking for her mother.
Source: CNN

Say

At least 89.3 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 27.1 million refugees, around 41 percent of whom are under the age of 18. (UNHCR)

How might you feel seeing Amal walk through your community?
Amal’s creators were not involved in politics but believed she could bring hope to refugees. What impact do you believe she might have on the communities who experienced her?
Not all communities received her with open arms. In Larissa, Greece she was egged and stoned. (ekathinmerini) How do you think she would be received in your community? Why?

Do

Little Amal is actually not so little after all!
A giant puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian refugee has completed a journey of 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from the Turkish-Syrian border to the UK. Little Amal, who is 11.5ft (3.5m) tall, trekked through 65 European cities, towns, and villages to shine a light on the plight of young migrants. (BBC)

Watch how she was made!
Measure 11.5 feet on the wall and mark it. Imagine standing next to Amal!
Walk with Little Amal in the United States from 9/7-11/5, 2023 Learn more!
Read “Four Months, 5,000 Miles: A Refugee Puppet Looks for Home” (NYTimes)

About the Artist: Amir Nizar Zuabi

Amir Nizar Zuabi is an award-winning theater director and playwright and the founder of the Palestinian theater company, ShiberHur.

He has worked on numerous theatrical productions, including I am Yusuf, Three Days of Grief, Grey Rock, Jidarriya, and The Comedy of Errors. Previously, he was an associate director of the Young Vic, a member of the United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement, and an alumnus of The Sundance Institute Theatre Program.

In April 2021, Zuabi became artistic director at Good Chance, a London-based theater company that is producing "The Walk," a theater project documenting the puppet Amal's journey across Europe. (TED Talk) He is also currently creating a show for the Riksteatern Theater in Stockholm, Sweden, and writing a play for London's National Theatre. (npr.org)

Through theatre and art, Good Chance creates new kinds of communities, collaborating with artists from across the world and connecting people, stories, and cultures.

WHAT WE DO

Through theatre and art, Good Chance creates new kinds of communities, collaborating with artists from across the world and connecting people, stories and cultures.

DISRUPT • We redefine what art can do in the 21st century through the spaces, productions and programmes we create.

EXPLORE • We go to places where others don’t and where expression is under threat, finding new and untold stories.

INNOVATE • We create groundbreaking ways of bringing different people together.

WELCOME • We embrace every individual’s unique traditions and skills.

CONNECT • We build communities which become stronger than the sum of our individual parts.

CREATE • We make world-leading work about the great challenge of living together now, building a crucible of stories of global and national relevance. (thegoodchance.com)

Please share your reflections with me by replying to this post and tagging my Wonder Wander Facebook or Instagram pages!