NEW YORK (Reuters) – A giant refugee girl puppet known as “Little Amal” strolled through New York’s Times Square on Friday, raising awareness of the plight of displaced children seeking safety across borders.
The 12-foot-tall (3.66-meter) puppet, whose name means ‘hope’ in Arabic, began its journey from the Syrian-Turkish border in July 2021, met with Ukrainian refugees in Europe and will visit the five boroughs out of town over the next 2-1/2 weeks.
Amal depicts a 10-year-old girl looking for her mother who went off in search of food and never returned, said New York City Department of Education theater director and producer Peter Avery. of Little Amal Walks New York.
“After the Middle East and Europe, the producers of Little Amal chose New York because they said America and Europe are specifically where the ‘huddled masses’ are welcome,” the poem d ‘Emma Lazarus,” Avery said, referring to the words inscribed on the pedestal. of the Statue of Liberty.
Broadway performers and about 200 New York City students serenaded Amal to calm her down in bustling Times Square.
“To see a little…a Syrian refugee being welcomed like a rock star all over the world is so moving,” said Eric Sirakian, who stars in ‘The Kite Runner’ on Broadway.
Designed by the South Africa-based Handspring Puppet Company, Amal comes to life with the help of a puppeteer on stilts inside her bamboo frame controlling the strings that create the puppet’s facial expressions. Each arm is operated by a puppeteer on the outside.
“Little Amal’s message to the world is, ‘Don’t forget us,'” Avery said.