As I boarded the arrivals terminal at Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday, little Amal peeked out from above the metal barrier, wide-eyed. She looked to her left, then to her right, clutching a large green suitcase with rainbow and sun stickers on it. She was a little nervous and a little lost, as is often the case with newcomers to New York City.
But then some music. As Little Amal slowly made its way through the terminal, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and its music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, along with a children’s choir, began playing welcome music. It is the final chorus of Philip Glass’s opera Satyagraha, about Gandhi’s childhood. The title loosely translates to “Resistance”.
Amal, a 10-year-old Syrian refugee doll, seemed to be glued to the music. Many travelers passing by with suitcases suddenly seemed to be glued to the 12-foot-tall figure towering in front of them. Still, she was timid and slightly hesitant to approach the orchestra. At least, that was until a chorus member — a girl in a sunflower yellow shirt — approached her and took her hand.
Amal traveled all over Europe and met Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Now she’s heading to the Big Apple with big plans: for the rest of the month, she’ll be touring all five of her districts, visiting children, artists, politicians, and community leaders to help her starts looking for his uncle. Her creators hope to help highlight the experiences, hardships and beauty of millions of people. refugees.
Her long walks in New York City include more than 50 welcoming events, like at the airport on Wednesday. Ride the Island Ferry, dance the streets of Washington Heights, and find yourself in a Syrian wedding procession at Bay Ridge.
“She will make visible what people don’t want to see,” said Amir Nizar, artistic director of Walk Productions, which has exhibited public art including Amal with St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. Zabi said.
Amal traveled the considerable 5,000 miles from Turkey to England last year to find her mother. And on Wednesday, when she stepped into her arrival terminal, she was greeted by a prestigious welcoming committee.
“Opera is about dreaming and about reflecting our world,” Nezet-Séguin told The New York Times before the welcome. “Especially in the last few years and months, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has shown how important it is to welcome everyone to the Opera House and to be truly up-to-date and connecting with everyone around the world. I came.”
“I know this is going to be a very moving event,” he added.
For those unfamiliar with Little Amal’s story and her journey, let’s take a look at who Amal is, where she’s going, and why.
Completion of Amal
Amal, whose name means ‘hope’ in Arabic, is run by up to four people, including one on stilts. Designed by South Africa-based Handspring His Puppet Company, Amal is delicate, with arms and upper body made of bamboo canes that require occasional grooming.
The puppets are the protagonists of a traveling theater project intended to remind the news-weary public about children fleeing violence and persecution. Syrian refugees have received considerable attention as they fled the country in 2015 and 2016. European walks followed routes similar to those taken by some escaped Syrians.
As it happens, Amal began her European walk in the summer of 2021, shortly after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, fueling a new migration crisis in Europe. For four months, Amal traveled across continents, stopping at refugee camps, town squares and London’s Royal Opera House. To date, she has participated in over 190 events in her over 80 towns, cities and villages in her 12 countries.
“We were really blown away by the number of people who took to the streets to welcome her,” Zuabi said in a recent interview conducted via Zoom. While we are talking at the level of the city, it has become very clear that people in the city are willing to get involved.”
Currently, Amal continues her journey in New York.
“The spirit of New York, or at least the way it perceives itself, is this great human effort produced by wave after wave of immigration,” said Zuabi. , and celebrate how the stories have come together for growth and culture. was.
“How would you like her?” he added. “I really hope that in this very busy, very hectic city, people will take a moment to empathize and reach out to each other through this stranger.”
As in Europe, many of Little Amal’s stops are planned and include visits with artistic and organizational leaders. Other encounters may be more spontaneous. Plans are underway to later cross the United States, according to sources.
“It’s a big theater show that’s free on the street,” says Zuabi. “You don’t have to go all the way to a fancy theater to change clothes. You can walk in your pajamas if you want.”
July 2021: Turkey
Amal’s first stop was Gaziantep, a city in southern Turkey just 40 miles from the Syrian border. It is where many Syrian refugees settled. One time she visited a park where Syrian children sang her songs to her. Another group gave her a handmade trunk full of gifts from her travels.
August 2021: Greece
Amal met resistance in Greece.she was going to visit greece world heritage Meteora is known for its Orthodox monasteries perched on towering rocks. However, the local council banned her planned picnic on the grounds that “Muslim puppets from Syria” should not be played at places of importance to Greek Orthodox followers. is not specified.)
Later in Larissa, in central Greece, People threw eggs, fruit and even stones at AmalThen in Athens, the event she planned sparked protests and dissent.
September 2021: Rome
Upon arriving in Rome, Amal went to the Vatican, strolled around St. Peter’s Square, embraced a bronze statue depicting 140 immigrants, meet Pope Francis, Advocate for the voice of refugees. She made her way to one of Rome’s most famous theaters, the Indian Theater. Paintings, collages and digital works by Syrian artists were exhibited there. Tamam Azzam Flash up to the wall behind her. The work was a nightmarish vision of the war-torn home she left behind.
October 2021: France
In the town square, where locals leaned out of their apartment windows, Amal danced to music played by a group of refugee and immigrant rappers. She then headed to the beach where she was joined by 30 other dolls of hers that were the same size as her. Joyce DiDonato, an American opera singer, gave a serenade.
November 2021: England
To cap off her long journey, Amal traveled to Manchester where thousands of fans awaited her at the Castlefield Bowl. As she took her final steps, a flock of wooden puppet swallows surrounded her, revealing an image of her female face in her smoke.
“Miss, you are far away. You are very far from home. It’s cold. Please keep me warm,” a soft voice echoed in Arabic. “I am proud of you.”
May 2022: Ukraine
Since completing her 2021 trip, Amal has traveled to Lviv and several Polish cities to visit children and families of Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
September 14th and 21st: Queens
After arriving at Kennedy Airport on Wednesday, Little Amal packs a big suitcase and leaves for Jamaica in Queens. She may get help moving around town from friends at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. But how will she spend her days in Astoria when dawn breaks?
Little Amal will return to Queens on September 21st to visit Corona and Jackson Heights.
September 15th to October 1st: Manhattan
Little Amal never leaves New York City without seeing all the sights. While she was in Manhattan, she planned visits to Grand Central Terminal, the New York Public Library, Times Square, Lincoln Center, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Later in the trip, she goes to City Hall and visits Washington Heights, Harlem, Chinatown, and several other neighborhoods.
September 19th to October 2nd: Brooklyn
Amal has some roots in Brooklyn, after all.In 2018, St. Anne’s Warehouse staged the Off-Broadway play The Jungle, introducing the character of Amal.
the play is return to St. Anne’s early next year.
“We needed her here, so we left,” said president and artistic director Susan Feldman. St. Ann’s Warehouse, organizer of Little Amal’s New York Walk.
“If you ask me what’s the best thing to do, you want to walk with her,” Feldman said. “The best moment is when people see her for the first time.” .”
While in the borough, Amal will stop by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Greenwood Cemetery, and several Brooklyn neighborhoods. She also visits St. Anne’s Warehouse on numerous occasions, including her final day in the city on October 2nd.
September 25th and 26th: Bronx
Amal visits Motthaven in search of the waterfront. She is also interested in crossing high bridges, but may need help from the community to overcome her fear of heights.
September 30: Staten Island
Amal boarded the Staten Island Ferry to Snug Harbor where she was welcomed by the parade.
Alex Marshall contributed the report.