CHICAGO — Little Amal, the globetrotting 12 foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, is coming to Chicago this weekend as a symbol of human rights.
The enormous animatronic puppet has trekked over 6,000 miles through 15 different countries, telling the story of a girl forced to leave her home because of war. Performances featuring Little Amal show the hardships migrants face as well as the resilience and fortitude refugees show in the face of immense struggle, according to organizers.
Little Amal is now stopping off in Chicago, which is facing its own humanitarian crisis with the arrival of over 15,000 migrants bused to the city from border states including Texas.
The puppet will be featured in multiple performances throughout Chicago Thursday through Saturday, including an interactive theatrical performance in Uptown, a stop at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen and a sendoff ceremony at Maggie Daley Park.
The project, known as “The Walk,” stops off in various cities across the world and is currently touring America after a European outing in 2021 overseen by The Walk Productions and Handspring Puppet Company.
“For us, she really just encapsulates the stories of our families. She had to leave her homeland of Syria and is searching for her next home,” explained Lauren West of the Syrian Community Network, an organization dedicated to helping recent Syrian and Middle Eastern immigrants resettle in Chicago.
The organization has assisted in coordinating multiple different Little Amal events across the city.
“I think more largely she just represents having to travel far and wide to find a safe and welcome place for herself,” she added. “And now she’s found that in Chicago and our families have found that in Chicago, too. So it’s a nice homecoming in a sense.”
Little Amal will debut in Chicago at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Navy Pier, where she will greet children and local artists in conjunction with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
The puppet will then visit the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., where art inspired by the Syrian civil war by artist Tammam Azzam will be on display.
At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Little Amal will arrive in Uptown’s Margate Park, 4921 N. Marine Dr., to act out the old European folktale “Stone Soup” alongside children from across Chicago, who’ve been crafting the larger-than-life ingredients of the soup.
Soup and Bread, a community-based meal project in Chicago, will be providing free soup from the Syrian restaurant Falafel Kebab Station. Additionally, attendees are encouraged to bring items of most need to donate to the Nourishing Hope food pantry.
The event is being put on by Chicago Children’s Theatre, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Uptown-based CircEsteem, and was connected to the local refugee community through the Syrian Community Network. Uptown has long been a welcoming community for refugees and immigrants.
“We needed to take this to a community that is really so reflective of Little Amal,” said Jacqueline Russell, Artistic Director for Chicago Children’s Theatre. “So we’re going to be able to reach families that otherwise couldn’t access this. So for us, this really became about a community we could serve with this event.”
After the show, Amal will then take the first kick in a youth soccer game organized by the Syrian Community Network.
Other Little Amal events in Chicago include:
- 11 a.m. Friday at 24 E. Lower Wacker Dr., where people are invited to walk the Riverwalk with Little Amal
- 3 p.m. Friday at Jordan Community Elementary School, 7414 N. Wolcott Ave. in Rogers Park, where school kids can play games with the puppet and newly arriving migrant and refugee families can get resources and services
- 7 p.m. Friday at Chicago River near Wolf Point. Little Amal will sail the Chicago River and will be viewable from the Franklin-Orleans Bridge east to Du Sable Lake Shore Drive.
- 6:30 p.m. at Maggie Daley Park, 337 E. Randolph St., where Little Amal will give a farewell performance in conjunction with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.
Check out more details of Little Amal’s itinerary here.
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