BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — There’s something different about Little Amal. First of all, she’s a 10-year-old girl, a refugee from the ravages of war in her home of Syria. Second of all, she’s not that little. Actually, Little Amal is a 12-foot-tall puppet.
And she's heading to Bed-Stuy.
Little Amal's will stop at Restoration Plaza this Thursday at 4 p.m. as part of a world tour — launched in 2021, when she left the Syrian-Turkey border — and courtesy of hosts from St. Ann's Warehouse and Bed Stuy's Billie Holiday Theater and The Laundromat Project.
Hollis King, creative director at The Billie Holiday Theater, wanted Little Amal to visit Bed-Stuy because of the effect she has on those who meet her, he told Patch.
“They say that it changes an adult into a five year old,” said King. “You feel empathy. You really have to think about your place in the world and how lucky you are to live here.”
Little Amal spreads a message of hope and solidarity with all children who are separated from their families.
Her tour has included meetings with common folk and leaders alike, including the Pope, and a trip to Stonehenge.
Little Amal will arrive on Restoration Plaza accompanied by her stilt walkers, the Brooklyn United Marching Band, and performances led by renowned drummer and musician Talu Green.
Also present will be live poetry performances, singing and dancing performed by the Youth Arts Academy Dancers.
Said King, “There’s a lot to navigate with a puppet that’s 12-feet-tall.”
He added that the event will hold even more salience after the events of the last week, with southern states haphazardly sending asylum seekers on plans to try and score political points.
“Having a refugee puppet in the neighborhood is all part of the current conversation,” King said, “the purpose of art in some ways is to reflect. It's also to change ideas and change opinions and to generate conversation. I think this puppet does that very well.”
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