Amal’s must-see trip | Press

A little Syrian refugee, Amal, 10, has truly deserved royal treatment since arriving in Britain on Tuesday.

Hollywood star Jude Law reached out to help him get off the boat from France. In Dover, a concert was given in his honor. A cake by celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi was waiting for him at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to mark his birthday.

You will have understood that Amal is not a refugee child like the hundreds of others who are trying these days to cross the Channel to reach the country of Boris Johnson. Far from being expected with fanfare, the latter must turn to smugglers if they want to reach Great Britain. The Conservative government has just ended special measures that allowed refugees under the age of 18 to obtain asylum from Europe in a safe manner.

No, Amal doesn’t have that kind of challenge. She is in fact a large 3.50 meter puppet following the refugee route, accompanied by a small army of artists.

In search of her mother, she left the Syrian-Turkish border on July 27, crossed mainland Europe and is about to complete her trek in Manchester on November 3. After 8000 km.

She is the theatrical embodiment of the 50 million children around the world who have been forced to leave their homes to escape war and persecution. Specifically, it represents the 12,000 unaccompanied minor refugees who reached Europe last year, according to the most recent statistics from UNICEF.

And as for them, his journey has not been easy.

In Greece, where the issue of refugees and migrants is explosive, far-right activists threw stones and objects at her as she strolled through the streets. In the same country, she was banished from a city.

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In France, the mayor of Calais asked that she go on her way, allowing her to visit only one district. This city is, however, one of the symbols of the European migration crisis. In makeshift camps known as “the jungle”, thousands of migrants survive in hopes of making the crossing to Great Britain.

Moreover, it was in a play staged with the refugees in Calais by the theater company Good Chance that the character of Amal appeared for the first time. “This little Syrian refugee who said she wanted to go to school remained in our hearts and we wanted to pay tribute to her,” says Claire Béjanin, who was involved in the original project and who produced the march. d’Amal in France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium.

The theatrical woman, who has worked many times in Montreal on projects presented by Usine C, believes it would be a monumental mistake to keep only the rejections that Amal received during her trip.

Despite the pandemic, tens of thousands of citizens, artists and personalities came to meet the great puppet and offered him the best of themselves.

Claire Béjanin may argue that the project is artistic and not political, the fact remains that Amal often sets foot where it hurts.

See photos and videos of Amal’s walk on Instagram

In Marseille, Amal arrived by sea, accompanied by people from SOS Méditerranée, an organization that retrieves migrants in distress in the Mediterranean Sea. Since the start of the year, at least 1,370 people have died attempting the crossing. Despite its importance, the work of SOS Méditerranée is carried out in the face of adversity, with the European Union constantly putting obstacles in its way. Amal’s journey made thousands of people cheer on the workers of the non-governmental organization. A rare balm.

In fact, this whole ambitious project is intended to be an antidote to the political tensions with regard to refugees that can be observed throughout Europe and the Western world.

This is what makes it moving and of immense relevance.

Visit the Petite Amal website