Little Amal!

On September 23rd 2023, I had the privilege of watching Little Amal walk through Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan’s campus. For those who do not know, Little Amal is a 12-foot-tall puppet of a young Syrian refugee girl who is on a journey around the world in search of her mother. For many, she has become a global icon representing hope in the face of adversity. But perhaps most importantly, she humanizes the global refugee crisis in a place where it is so often “out of sight, out of mind.”

While we were waiting for Amal’s arrival, the crowd’s excitement was palpable. People of all ages and backgrounds came together to walk alongside Amal, to remind her she’s never truly alone. It is not often I see such a large and diverse group of people at a theatrical event, let alone one that takes place outdoors. All around me, I heard young people ask their loved ones question after question about who they’re about to see – and that’s where the beauty strikes me. Not “what,” but “who.” The magic of Little Amal is that we can connect to her as a person. The puppeteers infuse the 12-foot puppet with enough life to draw in our sympathies. It doesn’t bother us that she’s over twice our size. It is immaterial that her torso is see-through and that there’s a man inside. Nobody bats an eye.

Once we started walking with Amal, no group of people was more engaged than the young people. Many eagerly mounted their loved ones’ shoulders to get a better vantage point, and gleefully asked their new pair of legs to bring them closer to the puppet. I’m sure if you’re reading this blog, you too find something special in child camaraderie, so you’d be unsurprised when I say that watching the children’s tiny hands hold one of Little Amal’s not-so-little fingers tightly was a heartwarming sight.

Our journey with Little Amal was full of music, dance, poetry and joviality. It’s truly remarkable how so many people can connect with and fall in love with a child who doesn’t say a word. It is hard to say whether or not the young people in attendance understood what Little Amal represents politically, but the most wonderful thing is that it doesn’t matter. The young people in the audience love Amal for who she is, no matter where she came from and no matter why she’s here. The Walk with Little Amal is a great reminder that theater is, at its core, a great exercise in human empathy. Further, it was the first post-COVID performance during which I felt truly connected to my fellow audience members. If Little Amal comes to a town near you, I highly encourage you to meet her. You certainly won’t regret it.

Click here to see a list of Little Amal’s upcoming visits, and click here to donate to The Amal Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting refugee and displaced children all around the world.

-Adam Weisman
First Year MFA