Students at RFK UCLA Community School in Koreatown had a surprising visitor on Wednesday morning: a 12-foot-tall puppet depicting a Syrian refugee girl named Little Amal.
Amal traveled almost 6,000 miles to visit the students as part of her epic journey across the nation to raise awareness and increase empathy for the plight of refugees and migrants worldwide. The trip began in Boston on Sept. 7 and will conclude on Nov. 7 in San Diego, after stopping at more than 35 cities and 100 events.
Amal walks amidst the people thanks to the teamwork of four puppeteers — one holding each arm, one supporting her back, and one walking inside her on stilts while using strings to control her face, head and eyes.
Her agenda in Los Angeles was jam-packed with eight visits to cultural institutions, landmarks and community centers.
Nevertheless she found plenty of time to interact with the students, dance to the tunes of neighborhood orchestra Maqueos Music, and inspire the children to think differently about people who have been forced to leave their homes.
“When an audience encounters Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian girl walking among them, they have a profound experience,” said Danny Feldman, Pasadena Playhouse producing artistic director, who helped coordinate Amal’s visit to Los Angeles. “For us, where the project started about Syrian refugees, it really has expanded to be a statement about disenfranchised people, particularly young people all over the world in different circumstances.”
Before Amal’s visit, students at RFK UCLA Community School spent six weeks exploring themes of migration, and the search for a safe home — and producing their own art in response to those themes.
The project, Amal Walks Across America, is produced by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company, which also guided Amal’s journey through a 5,000-mile walk across Europe in 2021 and through all five boroughs of New York City in…
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