This ginormous puppet travelled across Europe to spread a message of hope2 min read

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Have you ever noticed that you see an issue plastered all over the news and hear everyone (adults in particular) drone on about it? And then, all of a sudden… Pfft, it’s gone. What do you think happens at that point? Well, the hope is that the issue fixes itself, but unfortunately, that’s rarely true. What really happens is that the next issue pops up and everyone starts buzzing about that.

This almost magical disappearance is precisely what happened with a piece of news that dominated our papers and televisions between 2015 and 2016. That’s right I am talking about Europe’s infamous refugee crisis.

So what was 2016’s refugee crisis?

All through 2015 and 2016, the news was flooded with stories of refugees who had to flee the war-torn nations of Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen just to survive.

One of the major causes of 2016’s refugee crisis At this time, the Arab nation of Syria was undergoing a brutal war between its government and some of its people that left no room for ordinary

As they all rushed to Europe, a crisis came along. While some countries like Germany, Greece, and Turkey welcomed refugees with open arms, others felt threatened. They did not feel nations had enough space or jobs for millions of new people.

As a result, many refugees were left homeless, living in terrible conditions in temporary camps that have been set up by governments and various peacekeeping organisations.

Then, slowly the troubles of these refugees became so routine that the news stopped talking about it and the world moved on to other problems. However, the refugees’ struggle never went away. In fact, they only got worse. By 2019, even the countries that were allowing refugees to join their societies felt that they no longer had jobs or space for these helpless people. And in 2020, as the Covid pandemic consumed the world, refugees were left with little care or help. And that’s why this ginormous puppet, Little Amal, took an 8,000-kilometre-long journey to bring people’s attention back to this pressing issue that never went away.

Little Amal

Alright then, the time has come for us to meet Amal, the little yet huge puppet. Amal, whose name means ‘hope’, is a part of the world’s grandest theatre project known as ‘The Walk’. The story of the walk is simple. Amal is a 9-year-old refugee who has fled the war in Syria but has lost her mother. Her walk from Turkey to England is a search for her mother and a home.