Atlanta welcomes 12-foot Syrian refugee puppet ‘Little Amal’

Famed puppet Little Amal ventured to several stops in Atlanta and Decatur earlier this week as part of her walk across America, where she was welcomed with open arms by Atlanta residents of all ages.

Created by Handspring Puppet Company, the 12-foot puppet was built in 2021 to represent a 10-year-old Syrian refugee named Amal. As a refugee, Amal journeyed across the globe in July 2021. The puppet became a global symbol of human rights as she connected with people everywhere. Similarly, this year the puppet is venturing 11,000 miles across the United States in Mexico to help humanize displaced children worldwide.

In Atlanta, Amal visited several pop-up venues, including the BeltLine, Buford Highway, Decatur and the Center for Civil and Human Rights. At each tour stop, Amal shared a different part of her refugee story. Khadijat Oseni, an artistic associate on Little Amal’s touring team, said the artists work together to design each installation.

“We co-design and co-create different narratives across the cities that Amal visits to essentially highlight what is important to the people that exist there,” Oseni said.

At the Oct. 10 event at the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the creative team decided to tell the “complicated and dark history” of how Atlanta was built. In tandem with glo, a Southern women-led intersectional artist movement, the touring team decided to evoke the history of the Chattahoochee Brick Company.

The 1970s business, founded by former Atlanta mayor James W. English, was known for its brutal conditions and use of convict labor, specifically Black men. Many workers died working there, and it is believed some are buried at the site.

While the historic site wasn’t available for use, Oseni said the spirit of creating a “new vessel to hold everyone’s stories” carried through at the civil rights center.

Dozens gathered for the afternoon event, titled “A Clay Vessel.” Little Amal started her afternoon adventure at 2 p.m., surrounded by dancers from glo and hand in hand with Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari.

As the child of Iranian immigrants who were displaced from their homes, the council member felt seen and humanized by the puppet.

“Amal, to me, is a resilient, beautiful figure that is meant to humanize the perspectives of these children who are often the most neglected and often the largest minority without a voice in all of this conflict,” Bakhtiari said.

The council member said bringing Little Amal to Atlanta helped depict refugee children’s stories for the city’s residents, especially when discussions of people abroad “dehumanize conflict and turn people against each other.”

Bartolomeo Bartolini, a puppeteer for Little Amal, said the intention of the puppet is to create empathy through people “understanding in the moment what she’s living.”

That intention comes through in her design. Amal looms large, and her face and movements are expressive. She’s operated by four puppeteers, one who sits in her chest and controls her face. Together, they bring Amal to life.

“She is often startled by loud noises that bring her straight back to Syria. Sometimes she thinks she recognizes a friend, an uncle, her heart beats faster,” Bartolini said. “Even though she now has found a safe place to be, she is bound to live in this treacherous world that often frightens and scares her.”

The size and movement of Little Amal make her hard to miss. Oseni said that was intentional — that she had to be that large.

“It’s important to have a vessel that represents stories being large so that it’s unforgettable,” Oseni said. Bartolini added that her size asks the world to become bigger to accommodate and welcome Little Amal.

It was also vital that Amal be free, public art for people across the world. Oseni said the installation can reach more underserved communities that way and introduce them to new ways of thinking.

“It’s a softer entry into giving everybody a seat at the table, directing people in a certain way of thinking, so yeah, you’re gonna feel something when you see it,” Oseni said.

Bakhtiari said they felt hope when they saw Little Amal on Oct. 10. Children danced around the puppet while adults watched Amal discover her surroundings. Some took selfies from a distance while others cheered her on.

“Getting to witness such a diverse group of people, witnessing them come from all over the city of Atlanta and ask questions, engage in and better understand the conflict,” Bakhtiari said. “I think most beautifully there is hope centered in all of this.”

Bakhtiari hopes to take Little Amal’s impact into their ongoing work in Atlanta, with a focus on accessible and free public art for people of all backgrounds.

“Artists are the beating heart of a city,” Bakhtiari said. “Art is meant to be accessible for everyone.”

Check out Kelly Jordan’s photos of Little Amal’s visit to Atlanta.