Little Amal Visited St. Louis
By Marisa Tesoro
St. Louis welcomed Little Amal with an afternoon full of song and dance.
She made her way onto the Arch Grounds, and a crowd of people greeted her with bubbles, posters, and literal open arms. She was all too ready to embrace those who were so excited to embrace her, giving out hug after hug.
The group then led her up to the Arch and down to the riverfront where a lineup of speakers and performances was waiting for her.
Musical performances by COCA Allegro, The Phil Woodmore Singers, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Choir, The St. Louis Women’s Chorale, The Muny, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, New Sunny Mount Music Ministry, COCAdance, and Studio Point seamlessly flowed from one to the next as Amal danced along.
She was also welcomed by other community leaders and the Mayor of St. Louis!
Dr. Philip Woodmore coordinated the effort in St. Louis and even composed an original song called Heartland, “a folk music-like song which offers a message of welcome to Amal and pride for our great city.”
Who is Little Amal?
Little Amal is a 12-foot puppet symbolizing a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl who has traveled across 13 countries meeting more than a million people. This fall, she will journey 6,000 miles across the United States and join 1,500-plus artists at more than 100 artistic events across 35 towns and cities in one of the largest free public festivals ever created.
Little Amal—whose name means 'hope' in Arabic—began her journey from the Syrian border and carries a message of hope for displaced people everywhere, especially children. Her urgent message is simple – “don’t forget us.”
She is inspired by a character in Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s play The Jungle, about a refugee camp in Calais, France. The Walk 2021 was a co-production with Good Chance Theatre. Amal Walks Across America is produced by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company.
Her journey began in Boston on September 7th and culminated in San Diego on November 5th. Along the way, Amal visited Boston, Ashfield, North Adams, Hartford, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery, New Orleans, Lafayette, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Uvalde, Marfa, El Paso, Nogales, Tucson, Joshua Tree, Los Angeles and San Diego.