Santiago. Little Amal, the giant puppet that became a symbol of refugee children, began a tour of Chile yesterday after having visited more than fifteen countries such as the United States, England, Canada and Germany, with her message of perseverance and hope. .
Until January 25, Amal will travel more than 4 thousand kilometers through the landscapes of Chile, from the palm trees on the coasts of the center of the country to the arid Atacama desert.
After disembarking from a train in Santiago, the doll was received by hundreds of people at the emblematic Central Station, where she greeted attendees and posed for photos as she began her extensive walk through the South American nation.
Last night he participated in a concert with the Metropolitan Children’s Symphony Orchestra and the Boys and Girls Choir, as part of the opening activities of the International Theater Festival a Mil, one of the main artistic events in the country, which is proposed be a gesture of resistance
through the arts.
His name means esperanza
The puppet, about 3.5 meters and representing a 10-year-old Syrian girl, marches through the streets of several nations as an international symbol of compassion and human rights because it supports displaced people around the world, especially to children who have been separated from their families.
For the director of the Teatro a Mil Foundation, Carmen Romero Quero, it is a privilege to receive this brave little girl
that will give the opportunity to imagine and collectively create each welcome according to the imaginations of each community that receives it throughout the country
.
This is because, during her travels, it is the families and locals of each town visited by Amal who decide how to welcome her according to their traditions, customs and culture.
The giant doll was welcomed in New York with a huge pizza in Central Park, sailed in a trajinera through an ecological park in Xochimilco, in Mexico City, and participated in an animal parade in Toronto.
In Chile, little Amal – whose name means esperanza
– you will meet artists, social leaders, community groups, children and young people in every corner of the country.
It is a very positive experience for children and a very important action to occupy and recover our streets.
agreed several mothers who came with their little ones to the event to welcome the puppet.
Over the course of three weeks, stops are also planned in San Bernardo, the tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama, in the heart of the driest non-polar desert in the world, and the port of Antofagasta, as well as in towns and communities in Chilean territory.
Amal is the protagonist of the project The Walk; Since July 2021 it has traveled to 160 towns and cities in 17 countries and has been welcomed by around 2 million people.
This is the second time that the puppet visits Latin America, after passing through Mexico last year, and it is the first time it has landed in the southern part of the continent.