Since the beginning of her journey in 2021, Little Amal has travelled through over 70 cities and been welcomed at more than 160 unique events, reaching 875,000 people in the 12 countries she visited, and millions more online. Made by the Handspring Puppet Company, who previously worked on War Horse, Little Amal will travel to 11 towns and cities across England in a bid to “rewrite the narrative” about refugees.
Between June 19-27, Little Amal will take part in World Refugee Week by travelling across the country meeting old friends and making new ones. As always, Amal will be sharing her message of resilience and hope with anyone who has been forced to leave their homes.
Little Amal will arrive in Liverpool on June 21, from 12pm-2pm, stopping by Royal Albert Dock to learn about the city’s history of migration. During her visit, she will explore the docks with Tate Liverpool, Maritime Museum and her new friends.
Becoming a guest of honour for two hours, the visit will see Amal welcomed to the dock with support from Liverpool FC Foundation’s Inclusion team, inviting her to put her football skills to the test outside of the Martin Luther King Jr Building. Liverpool FC Foundation’s Inclusion team deliver a Refugee Football programme weekly, providing four sessions to over 150 refugees across the city.
Following this, Amal will make her way down Hartley Quay, towards Tate Liverpool where she will meet 60 children from Smithdown Primary School who will be taking part in art activities. The children are part of the gallery’s Tackling the Blues project, partnered with Edge Hill University and Everton in the Community, which uses arts-based education to support young people aged 6-16 who are experiencing, or are at risk of developing, mental illness.
Little Amal will also visit Ugo Rondinone’s florescent sculpture, Liverpool Mountain, which stands tall at 10 meters in Mermaid Courtyard, making the perfect photo opportunity for Amal to remember her time at Royal Albert Dock. Then, National Museums Liverpool will encourage Amal to become part of the Museum of Liverpool’s community archaeology team at Piermaster’s Green, investigating the lives of people who lived and worked on the docks, before offering the opportunity to reflect on Liverpool’s long maritime history, as well as its links to the transatlantic slave trade.
As a final farewell from her time at the waterfront, Asylum Link, a local choir supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the city, will perform for Amal on the Museum of Liverpool’s steps as the perfect parting gift before she continues her journey with Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre.
Little Amal will finish her visit to Liverpool with a trip to a local primary school where she will join the children playing games and getting creative with art activities. The children include those from families the Everyman and Playhouse have worked in partnership with SOLA Arts to support, as well as those with a refugee background.
Little Amal’s story began in Good Chance Theatre‘s award-winning play, The Jungle, where she opened as a character who represented the hundreds of unaccompanied minors in the Calais camp who were separated from their families. Now, after critical acclaim, Little Amal will be continuing to spread her message in support of young refugees. Find out more about Little Amal’s journey here.