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Little Amal arrives in Geneva

Little Amal puppet
The huge puppet's European tour aims to raise awareness of the plight of young refugees. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Little Amal, a huge puppet representing an unaccompanied Syrian refugee, arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday as part of a journey across Europe to focus attention on the plight of refugees and young unaccompanied children.

The 3.5-metre-high (11-feet) puppet and team are following an 8,000-kilometre (5,000-mile) route from Gaziantep in Turkey via Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium before ending in Manchester, UK, on November 3.

On Tuesday the puppet and team of assistants walked through Geneva’s international district outside the European headquarters of the United Nations, accompanied by excited school children, and along Lake Geneva.  

The project, called “The Walk”, is being organised by the British non-governmental association Good Chance.

Little Amal, created by the acclaimed Handspring Puppet Company, will spend Tuesday night at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva. The entourage will then visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on Wednesday before continuing the journey across Europe.

Little Amal by Lake Geneva
Little Amal by Lake Geneva on September 28, 2021 Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

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