On Wednesday evening, a few of us attended a Manchester International Festival event called ‘The Walk: When the Birds Land’. This was the end of a travelling festival of art and hope in support of refugees. Manchester gathered to welcome Little Amal, a 3.5 metre-tall puppet representing a Syrian child undertaking an extraordinary 8000km journey from Turkey to the UK, crossing Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and France.

The event was a mix of video clips showing her journey through Europe and live-stream moments of her crossing Manchester City Centre, where she has been welcomed by various Mancunian performers, including street dance artists, Children’s Choir, Local Musicians and shiny Drag Queens.

Even if was “just” a puppet, Amal was really able to transmit her feelings. Her face was so expressive that we could tell if she was happy or sad.

It was very touching to see the moment when Amal was brought inside a refugee Camp in Greece (image above – credit: Sokratis Baltagiannis/UNHCR). A reminder that she might be just a performance, but her same journey is lived every day by hundreds of people looking for a better life.

“No one leaves home unless home chased you to the shore” was written in the banner that welcomed her in Dover. You can find more information about The Walk here.