The Walk Yürüyüş Το Ταξίδι Il Cammino La Marche
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GOOD CHANCE, STEPHEN DALDRY, DAVID LAN AND TRACEY SEAWARD PRESENT A GOOD CHANCE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH HANDSPRING PUPPET COMPANY The Walk Yürüyüş το ταξίδι Il Cammino La Marche GOOD CHANCE CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL 7 OCTOBER 2020 introducing The Walk The Walk April - July 2021 One little girl. One BIG Hope. GOOD CHANCE Little Amal, a young refugee, embarks on a remarkable journey - an epic voyage that will take her across Turkey, across Europe. To find her mother. To get back to school. To start a new life. Will the world let her? Can she achieve what now seems more impossible than ever? Following the phenomenal international success of The Jungle, Good Chance, in collaboration with world-famous creators of War Horse Handspring Puppet Company, will present its most extraordinary work yet: The Walk - a travelling festival of art and hope in support of refugees, with Artistic Direction from Amir Nizar Zuabi. In 2021, from the Syria-Turkey border all the way to the UK, The Walk will bring together celebrated artists, major cultural institutions, community groups and humanitarian organisations to create one of the most innovative and adventurous public artworks ever attempted. At the heart of The Walk is ‘Little Amal’, a 3.5 metre-tall puppet of a young refugee girl, created by the acclaimed Handspring Puppet Company. Representing all displaced children, many separated from their families, Little Amal will travel over 8,000km embodying the urgent message “Don’t forget about us”. At this time of extraordinary global change, The Walk is an extraordinary artistic response: a cultural odyssey transcending borders, politics and language to tell a new story of shared humanity - and to ensure the world doesn’t forget the millions of displaced children, each with their own story, who are more vulnerable than ever during the global pandemic. Hope. Too BIG to ignore. “It is because the attention of the world is elsewhere right now that it is more important than ever to reignite the conversation about the refugee crisis and to change the narrative around it. Yes, refugees need food and blankets, but they also need dignity and a voice. The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances. Little Amal is 3.5 metres tall because we want the world to grow big enough to greet her. We want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.” - Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director of The Walk WATCH VIDEO GOOD CHANCE, STEPHEN DALDRY, DAVID LAN AND TRACEY SEAWARD PRESENT A GOOD CHANCE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH HANDSPRING PUPPET COMPANY GOOD CHANCE REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1166833 / COMPANY NUMBER 09952411 GOOD CHANCE CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL 7 OCTOBER 2020 introducing The Walk Hope is built step by step. Little Amal will travel 8,000km to focus awareness on the refugee crisis. The Walk is an international arts festival meets endurance event. Little Amal, a 3.5 metre-tall puppet, will walk across the European continent to shine a light on the stories of millions of young refugees. She will travel through 8 countries, welcomed by hundreds of cultural events in cities, towns and villages all along her route. The length and sheer size of the challenge is capturing imaginations even before her first step. She will walk for all the children - many unaccompanied and separated from their families - who are forced to undertake extraordinary journeys under life-threatening conditions. Little Amal will walk so that we don’t forget them. A walk of welcome All along the route, communities are being offered a simple idea: Little Amal is a 9-year-old girl whose journey takes her through your town, city or village. How will you welcome her? As each locality responds with cultural events that are meaningful to them, the result builds an artistic odyssey that says something profound about ourselves, about how we live and about what we mean by home. With events streamed online, an international audience will be able to join all those who welcome Little Amal into their homes and towns to share her story and the stories of the thousands she meets on her way. Rewriting the narrative. Throughout history the movement of people has fuelled human progress, enriched culture and accelerated the acquisition of knowledge. The Walk is a celebration of migration and cultural diversity that will tell the story of the contributions made by refugees and immigrants. It represents the refugee story as one of potential, success, respect, hospitality and kindness. Art affirms our shared humanity regardless of language, culture, finance or education. We believe that The Walk has the power to create lasting change. By telling the stories of people who are often marginalised, feared or pitied we can help transform their lives and our own. “Comic Relief believes in the power of storytelling to change lives and we are committed to supporting work that continues to highlight social injustices. By partnering on this important project, we want to help highlight the issues faced by millions of people as they are forced to flee conflict and persecution in pursuit of safety.” - Ruth Davison, Chief Executive, Comic Relief GOOD CHANCE, STEPHEN DALDRY, DAVID LAN AND TRACEY SEAWARD PRESENT A GOOD CHANCE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH HANDSPRING PUPPET COMPANY GOOD CHANCE REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1166833 / COMPANY NUMBER 09952411 GOOD CHANCE CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL 7 OCTOBER 2020 introducing The Walk Sweden Estonia Russia Latvia Denmark Lithuania 10,000,000 steps United Kingdom 8,000 kilometres Ireland Belarus Netherlands Poland 70 cities, towns and villages Germany 8 countries Belgium Czech Republic 1 littleUkraine girl Slovakia Austria Moldova France Hungary Switzerland Romania Croatia Bosnia & Herz. Serbia Italy Montenegro Kosovo Bulgaria Georgia North Macedonia Portugal Albania Azerbaijan Greece Spain Armenia Turkey Cyprus Syria An odyssey of 10 million steps. Some of the places Little Amal’s route will take her through in 2021, include: Turkey Italy Switzerland 30 March - 11 April 27 April - 15 May 3 - 4 June Gaziantep Bari Geneva Adana Matera Basel Tarsus Candela Mersin Naples Germany Anamur Genazzano 5 - 7 June Antalya Rome Saarbrücken Denizli Assisi Cologne Selçuk Florence Ephesus Archaeological Museum Sanremo Belgium Urla 8 - 11 June Izmir France Verviers Ayvalik 25 May - 2 June Brussels La Roya Saint Hubert Greece Saintes Maries de la Mer Bouillon 13 - 25 April Arles Lesbos Marseille United Kingdom Athens Briançon 22 June - 4 July Pireaus Lyon Folkestone Elefsina Villeurbanne Dover Larissa 5 June Canterbury Trikala Belfort Lewisham, South East London Kalabaka 11 - 20 June Central London Meteora Charleville-Mézières Camden, North London Ioannina Aubervilles Coventry Igoumenitsa Paris Sheffield Lille Manchester Herzeele Dunkirk Calais GOOD CHANCE, STEPHEN DALDRY, DAVID LAN AND TRACEY SEAWARD PRESENT A GOOD CHANCE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH HANDSPRING PUPPET COMPANY GOOD CHANCE REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1166833 / COMPANY NUMBER 09952411 GOOD CHANCE CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL 7 OCTOBER 2020 introducing The Walk Events of welcome. At each stage of Little Amal’s journey she will be welcomed by artistic and cultural events created by and reflective of the communities she visits. Some of Turkey and Europe’s most celebrated cultural institutions will join refugee artists, humanitarian groups, schools and civic organisations to create celebratory ‘events of welcome’, ranging from nature walks with families leading Little Amal in exploring the countryside, to city-wide festivals and parades. In each location the community will teach Little Amal - and Little Amal’s international audience - something about themselves. We hope that every encounter with Little Amal will strengthen the bonds with refugees that already exist, as well as suggesting new ways to think about the meaning of ‘community’ and of ‘home’. Some of the events currently being planned with Friends of Amal include: Farewell to the East. Turkey. At home Amal loved to dance with friends. Now forced to leave behind everything she knew and separated from her mother, will she ever feel like dancing again? In Izmir, just before Little Amal leaves Turkey and crosses to Europe, Yaren Cooperative will welcome her with a special performance featuring hundreds of folk dancers. Yaren Cooperative teaches children the values of unity and of community through folk culture. They will teach Little Amal a Zeybek dance, a tradition of the Aegean region, to wish her well on her journey - a joyous performance of hope and of the power of art to bring different cultures together. Amal’s Labyrinth. Greece. In a land steeped in legends of the old gods, Amal becomes afraid. Which direction should she go in? What if she loses her way forever? Athens is the first capital on Amal’s journey. Alone in an unknown city, will Amal ever find her way out of the labyrinth of streets? She will carry a length of red yarn so that she leaves a trail. The city will be invited to join her, to create a living, collaborative work of public art, an old myth in a new form. Accompanied by so many, when Amal meets the minotaur she is not afraid. Befriending him they explore the city together. “The Walk is a powerful opportunity to foster humanity, equality and unity. These principles are crucial if we want to build a better, fairer and more peaceful world.” - David Lloyd Webber, International Communications Lead, Emergency GOOD CHANCE, STEPHEN DALDRY, DAVID LAN AND TRACEY SEAWARD PRESENT A GOOD CHANCE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH HANDSPRING PUPPET COMPANY GOOD CHANCE REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1166833 / COMPANY NUMBER 09952411 GOOD CHANCE CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL 7 OCTOBER 2020 introducing The Walk Amal’s Night Visions. Italy. When Little Amal dreams, memories of war rise to the surface. When she wakes, visions of home appear. If she follows them where will they lead? Tammam Azamm, one of Syria’s most distinguished visual artists, now living in Germany, paints scenes of his war-torn homeland.