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ATHENS – The giant puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian girl named Amal has been touring Turkey and Greece for most of the past month. This is the first leg A 5,000-mile journey rich in symbolism as a new immigration crisis in Europe following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
Puppet is the lead character in an ambitious theatrical project called “.WalkIt aims to draw attention to the refugee experience by following a route similar to the one followed by some Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country.
“Little Amal” and its aides plan to traverse eight countries and dozens of cities in an 8,000-kilometer bid to shed light on the plight of millions of displaced refugees.
But Amal, who is 12 meters tall and “walks” with the help of her accompanying team of puppeteers, is not welcome everywhere.
On Monday, the local council of Meteora, a municipality in central Greece, banned Amal from walking in a village in the UNESCO-hosted area. World Heritage site It is known for its Orthodox monasteries built on high rock formations.
The objection made by several council members was that a puppet depicting a Muslim refugee should not be allowed to perform in such an important space for Greek Orthodox believers. A local bishop opposed the project for this reason, while a local heritage group complained that the initiative could bring more refugees into a country that has already received tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
Tensions in this corner of Greece are emerging as Europe once again grapples with the provocative immigration problem amid the escalating crisis in Afghanistan.
Greece has been particularly hard hit by the 2015-2016 migration crisis, in which more than 1 million refugees, mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, poured into the country.
Then, many Greeks, especially in the Aegean Islands, rushed to help. However, over time, solidarity was replaced by frustration, which intensified during a standoff on the land border with Turkey in March 2020, when thousands of migrants tried to enter Greece. Since then, the Greek authorities hardened their stance, land border metal fencing and drafting legislation to expedite deportations.
Immigration minister Notis Mitarachi said during a debate on the bill in Parliament on Friday that Greece “will not allow it to become a gateway to Europe for illegal immigration flows as it did from 2015 to 2019”.
The local heritage association in Meteora said it was particularly concerned that the puppet initiative could spur a new wave of refugees into Greece.
“How much solidarity can Greece show?” The head of the association, Grigorios Kalyvas, said: “Is there no limit to what we can do and how many we can get?”
Meteora mayor Theodoros Alekos said at a meeting of the local council on Monday night that his concern was about the presence of a “Muslim baby from Syria” in an area rich in Orthodoxy and popular for faith tourism. Concerns that the local march, scheduled for Sunday, could worsen the spread of the coronavirus at record infection levels in Greece, was also instrumental in the decision to halt, he said.
The council decided that the puppet would not be prevented from crossing the municipality’s main town of Kalambaka on its way through Greece, but would not be allowed to enter villages close to the monasteries.
For the local heritage association, that wasn’t good enough. “There will be protests if they enter the town,” Kalyvas said, adding that the puppet’s presence would be an “insult”. “If they keep it wrapped in the box, it’s fine,” he added.
David Lan, one of the producers of “The Walk”, said in a phone call from Greece that he did not expect any opposition to the project, but was not surprised given how some people in Europe perceive refugees. “It’s a very lively topic about Afghanistan,” he added.
Lan said the plan was for Amal, which means “hope” in Arabic, to walk near monasteries and have a picnic with local children, adding that his team had received approval from regional authorities for the event. But now they were planning to go elsewhere. “We don’t go if we’re not welcome.”
“The Walk” evolved from “The Jungle,” a play about refugees running in London’s West End. Brooklyn’s St. at Ann’s Warehouse.
The project involves Amal and her puppeteers traveling through Turkey, from Gaziantep to Manchester, England, along numerous detours along the way. Gaziantep was chosen because it hosts tens of thousands of Syrians, while Manchester was chosen because of its high refugee density.
Along the way, Amal attends events with local artists, children and refugee groups.
Excited children in Gaziantep raised lanterns to guide Amal throughout the city. And on the Greek island of Chios, choirs sang. welcome it played as an orchestra.
“The meaning is clear,” said Mr. Lan, referring to the purpose of the project. “Don’t forget about us.”
Niki Kitsantonis It was reported from Athens and Alex Marshall from London.
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