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Little Amal is a 3.5m high puppet who has been walking nearly 9000 kilometres across Europe this summer in recognition of the journey made by thousands of child refugees every year in search of family members, safety and a new home. To mark this extraordinary project, five award-winning European writers have written short stories inspired by Amal’s walk. Each one has responded imaginatively to the puppet’s journey through their own country, reflecting the hopes and fears of both Amal herself and the people she encounters on her way.

As she strides through the stories and across Europe, Amal takes on many guises. She’s a refugee child from a camp on the Turkish Syrian border, who sets off in search of her mother, accompanied by an alter-ego puppet guide; she’s befriended by a seagull in Greece; she strikes fear into the heart of a small, lonely boy in Italy; becomes the target for a kidnapping in Belgium…

The Walk has been created by Good Chance Theatre, who started the theatre in the Calais Jungle and Handspring Puppet company, who created the puppets for War Horse. Little Amal began her walk in Turkey at the end of July and, helped by a team of puppeteers, performers, local people and arts organisations, she’ll walk nearly 9000km across Europe, finishing in Manchester in November. She arrives in the UK, at Folkestone, on 19 October.

Of Girls and Gulls by Auguste Corteau tells of a scavenging seagull who bonds with the huge puppet-girl Amal as she is foraging for food on a rubbish tip outside Athens: both are far from home and in need of friendship.

Auguste Corteau has written novels and short stories for adults and children, and has been awarded the Greek National Book Award for Children’s Literature and the IBBY Prize for Best Children’s Novel. His novel The Book of Katarina is published in English by Parthian Books and available as an audiobook.

Producers: Sara Davies with Tobias Withers
A Cast Iron Radio Production