Entertainment

Little Amal in Britain: giant puppet of Syrian girl reaches her journey’s end

The transcontinental odyssey of Little Amal will begin its final stage this week when the giant puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian girl reaches the shores of the UK after walking thousands of miles across Europe.

Bells will chime and choirs will sing as Little Amal appears on the beach on Tuesday in Folkestone, Kent, after making the same cross-Channel journey that has been taken so far this year by more than 17,000 people seeking refuge from conflict, hunger and persecution.

On the last leg of her journey, Little Amal will visit Canterbury, London, Oxford, Coventry, Birmingham, Sheffield and Barnsley before the extraordinary and complex 14-week travelling street theatre ends in Manchester on 3 November.

“It’s been challenging, it’s been difficult at times, but it’s also been amazing and incredible,” said David Lan, one of the producers of The Walk, who has been “on this journey right from the beginning three years ago, and on every step of the way” since Little Amal left Gaziantep near the Turkish-Syrian border at the end of July.

The idea of Little Amal’s journey in search of her missing mother evolved from The Jungle, a highly acclaimed play about young refugees in a camp near Calais that opened at the Young Vic in London in 2017. The play’s producers, the Good Chance theatre company plus Lan, Stephen Daldry and Tracey Seaward, came up with the idea of taking its message of displacement, loss, dignity and hope to villages, towns and cities across Europe.

Little Amal, whose name means hope in Arabic, was created by Handspring, the company that made the equine puppets in War Horse. She stands 3.5 metres (11ft 5in) tall and is operated by a team of eight puppeteers working shifts to control her legs, arms and facial features. “They create the emotional life of the puppet,” said Lan.

Since leaving Gaziantep, Little Amal and her entourage of about 25 people have navigated Covid border requirements to cross from Turkey to Greece and then through Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and France to the UK.

Along the way, they have taken part in concerts, parties and workshops. In Rome, Little Amal was blessed by Pope Francis. In many places, thousands of local people have walked with her through their town or village.

But the most powerful connections had been with refugees, said Lan. “People who are marginalised, shoved to the side, see a representative of themselves or their children centre-stage and being celebrated. That’s very moving.”

Only in one place has the welcome been less than warm. In Kalambaka, a village in northern Greece, which is home to ancient Greek Orthodox monasteries built into rocks, the village council decided not to receive a “Muslim doll from Syria”, as the mayor described Amal. “It’s distressing, but it’s how the world is,” said Lan.

In London, Little Amal will celebrate her 10th birthday on Sunday 24 October at a party at the V&A. Children from all over the capital have been invited to join in musical performances and workshops. Yotam Ottolenghi is coordinating a team of chefs to create a giant birthday cake consisting of several hundred cupcakes in a rainbow of colours and flavours.

Ottolenghi said: “Telling the stories of refugees in general and that particular journey that Amal is taking is such a positive thing in a very bleak situation. She’s going to meet lots of London kids who are going to celebrate her birthday and get a glimpse into her journey. And what better way to do it than with a patchwork of little cakes that have been baked by different chefs?”

Lan, who described Little Amal’s journey as a theatrical show on an 8,000km stage, said there had been no major technical problems so far, but there had been many logistical challenges in travelling, rehearsing and performing across eight countries.

“It’s a travelling circus, a big touring show. So many people have wanted to be part of it. There has been tremendous goodwill directed towards us.

“We’re not politicians, we’re saying to people: remember refugees are people. We hope that the memory of this odd, beautiful child walking through a village or city or over the mountains helps change the weather a little bit.”

Entertainment

AMVCA 2025: Full winners list

The 11th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards spotlighted some of the most outstanding talents in African film.

Seven Doors and Lisabi: The Uprising led the night, with Femi Adebayo and Chioma Chukwuka winning Best Lead Actor and Actress respectively, while Adedimeji Lateef and Adebimpe Oyebade Adedimeji’s Lisabi clinched Best Indigenous Language Film.

Full Winners List
Best Movie:
Freedom Way — Blessing Uzzi

Best Indigenous Language (West Africa):
Lisabi: The Uprising — Adedimeji Lateef and Adebimpe Oyebade Adedimeji

Best Lead Actor:
Seven Doors — Femi Adebayo

Best Lead Actress:
Seven Doors — Chioma Chukwuka

Best Supporting Actor:
Inside Life — Gabriel Afolayan

Best Supporting Actress:
Farmer’s Bride — Mercy Aigbe

Best Cinematography:
The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos — Leo Purman

Best Sound Design:
Suspicion — Michael Botha and Olaosebikan Okonrende

Best Editing:
Inkabi — Tongai Furusa

Best Score/Music:
Seven Doors — Tolu Obanro

Best Art Direction:
Lisabi: The Uprising — Solihull Badu Noutical and Ayanmo Yakub

Best Make-Up:
Lisabi: The Uprising — Hakeem Onilogbo

Best Writer (Movie):
Freedom Way — Blessing Uzzi

Best Costume Design:
Christmas in Lagos — Adedamola Adeyemi

Best Writing (TV Series):
Untying Kantai — Abel Mutua Musyoka

Best Documentary:
Dundun — Ifeoluwa Fatogun and Ebi Atawodi

Best Series (Scripted):
Inside Life — Clarence Peters

Best Director:
The Man Died — Awam Amkpa

Trailblazer Award:
Kayode Kasum

Industry Merit Awards:
Sani Mu’azu and Nkem Owoh

The ceremony balanced celebration of emerging creatives with recognition of Nollywood legends, marking another defining year in African cinema.

Entertainment

Comedian AY Makun confirms EFCC invitation

One Nigeria’s top comedians, Ayo ‘AY’ Makun, has confirmed he was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, earlier this week for the public spraying of local and foreign currencies.

AY took to Instagram to share the videos of the incident that led to his invitation.

He then urged Nigerians to respect the Naira and also foreign currencies by giving money responsibly at events.

“I am grateful to God for His mercy and guidance. On Monday, I was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding an incident involving the public spraying of both local and foreign currencies — an act that has been classified as an offense related to the abuse of the Naira,” AY wrote.

“I want to sincerely thank the EFCC and all authorities involved for their understanding and for granting me pardon based on confirmation that the money being sprayed is not linked to the proceeds of crime or any form of illicit funds.

He added: “To my friends, family, and the general public: We all know that spraying money at public events is a practice common in Nigerian celebrations, especially during weddings, funerals, and parties. It is generally considered a cultural tradition rather than a criminal act. But let me attach some slides to this post on the DOS AND DON’T.

“It is important to understand that mutilating or abusing the Naira — whether by spraying, tearing, defacing, or mishandling—is not just a cultural practice but also a violation of Nigerian law. Such acts undermine the integrity of our national currency and can have serious legal consequences.”

Entertainment

‘VeryDarkMan will soon be charged to court’ – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday confirmed that social critic, Martins Ortse aka VeryDarkMan, will soon be charged to court.

EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale said VDM as he is popularly called was arrested due to multiple petitions against him.

Speaking to BBC News Pidgin, Oyewale said VeryDarkMan was taken into custody following complaints from several petitioners on the allegation of cyberstalking.

He said, “We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners.

“We will release him when he meets the bail conditions and we will take the case to court as soon as possible. We are law-abiding.”

When asked if the case was connected to Guaranty Trust Bank, Oyewale noted that the petitions were from different individuals and the agency owed them a duty of protection.

VDM was arrested on Friday, by the EFCC over an undisclosed offense.

Before his arrest, the social critic had announced his visit to one of the GTBank branches in Abuja, to complain about an alleged deduction from his mother’s account.

Following his arrest, the activist was said to have been manhandled by operatives of the anti-graft agency.