As part of the Yorkshire Integration Festival at The Piece Hall, we joined the internationally acclaimed 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee on a symbolic journey through Halifax town centre to the Piece Hall. This was to raise awareness of the experiences of refugees and celebrate the resilience of refugee communities. Her urgent message to the world is “Don’t forget about us”.
Organised by Migration Yorkshire and in collaboration with CultureDale, this family-friendly event celebrated the integration of refugees, and our communities in Yorkshire, through music, food & performances.
Amal was accompanied by a colourful parade of approximately 1,000 participants and included artwork created by St Augustine’s inspired by nature and flowers. The superb 12-foot puppet has visited 17 countries and 166 towns, so we were thrilled to welcome her to Calderdale as part of her journey that has helped to raise over $1m for refugees and displaced children.
The whole day left us feeling a bit emotional, it was a complete joy! Amal is an excellent walking companion, and the crowds in Halifax gave her such a warm welcome. Huge thanks to everyone involved, days like this make us very proud to be part of this fantastic Calderdale community.
Write-up and more photos from the day from the Halifax Courier.
Video by CultureDale
– gayhsheldon
– what_do_i_see_today
For photo credits see image captions.
Type: Parade
Location: Halifax
Date: 21st September 2024
Organisers & helpers: CultureDale, Migration Yorkshire