Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Nov 26 (EFE).- Little Amal, a 3.4-meter tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, arrived Sunday in Ciudad Hidalgo on Mexico’s border with Guatemala and the gateway for thousands of migrants trying to reach the United States.
Residents welcome the puppet Amal, which represents a Syrian migrant girl, in Ciudad Hidalgo, state of Chiapas, Mexico, 26 November 2023. EFE/Juan Manuel Blanco
Between Sep. 7 and Nov. 26 Little Amal, a global symbol of human rights, and in particular refugees, journeyed 14,500 kilometers across the United States and Mexico in one of the largest free public festivals ever created, according to her website. Ciudad Hidalgo was her last stop on this particular tour.
«Her journeys are festivals of art and hope that draw attention to the huge numbers of children fleeing war, violence and persecution, each with their own story. Her urgent message to the world is ‘Don’t forget about us,'» it says of the puppet that has so far visited 14 countries.
Amal, like thousands of children, adolescents and families, boarded wooden rafts and tractor tires to navigate the dangerous Suchiate River, which serves as the border between Mexico and Guatemala.
Minutes earlier, she walked over the main Coyote Pass and the Palenque, through which undocumented migrants enter, where she observed the camps where hundreds are stranded while waiting out the tortuous immigration procedures.
Central American migrant Lázaro Velázquez, who participated in Amal’s tour, said that «many migrants come to (…) look for a better life, however, sometimes it is not better because only they come to find death.»
“It is a mirror for people, for migrants who come from different countries like Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Colombia. It is hard to leave their country (…) It is something strange that has never been seen in this town, it is a doll but it is real,” explained Velázquez.
This migrant, who was dedicated to agriculture in his country, explained that hundreds of people have lost their lives crossing the Suchiate River or the Rio Grande attempting to go to the US, but with Amal’s visit, hope and empathy with the migrant community is generated.
In the Central Park of this border municipality, Amal was named distinguished visitor by the National System for Integral Family Development (DIF) Suchiate Municipality President Sergio Peralta and Suchiate Mayor Sonia Eloína Aguilar.
Karla, a resident of Ciudad Hidalgo, went with her two daughters and said that the event was emotional and exciting, and with messages of solidarity and empathy – something new for people who live in the region.
“She made us nostalgic, sad to see that she continues to look for her mother, and at the same time gather so many migrants who are stranded or passing through,” the woman said.
Pierre Marc René, UNHCR public information associate in Tapachula, said that this was the last leg of Amal’s trip through Mexico, where people have greeted her with great openness and interest. EFE
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