"Exodus of 'The Stampide': From the Congo to the Arctic, a mass migration driven by climate change, expressed poetically and visually through artistic means"

"Exodus of 'The Stampide': From the Congo to the Arctic, a mass migration driven by climate change, expressed poetically and visually through artistic means"

Scoot across dense forests, arid deserts, golden seas, and bustling cities – that's the 20,000-kilometer expedition of Huyen, fleeing one of humanity's most pressing crises: climate change. Scrambling through blazing asphalt, a sea of wooden and cardboard puppets, each life-sized and featuring a different African animal, strides towards awareness. These puppets, brainchild of South African company Ukwanda and The Walk Productions, aim to ignite conversations and stir consciences about the climate emergency.

Dubbed 'The Stampede,' the project kicked off in April, featuring over 1,200 puppeteers and dozens of puppets crafted from recycled materials. Attracting over 50 events in 11 countries on both sides of the Mediterranean, 'The Stampede' seeks to highlight climate disaster's role in forced migration.

"Think big. You can't shy away from the enormity of the problem," explains The Walk Productions' producer David Lan when asked about the scale and ambition of the project. "We need to work together to tackle climate change – beyond borders, languages, and cultures."

This epic endeavor started from Amir Nizar Zuabi's idea for 'The Little Amal,' a massive puppet of a Syrian refugee girl traveling the Middle East in 2021. With 'The Little Amal,' creators learned that art and culture could influence people to contemplate the climate crisis differently.

"We need to stir up a sense of urgency. 'The Stampede' will give audiences an emotional sensory experience that personifies this crisis, showcasing how it threatens our humanity," Zuabi explained in his TED talk last year.

Those puppets harness emotion. Each twitch, gesture, and whiff could pass for a real creature. "Puppets require careful development of body structure and movement research," says Ukwanda designer Sipho Ngxola. The puppeteers contribute to the lifelike realism too – and their training is no cakewalk.

"Puppets are a sweet, magical, precious collaboration between artist and animal," says British puppeteer India Martin, one of the artists bringing these zoo creatures to life. Her team of international artists from at least 20 countries come together under Emerging Company (E-Co) to share techniques for managing 'The Stampede.' Collaborative learning is vital, as proper control over the wooden and cardboard animals is a challenge.

"The hands, the eyes of the puppeteers unite with the creature's – a mystical bond forms," shares Logan Robins, another artist of E-Co. "Puppetry demands intense physical and mental training, but finding that harmony between artist and puppet is a reward."

With the first European event in Spain, these life-sized animals stride through France, Italy, the UK, Denmark, and Norway, finally arriving at the chilly Arctic Circle. Their migration reflects the real movements of animals adjusting to climate change – moving toward cooler latitudes, climbing mountains, and heading toward the poles to survive.

According to experts, emissions from the Global North have been responsible for the most pollution, while the Global South has suffered the most from climate change [1]. Sergio Bonati of WWF Spain warns, "We cannot continue at this pace. We must reverse it… We must change the societal and economic model we've been building for centuries in just a few decades."

From real-life migrations of animals to puppet reenactments in cities across continents: climate change demands a call to action from every corner of the globe, sparked by emotion and backed by collaboration.

1. The South African company Ukwanda and The Walk Productions' project 'The Stampede', featuring life-sized puppets of African animals, aims to ignite conversations and stir consciences about the climate emergency, highlighting climate disaster's role in forced migration.
2. In his TED talk, 'The Stampede' creator Amir Nizar Zuabi emphasized the need to stir up a sense of urgency about the climate crisis, arguing that art and culture can influence people to contemplate the issue differently.
3. The puppeteers' collaboration in 'The Stampede' project, where international artists from at least 20 countries come together under Emerging Company (E-Co) to share techniques, is a testament to the importance of collaborative learning in tackling climate change, as proper control over the wooden and cardboard animals is a challenge.

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