Factory International

An introduction to THE HERDS

From the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle, THE HERDS is on the move. Here is all you need to know about one of the largest public art projects ever attempted.

A large crowd of people at an outdoor market wearing hats. They are looking at large giraffe and elephant puppets.

Public art meets climate action in THE HERDS – a mass movement of life-sized puppets roaming through cities in West Africa and Europe. Coming to Greater Manchester for MIF25, THE HERDS is a visual dramatisation of the climate crisis and a stark warning of what may come if animals are forced to flee their natural habitats.

THE HERDS is brought to life by the international team behind Little Amal, created by The Walk Productions and led by Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zuabi.

Little Amal was a nine-year-old refugee girl in the form of a 3.5 metre puppet, who drew crowds across Asia and Europe on her epic 8000km journey from the Turkish Syrian border to Manchester.

Now THE HERDS takes on an even greater route: 20,000km across Africa and Europe, from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle.

The Little Amal puppet stretches her arms out, mimicking the big white bird flying front of her that's held up by 3 performers holding sticks. Behind her is the city centre, a crowd and 2 performers with papier-mâché heads.

Little Amal, The Walk. Bari, Italy. Teatro Pubblico Pugliese

West Africa

THE HERDS was first sighted in April in the Democratic Republic of Congo, emerging from the banks of the Congo River before heading for the bustling capital city of Kinshasa.

Nigeria was the next stop: from the bustling coastal megacity of Lagos to rural Ejibo deep in the mainland.

From there, THE HERDS moved to Senegal’s capital Dakar, taking over the streets with local artists and collectives for a city-wide performance before disappearing into the Sahara Desert…

Watch videos of the West African journey below.

From the Congo Basin...

The Herds Kinshasa

Kinshasa, DRC

00:00:41

The Herds Dakar

Dakar, Senegal

00:00:23

The Herds Lagos

Lagos, Nigeria

00:00:36

North Africa to Europe

Arriving in the Agafay Desert in Morocco at the start of May, THE HERDS crashed through Marrakech and Casablanca on the way to the bustling port of Rabat.

Confused, the animals crossed the Mediterranean, landing in Europe via the Spanish town of San Fernando in Cadiz.

Through the desert

A puppet animal travelling through the desert

Agafay Desert, Marrakesh

00:00:21

An animal puppet being led by puppeteers down a busy city street in Casablanca

Casablanca

00:00:16

Puppet animals on boats with puppeteers in bright blue sea. There is a port behind them.

Rabat

00:00:16

Europe to Manchester

Throughout June, THE HERDS will travel through Europe – rampaging through Madrid, Marseille, Venice and Paris before landing in London.

On 3 July, THE HERDS arrives in Manchester City Centre for the opening event of MIF25 before heading to Heywood in Rochdale and Pennington Flash in Wigan.

Keep an eye on this page for more videos of the journey!

Into Europe...

Two people smiling and laughing in a workshop setting for THE HERDS. One is holding a drill.
Performers operate a large cardboard antelope puppet in front of a seated outdoor audience.
A herd of cardboard animal puppets being operated by people in black clothes by the side of a river

Scandinavia to the Arctic

After Manchester, THE HERDS will leave the UK for Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark, Stockholm in Sweden and Trondheim in Norway.

At the start of August, the animals will finally reach their destination after four months of travelling and 20,000km. How will THE HERDS react to their new environment in the Arctic Circle?

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