‘Get ready to sweat!' The animal mega-marathon stampeding from the Congo to the Arctic
Wide-eyed, a child peers at the metre-long corkscrew horns rising above the crowd. She takes in the enormous raggedy hide and the strangeness of the wild creature stomping through her streets. Up ahead, a giraffe peeks warily through a first-floor window as a zebra skitters backwards from a growling dog. 'Kudu, washa!' The instruction comes through my radio. We turn away from the child and hurl our hefty creature forwards. The crowd scatters. We thunder through the narrow alleys to catch up with the rest of The Herds.
In 2021, Little Amal, the puppet of a refugee child almost 4m tall, walked from the Syria-Turkey border to the UK. The Herds, from the same team, is even more ambitious. This new theatrical mega-marathon is shepherding a pack of life-size animal puppets a distance of 20,000km, from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle. More than 1,000 people will take part in creating the odyssey and, as the animals march into Marseille, I become one of them – as a volunteer puppeteer – for a galvanising (if sweaty) week.
The idea for The Herds was sparked when Little Amal reached southern Italy. Artistic director Amir Nizar Zuabi began to hear stories from climate refugees who had come to see the little girl walk. 'They had left their countries because of droughts and failing crops,' Zuabi explains. 'As a Palestinian, it felt familiar: the world has collapsed on me and now I need to leave.' The climate crisis is predicted to create 1.2 billion refugees by 2050. 'It unites us,' Zuabi says. 'The rich societies are not immune. Hunger is coming.' With the movement of animals often proving a warning sign to the rest of us, The Herds disturbs our easy indifference, forcing us to pay attention.
'Lots of this hasn't been done before,' says line producer Annika Bromberg as we puff up a hill to my first rehearsal, 'so it has to be invented.' The team sprawls across continents, with producers including former artistic director of the Young Vic David Lan, and executive producer Sarah Loader, who spends her days quenching one logistical fire after another. They work alongside local producers at each stop. While Little Amal was animated by professionals, the puppets in The Herds are animated, in large part, by volunteers like me. In each city, up to 100 participants train and perform over the course of a week.
When I arrive at the rehearsal, the animals are scattered sleepily across a sports hall: minuscule vervet monkeys, bulky gorillas and elegant zebras. Made from recyclable materials, there are wooden hooves, ragged cardboard mimicking the rough texture of pelts, and iron structures inside the biggest beasts. My group of 40 are in the expert hands of the South African puppet-building collective Ukwanda, who made these complex, delicate creatures. 'Breathing is the language of puppetry,' says puppet designer Siphokazi Mpofu, as she gently tends to a gazelle. 'The animals have to smell, they have to graze.' Her gazelle snuffles at the floor so realistically it wouldn't be surprising to see it gambol off on its own.
I am in a trio with Bastien Bangil, a comedian, and Virgile Lancien, a student. They have been learning how to manoeuvre the kudu, a towering African antelope that is the heaviest animal in the room after the giraffe (the elephant is so weighty it rarely comes out in rehearsal). I am assigned the head, holding it above my own until my arms start to quake and fingers blister. Making these creatures seem real and alive is hard, grubby and surprisingly moving work. 'You have all these humans contorting themselves,' puppetry director Craig Leo says as he fixes the hind leg of a lion, 'to present these fragile creatures to the world.'
When a puppet gets broken, the team, referred to as doctors, speak of it as an injury and mend it in their hospital. One day when we step out of our kudu, his head falls off and a stick flies out of his thigh. 'I'll be gentle,' says Ukwanda's Sipho Ngxola, wielding a drill. 'It's not just a puppet,' says technical director Muaz AlJubeh, explaining the level of care they take. 'It's a life.' As The Herds moves across borders, new animals will be added, with puppet-making workshops formed along the route, from Stockholm to Wigan. By the time the production reaches the UK, where it will rampage through London and kick off the Manchester international festival, the pack of puppets will be 100-strong.
Alongside the volunteers, the troupe includes 42 young artists from 19 countries. Known as E-Co (Emerging Company), they have been recruited to hold the production together, and are travelling, learning, performing and helping Ukwanda teach participants across the European leg of the journey. Ochai Ogaba, a Nigerian choreographer who guides our herd's other kudu with enviable ease, is one of them. 'I come from a place where climate change is not talked about,' he says. 'Being a part of this project has unlocked my responsibility to look after this world.'
When the rest of us are steady on our hooves, the Ukwanda puppeteers teach us a few words in the South African language Xhosa. These become the instructions we follow while performing, fed through headsets: when to stop, go, be alert, retreat, turn. And the most exciting, 'washa', meaning to act with fire: to gallop. When we run together, it feels like a stampede.
In each city, the animals trample alongside local artists. These beautiful beasts have kicked up swirls of dust in Dakar and stamped with flamenco dancers in Casablanca; Ogaba's company danced in tandem with the animals in Lagos. Our first performance is in Arles, where we appear with local aerial artists Gratte Ciel, the air fizzing with pyrotechnics and dry ice. Everything moves at such speed in this production that we are frequently navigating on trust alone, awaiting Zuabi's next instructions. 'Get ready to sweat,' he warns.
Suddenly the quiet roads are packed with people, elbows and cameras jostling to the front. Where the response to Amal was one of continual welcome, The Herds creates a buzz of uncertainty. Peel back the beauty and awe and there is a sense of wrongness at having these wild animals walled in on urban roads. Ogaba's kudu leads the pack. We nuzzle through the crowd to drink from the historical centre's fountain, Zuabi reminding us to keep our animals agitated and afraid in this unfamiliar environment.
The Ukwanda team stay close throughout, on hand for any injuries (puppet or human). Our walk finishes by the river, where Gratte Ciel's topless artists stand on swaypoles, red skirts sweeping in the wind. To a soaring soundtrack, they start to bend, the giraffe's neck tilting upwards towards these strange creatures moving in the sky. Knackered, our kudu limps to the finish line. Bangil and Lancien emerge from its wooden body with matching exhausted grins. 'Tomorrow,' Bangil jokes, 'the elephant?'
Catching our breath, we have a moment to watch the end of the show. The aerial performers' movements become more violent, their bodies now swaddled in flowing plastic sheets that swim through the air like clouds. The animals lower themselves to the ground. 'Nothing dies like a puppet,' Leo told us in rehearsal. 'You know that when the curtain closes, it won't get up and walk off. But it also always holds the potential of life.' The remaining puppeteers abandon their creatures in the street and walk away to rapturous applause.
'This won't stop the climate crisis,' says Zuabi before the next day's event. 'It is not trying to be successful. It is asking: how do you fail responsibly? We need to rewild nature, but we also need to rewild our imagination, rewild our political systems.' By placing these animals on our doorsteps, made internationally and held by local hands, The Herds makes all of this belong to us: the beauty of nature, the potential of life, the choice to take action or continue to look away.
The Herds is in London 27–29 June, and across Greater Manchester 3-5 July, as part of Manchester international festival. Its global journey continues until August. Kate Wyver's trip was provided by Manchester international festival.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Keanu Reeves and his partner Alexandra Grant spend time at MotoGP in Italy amid claims they secretly wed
Keanu Reeves and Alexandra Grant spent time at the MotoGP World Championship in Italy on Sunday following rumors the couple have secretly married. The actor, 60, was seen at the event alongside his artist partner Alexandra, 52, where they appeared in good spirits. Keanu kept a low profile at the race in a cap, while Alexandra smiled as they watched from the sidelines at the Mugello circuit. The actor looked smart in a gray blazer and white T-shirt, with Alexandra wearing a purple blazer and sunglasses It comes after Alexandra was seen wearing a diamond ring on her wedding finger at the London premiere of his film Ballerina earlier this month, fueling rumors the couple have tied the knot. In April, Alexandra was also seen wearing the same diamond ring with a gold band during her and Keanu's trip to London
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
TV presenter Narinder Kaur complains she's had too much pizza and pasta in Sicily and would 'kill for a samosa or curry'
TV presenter Narinder Kaur has sparked debate after complaining about the lack of 'international cuisine' options during her recent trip to Sicily. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the Big Brother star turned outspoken panellist, 52, said she'd eaten '19 types of pasta' and 'the same pizza over and over' during her seven-day holiday to the Mediterranean island. Confessing that she would 'kill for a samosa or curry', Narinder asked: 'Why is international cuisine so scarce here?' The British TV star accompanied her tweet with a video of a large portion of tomato pasta topped with cheese, while the person sat opposite seemed to be enjoying a Margherita pizza. She added: 'I think Molly Mae was right after all. And before you all say - India is just all Indian food - not true - they offer all kinds of international cuisine...' Reality star Molly Mae Hague previously moaned that the food she was served during her visit to Venice was 'shocking', writing: 'It's meant to be the home of pizza and pasta and I really can't see how! Strange. Even this ice cream was grim.' Like the former Love Island star, Narinder appeared unimpressed with the pizza and pasta dishes she'd been served. Narinder revealed she eventually managed to get a portion of fish during a visit to Taormina, but remained disappointed with what was available. Taking to X/Twitter, the Big Brother star turned outspoken panellist, 52, said she'd eaten '19 types of pasta' and 'the same pizza over and over' 'Had to go ALL POSH just to eat fresh fish and it was BLAND AF. Sorry,' she wrote on X. She added: 'I'm sorry if this upsets you all. I think Italy is stylish and extremely pretty. People dress so well and are food is BLAND. 'We've ventured out. Tried tourist traps AND recommended- and it's all soo boring,, my body is desperate for Indian food or just something with TASTE. 'Sicily is beautiful... people extremely stylish... food is MEH.' Narinder's posts have since gone viral on social media, racking up more than a million views on X alone - and people were left in disbelief. One person said: 'Imagine going to Italy and complaining about the *checks notes* amount of Italian food.' Another wrote: 'You're probably doing something wrong. It sounds like you're eating at typical tourist traps. Italian food isn't just pizza and pasta; it's also meat, fish, and the best desserts in the world. Pasta is just an appetizer. Pizza is more of a street food option.' A third said: 'She is complaining that the food in Sicily Seriously,' while a fourth jokingly concluded: 'I bet she puts pineapple on pizza.' However, others agreed with the point Narinder was making, saying: 'The most overrated, bland cuisine on the planet is Italian. It's food for 9 year olds.' A second agreed: 'I love Italy and Italian food. That said - it's the least diverse country when it comes to food options. When you want something other than Italian the options are limited and often poor.' On Instagram, Narinder shared videos of herself enjoying local markets and cafes and, despite not enjoying the food, confessed she adored the views and style of the country. She wrote: 'Sicily was absolutely breathtaking, from the quaint side streets to the picturesque lanes and our stunning Villa.' Speaking to her followers on her Instagram stories, she added: 'One thing I am truly loving about Sicily. Every holiday I go on, I'm always the one that's overdressed and I like to dress well. 'But here, in Sicily, in Italy, women bring it - and the men - they are so stylish! People are dressed like this, like they're dressed for Royal Ascot or the races, all day. That's one thing I really appreciate here.' After departing her villa on Monday morning, she said: 'Farewell Italy, your stylish vibe is impressive, but I'm not sold on the hype. A day or two is plenty for me...' The TV star has often sparked controversy with her unfiltered rants - notably when it comes to comments surrounding the royal family. Narinder's posts have since gone viral on social media, racking up more than a million views on X alone - and people were left in disbelief On Remembrance Sunday, she provoked an angry response from royal fans after saying Kate Middleton has 'aged so much' as the Princess of Wales returned to royal duties following her battle with cancer. She has previously been very supportive of Meghan, even claiming that her and Prince Harry were pushed out by the Royal Family who were 'jealous'. Narinder, who came ninth on Big Brother in 2001, is extremely opinionated and often ends up in heated debates. She backed Lily Allen when the singer said that having children ' ruined her career '. Ms Kaur said: 'I want to give Lily Allen a pat on the back because she was completely honest. I think she triggered a lot of mums out there who believe this myth that you can have it all - you can't.' The TV personality has also hit out at celebrities in the past, including JK Rowling over her gender-critical views. Referring to a sarcastic Mother's Day tweet which said 'Happy Birthing Parent Day, she said: 'Of all the ways Rowling could have used her star status to make a difference in the world, she chose to pick on a miniscule per cent of a already very demonised group of people. So sad.' However, she's not the only person to have been left disappointed by a trip to Italy or Sicily. In April, an American woman came under fire after criticising a small town on the Amalfi Coast for having too many 'loud tourists' and 'no authentic' restaurants. Content creator Keri, who is from the States but is currently working in Poland, said she is hunting for 'all the unique spots' during her time in Europe. However, she wasn't impressed during her visit to Positano and said that 'influencers' lied about the Italian town. Keri knew she would be 'absolutely destroyed' by followers about her opinion of the place but still contended that Positano wasn't what she expected. 'For starters, there weren't many authentic restaurants, there wasn't even good gelato,' she said in a video on her Instagram, @kerimybags 'There was maybe one good pizza place and one good pasta place, but most of them were fancy and overpriced.' Keri said the public transportation in Positano, located on the Amalfi Coast, was poor, adding: 'You basically have to hike everywhere to get around.' However, despite being a US citizen, Keri said she found too many 'loud American tourists' in the town.
Time Out
2 hours ago
- Time Out
A gigantic stampede of life-sized puppet animals is coming to London this weekend
Do you remember The Walk? Staged in 2021, the show-slash-festival-slash touring artwork was based around Little Amal, a-not-so-little (in fact gigantic) puppet refugee girl who 'walked' from war-torn Syria to dear old Blighty. Now the producers behind it – including former Young Vic boss David Lan – have a new show with a similar, but different, and even more visually striking idea. The Herds is effectively a migration of puppet beasts from the heart of Africa: elephants, giraffes, antelopes, lions, wolves, wildebeest and more. They set out from Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this year, travelling overland from Africa and on into Europe with their final destination of the Arctic Circle. By all accounts they're travelling in large numbers and their appearances are pretty damn spectacular. Why is this happening? Well just as The Walk was designed to raise awareness of refugees' stories, so The Herds is themed around climate change and habit loss, with the animals – all made from recycled materials – 'fleeing' habitat loss in their native countries. If that sounds heavy: well yes, it is, but the events scheduled for London actually look pretty fun. After making their arrival at Tower Bridge on the morning of Friday June 27, the beasts will be 'fed' at the Scoop amphitheatre near the bridge by local primary school children at 10am in a performance entitled Cornflakes and Hay created by the nearby Unicorn Theatre. That afternoon they'll move into the West End and stampede around performers from Matilda the Musical and the Royal Opera Company (from 4.10pm) in a bit entitled Hold On for Deer Life. The next day they'll take in Camden and Coram's Fields, while they'll round off their trip to our city (they're off to Manchester next week) on Sunday 28 with a visit to Stratford (3.15pm at Westfield!) and finishing with a late night (9.30pm) adventure in St James's Park called Caught in the Light that's free but that you'll have to register for. All in all a pretty magical weekend for London: The Herds will only visit once; don't pass up your chance to see it.
