Baghch-e-Simsim (باغچهٔ سم سم, "Sesame Garden") is a Dari- and Pashto-language children's television series launched in Afghanistan in December 2011,[1][2] based on the American Sesame Street. The series has aired on TOLO and Lemar.[3][4]

History

Sesame Street was first introduced to Afghanistan in 2004 as Koche Sesame, which was shown on state-owned television and as a teaching tool within some schools in the form of DVDs. One of the segments was "Grover Around the World", based directly on the "Global Grover" segments of the American original, as well as Sesame Street, and Play with Me Sesame.[5]

Production

Baghch-e-Simsim was partly filmed in Afghanistan, with other segments taken from other international productions and dubbed in Pashto and Dari.[1][6][7]

The project is funded by the U.S. embassy in Kabul and is produced in consultation with Afghanistan's Ministry of Education.[4][8][9] Baghch-e-Simsim's initial 26 half-hour episodes were aired in Dari language on locally owned Tolo TV.[9][10] The Pashto version was later be aired on Lemar TV.[11]

Characters

Characters appearing in the show include Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Grover (called Kajkoal), Ernie (called Hadi) and Bert.[4] The first local muppet, a six-year-old girl named Zari, was added to Baghch-e-Simsim on 7 April 2016 as part of the show's fifth season.[6][7][12][13] Zari's brother Zeerak was introduced in 2017.[14][15]

The program also features characters from other international productions, including Khokha (from Egypt 's Alam Simsim),[1] Tuktuki (from Bangladesh's Sisimpur),[1] Lola (from Mexico's Sésamo),[8] Businka (from Russia's Ulitsa Sezam),[8] Raya (from Nigeria's Sesame Square), Chamki (from India's Galli Galli Sim Sim) and Shams (from the United Arab Emirates' Iftah Ya Simsim).

Reception and impact

Approximately 80% of Afghan families who have access to broadcast networks watch the program.[16]

According to Sesame Workshop, children who watched the program tested 29% higher on gender equity attitudes, and fathers who watched the program were more likely to send their daughters to school.[17]

TV channels and schedule

The show is broadcast:[8]

  • Every Thursday through Sunday at 4PM on Tolo TV.
  • Every Thursday and Friday at 5PM and Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30PM on Lemar TV.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Farmer, Ben (November 30, 2011). "Sesame Street to be broadcast in Afghanistan". Kabul: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  2. ^ Sesame Street debuts in Afghanistan
  3. ^ Aram, Fariba (20 November 2019). "Kids' Show Baghch-e-Simsim Launches 7th Season". TOLOnews. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  4. ^ a b c Schutte, Lauren (2011-12-02). "'Sesame Street' Debuts in Afghanistan". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  5. ^ How to get to 'Sesame Street' in Afghanistan, USA Today, April 30, 2004.
  6. ^ a b "Meet Zari, Sesame Street's new female Afghan Muppet". PBS NewsHour. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  7. ^ a b "Sesame Street's first Afghan Muppet empowers girls". TODAY. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  8. ^ a b c d DeMott, Rick (December 1, 2011). "Sesame Street To Debut In Afghanistan". AWN News. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Deasy, Kristin (3 December 2011). "'Sesame Street' Tries To Pave New Road In Afghanistan". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  10. ^ Sesame Street comes to Afghanistan, December 2, 2011.
  11. ^ Afghan children ready to walk down Sesame Street by Daniel Magnowski for Reuters. November 30, 2011.
  12. ^ Serjeant, Jill (7 April 2016). "Afghan 'Sesame Street' adds girl power with first homegrown Muppet". Reuters. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  13. ^ Couric, Katie (26 April 2016). "Meet Zari: Afghanistan's first female 'Sesame Street' character". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  14. ^ "Press Releases | Sesame Workshop".
  15. ^ "Afghanistan's version of Sesame Street is introducing a new puppet to teach respect for women". The Independent. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  16. ^ Sreenivas, Shishira (2017-07-04). "Afghanistan's version of 'Sesame Street' promotes gender equality with a new muppet". Mashable. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  17. ^ Molloy, Margaret (21 March 2022). "How brands can use their privilege in the fight for women". The Drum. Retrieved 2023-01-04.

External links