LAGOS- a muppet-loving of yam and the other is HIV-positive allowed to trundle along on a completed set of an old oil drum, a basket of raffia and a lot of ubiquitous hot red peppers. Welcome to Sesame Street, Nigerian style.
The local adaptation of the legendary series for children educational television strike Nigerians screens weekend with the same vocation as his award-winning American model: give a step ahead in learning their letters and numbers - and lots of fun while making preschool children.
But Sesame place, as it calls the show, has a certain African twist - and not only the English Big Nigerian-accented bird.
Also focuses on the prevention of malaria in a country where the disease kills about 300,000 people a year - or almost a third of deaths due to malaria one million on the continent.
And it seeks to get the message of HIV / AIDS through in a way easy to understand for children in Africa, continent worst affected by the virus.
One of the stars, golden furry five-year-old girl muppet, Kami, is HIV positive herself. Another, male blue fuzzy muppet Zobi, has a yellow taxi and has an obsession with yams, a staple in Nigeria.
In an episode Zobi gets entangled in a net, insisting that it protects itself to catch malaria. Kami warns him it is not expected to "wear", but sleep under his regime.
"It's fun, it's funny, but it gets (children), their reflection on a screen and why there is a net in the first place,"said Yemisi Executive ILO, producer of the Nigerian series."."
"Statistics show that at the end of malaria day and HIV kill more people in this part of the world than anything else, said ILO."
Some Nigerians from 75 million dollars, or the half of the population get malaria at least once a year then that children under the age of five - approximately $ 24 million - suffer up to four episodes a year, according to official statistics.
-Big Bird with Nigerian accent - mother of Muppet Kami died of AIDS, and she always wears the symbolic Red Ribbon. But it is a little resistant, jovial and affectionate character, a role to fight against the stereotypes of people with HIV and AIDS instead of giving lessons in small viewers on the disease.
The series of 30 minutes to be broadcast twice a week on national television of Nigeria, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), first this Saturday.
Three seasons are planned, with the first, entitled "we can" to celebrate the heritage of the Nigerian children and self worth.
For the American Ambassador to Nigeria Terence McCulley, Sesame place has the value "to inspire children to collect fun learning and a way to success and to the President Obama 'yes, we can' echo."
The Nigerian series, funded by the development agency of the U.S. Government, USAID and Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is President the last of some 20 international versions of Sesame Street aired in 140 countries from Bangladesh to Kosovo.
Some Nigerian segments will feature original Sesame Street muppets but with voice overs.
"What we've done, dub voice is American accented with Nigerian voice, so we have our own Nigerian Elmo, Big Bird Nigerian our own, our own Bert, Ernie, Grover," said ILO.
"This way we have consistency," she said, to avoid "" watch the Kami studio segment and Zobi speak with Nigerian accents and then suddenly it turns into an American accent. ""
Sesame Workshop CEO Gary Knell stated with Sesame Square, Nigerian children "" will be to see everything as other children them to engage in the exciting activities and lessons that are likely to foster a love of the life of learning.""
Another African turn took into account. In a country where most of the 150 million people have access to television or if they do, not have not always electricity to fuel their sets, Sesame Square distribute also literacy kits targeted about 80,000 children.
No comments:
Post a Comment