In our constantly changing, conflict-ridden world, children's education has become more than just ABCs and 123s. In a world faced with such serious issues as poverty, human rights, AIDS and ethnic genocide, parents from all over are facing a similar dilemma: how to convey such complex issues to their children. Moreover, in countries with many clashing cultures, governments are struggling with a trickier issue: how to not only communicate these grave troubles to children, but also how to do so without showing any bias favoring one point of view over another.
In countries suffering from civil wars and intense discrimination, it is important to educate young children with balanced views so that, in the future, they do not share their parents' intolerance of certain cultures or ways of life. With parents as the primary educators in many countries, however, it is an increasingly difficult task to get children to see different points of view.
Recently, the creators of one of the longest running and most beloved American television shows, "Sesame Street," came up with a possible solution. Since its debut in 1969, "Sesame Street" has been known for its ability to combine education and entertainment for preschoolers. It teaches young children in America important lessons in English and math, but it also teaches young children to be more accepting of other people by depicting characters from all different backgrounds as friends and equals.
With the original "Sesame Street" as a model, many international versions have been produced worldwide. Originally, the main goal of these international programs was to help level the educational playing field for all preschool children. Soon, however, the producers realized that they could use the shows to illustrate and educate children on the current political and social environments of their home countries. Teaming up with local directors and writers, "Sesame Street" producers work internationally to bring the television show to children in more than 20 different countries in their own languages.
Some places where the new versions of the show have been most successful include Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa. In Bangladesh, the need for preschool and children's programming is crucial. Only one television station airs to the country's 130 million residents. The Bangladeshi "Sesame Street," "Sisimpur," has had a profound impact on its young viewers and is currently the highest rated children's television show. What is so unique about this specific show is its outreach component. Using parent-teacher training and awareness workshops, a team of education experts uses "Sisimpur" to extend the messages articulated in the show. Through this program, the show manages to touch the lives of thousands of Bangladeshis without access to television and brings vital education into the lives and homes of the children who need it the most.
In Kosovo, the challenges faced when creating a children's television show were much greater, yet the possible benefits from such a show were equally huge. After years of ethnic strife between Serbs and Albanians, the show had the potential to build peace and tolerance with a new generation of children, showing them that their ethnic counterparts were kids just like them. The answer was to create two television shows, one called "Rruga Sesam" and the other "Ulica Sezam." By creating two shows, the producers were able to target each audience in its own language while teaching each the value of peace and tolerance of others. Although the potential effects of the show have yet to be seen, I believe that it could have a profound impact on the future of Kosovo.
The producers of "Takalani Sesame," the South African version of "Sesame Street," dealt with another difficult challenge — addressing the grave problem of HIV in a children's television show. There are currently more than five million HIV-positive South Africans and hundreds of thousands of South African children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. AIDS is an extremely prevalent issue for children in South Africa, but it is also an extremely controversial one. With an audience of an estimated half-million kids a week, "Takalani Sesame" had to address this difficult topic. Recently, Kami, the world's first HIV-positive "Sesame Street" Muppet was introduced in "Takalani Sesame." She is a perky, fun-loving and healthy HIV-positive character with a wealth of information about HIV/AIDS to share with her friends. Kami challenges the stereotype of the HIV-infected sickly kid and focuses on fun and friendliness while simultaneously introducing issues such as death and social ostracism. Since her introduction into the show, Kami has elicited highly controversial but also highly appreciative responses from her viewers, and she has successfully created a "talk to me" campaign, which promotes communication between adults and children on the subjects of HIV and AIDS.
Although serious and controversial topics like civil wars and HIV may be seen by American parents as too grim to address on a children's television show, these issues are a reality in many children's lives. It would be unfair and deceptive to children living with these issues not to address them in an educational program geared toward their age group. The possible global impact of these shows on future generations is immense, and, who knows, maybe one day Kami will show up on our "Sesame Street" to teach our youth not only about the problem of HIV in America, which often goes unaddressed, but also to show our children some of the hardships faced in the everyday lives of kids just like them around the world.
Gabbie Wade ([email protected]) is a freshman intending to major in journalism.
