''Kilimani Sesame'' is the

Tanzanian Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

version of ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

''. The show airs on Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) and Television Zanzibar (TVZ). The production was launched in April 2008. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored the production.

Production

The show features adapted material from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

's co-production, ''

Takalani Sesame ''Takalani Sesame'' ("be happy Sesame" in Venda) is the South African version of the children's television program ''Sesame Street'', co-produced by Sesame Workshop and South African partners. The series debuted in 2000 and currently airs on SABC 2 ...

'', dubbed in Kiswahili. Live action segments are created by local producers, with help from Maweni Farm, a film production and consultant company.

Messaging

Malaria prevention and HIV/AIDS education are two of the program's key educational components. Other topics include literacy and math. The program is part of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership's Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP). Other organizations that the show has partnered with are The Jane Goodall Institute Tanzania/Roots and Shoots Program, Pact Tanzania, and Children and Youth Development Initiative.

Characters

Muppet The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

characters include Kami, who originated in

, Lulu, and Neno, the production's version of Elmo. Kami is an HIV-positive five-year old, who is enthusiastic and enjoys learning.

Content

Thirteen half-hour television episodes, thirteen fifteen-minute radio episodes, and three storybooks have been produced. The radio episodes contain songs based around the issue of the episode. The program is dubbed in both Kiswahili and English. In 2011 Kilimani Sesame was part of a malaria education campaign in collaboration with the Tanzanian government. The campaign included public service announcements for TV and radio and educational storybooks.

Impact

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology found the program had multiple positive impacts on children who were exposed to it, including improved cognitive development, social behavior, hygiene, and literacy and math skills.

References

{{Sesame Street international Sesame Street international co-productions Tanzanian television series Television shows featuring puppetry