Baghch-e-Simsim

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.{{Cite web |title=How to get to 'Sesame Street' in Afghanistan |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-04-30-sesame-street-afghan_x.htm |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=USA Today}}

Production of Baghch-e-Simsim began in 2010, with Sesame Workshop and Afghan company Moby Media Group producing.{{Cite news |last=Farmer |first=Ben |date=1 December 2011 |title=Afghan children get their own Sesame Street |work=The Daily Telegraph}} The series was partly filmed in Afghanistan, with other segments taken from other international productions and dubbed in Pashto and Dari.{{Cite web |date=2016-04-12 |title=Meet Zari, Sesame Street's new female Afghan Muppet |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/meet-zari-sesame-streets-new-female-afghan-puppet |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |title=Sesame Street's first Afghan Muppet empowers girls |url=https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/television/sesame-streets-first-afghan-muppet-empowers-girls |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=TODAY |language=en}}

The project is funded by the U.S. embassy in Kabul and is produced in consultation with Afghanistan's Ministry of Education.{{cite news |url=http://www.awn.com/news/television/sesame-street-debut-afghanistan |title=Sesame Street To Debut In Afghanistan |first=Rick |last=DeMott |publisher=AWN News |date=December 1, 2011 |access-date=December 5, 2011}}{{Cite web |last=Deasy |first=Kristin |date=3 December 2011 |title='Sesame Street' Tries To Pave New Road In Afghanistan |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/sesame_street_tries_to_pave_new_road_in_afghanistan/24410564.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |language=en}} Baghch-e-Simsim's initial 26 half-hour episodes were aired in Dari on locally owned Tolo TV.{{Cite news |date=2 December 2011 |title=Sesame Street comes to Afghanistan |work=Agence France-Presse}} The Pashto version was later aired on Lemar TV.[https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-children-ready-walk-down-sesame-street-123930163.html Afghan children ready to walk down Sesame Street] by Daniel Magnowski for Reuters. November 30, 2011.

In July 2012 a radio version of the program was introduced, produced in partnership with Equal Access International.{{Cite web |title=Baghch-e-Simsim |url=https://www.comminit.com/early-child/content/baghch-e-simsim |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=The Communication Initiative Network |language=en}}

In January 2015 a Taliban suicide bomber killed an editor of the show, Sayed Jawad Hussaini, during an attack on one of Tolo TV's buses.{{Cite news |last1=Amanpour |first1=Christiane |last2=Watson |first2=Ivan |date=22 September 2016 |title=Iraq PM on Mosul Offensive; Paris Climate Deal Close to Becoming Binding; The Muppet Pulling at Afghanistan's Heart Strings |work=CNN}}

The series launched its seventh season in 2019.{{Cite news |last=Aram |first=Fariba |date=20 November 2019 |title=Kids' Show Baghch-e-Simsim Launches 7th Season |work=TOLOnews}}

Non-original characters appearing in the show include Abby Cadabby, Bert (called Bart), Big Bird (called Shaw Parr), Cookie Monster (called Khajoor), Elmo, Ernie (called Hadi), Grover (called Kajkoal), Oscar (called Gom Gom), Prairie (called Pari), Rosita (called Rukhsaar), Telly (called Shaarmac) and Zoe (called Zeba).{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/948546744 |title=The Sesame effect : the global impact of the longest street in the world |date=2016 |others=Charlotte F. Cole, June H. Lee |isbn=978-1-317-61501-9 |location=New York, NY |pages=15 |language=en |oclc=948546744}} Zubair Ahmad Kakkar provides the voices for Khajoor and Kajkoal.

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.{{cite news |last=Serjeant |first=Jill |date=7 April 2016 |title=Afghan 'Sesame Street' adds girl power with first homegrown Muppet |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-television-sesamestreet-afghan-idUSKCN0X40FN |accessdate=21 August 2021}}{{Cite web |last=Couric |first=Katie |date=26 April 2016 |title=Meet Zari: Afghanistan's first female 'Sesame Street' character |url=https://www.yahoo.com/katiecouric/meet-zari-afghanistans-first-female-sesame-123701410.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=Yahoo! News |language=en-US}} Zari's brother Zeerak was introduced in 2017.{{Cite web |title=Press Releases | Sesame Workshop |url=http://www.sesameworkshop.org/press-releases/sesame-workshop-debuts-new-afghan-muppet-a-4-year-old-boy-named-zeerak-on-co-production-baghch-e-simsim/}}{{Cite web |date=2021-08-17 |title=Afghanistan's version of Sesame Street is introducing a new puppet to teach respect for women |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/afghanistan-sesame-street-new-puppet-respect-women-zeerak-zari-baghchesimsim-a7844456.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=The Independent |language=en}} Both characters are intentionally made to appear pan-Afghan, as their outfits combine elements from multiple ethnic groups; similarly, both Zari and Zeerak are common names in both Dari and Pashto.{{Cite book |last=Moland |first=Naomi A. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1112424155 |title=Can Big Bird fight terrorism? : children's television and globalized multicultural education |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-19-090395-4 |location=New York, NY |pages=41, 122–124, 153 |language=en |oclc=1112424155}} Zari is puppeteered by Sima Seltani and Mansoora Shirzad.

The program also features characters from other international productions, including Khokha (from Egypt's Alam Simsim, called Khushaal), Tuktuki (from Bangladesh's Sisimpur, called Gulguly), Lola (from Mexico's Sésamo, called Laala), Businka (from Russia's Ulitsa Sezam, called Khwaaga), Raya (from Bangladesh's Sisimpur), Chamki (from India's Galli Galli Sim Sim) and Shams (from the United Arab Emirates' Iftah Ya Simsim).

The show has girls' education as one of its primary focuses. The program also focus on building pan-Afghan unity and identity. In one segment characters visit the national museum and learn about Afghan music, instruments, and dances, while in other segments characters visit monuments or sites of national importance, such as the Gardens of Babur and the Kabul Zoo. The show avoids references to political conflict.

Unlike some other co-productions, Baghch-e-Simsim does include some references to religion, such as a segment where a mother blesses her daughter or where a father brings his daughter to a mosque. The show also includes clips of ethnic and religious minorities, including Sikh and Hazara children.

As of 2017, approximately 80% of Afghan families who have access to broadcast networks watch the program.{{Cite web |last=Sreenivas |first=Shishira |date=2017-07-04 |title=Afghanistan's version of 'Sesame Street' promotes gender equality with a new muppet |url=https://mashable.com/article/zeerak-sesame-street-afghanistan-gender-equality |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=Mashable |language=en}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Molloy |first=Margaret |date=21 March 2022 |title=How brands can use their privilege in the fight for women |url=https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/03/21/how-brands-can-use-their-privilege-the-fight-women |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=The Drum}} A 2012 study by the US Embassy Kabul similarly found that the show helped persuade men to send their girls to school, and that parents found they better understood how to support their children's mental and emotional development. The study also found that children who watched the show were more visibly enthusiastic about learning

The show is broadcast:

• 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.

Zari was included as a special guest at the United Nations observance of World Children's Day in 2017.{{Cite news |date=20 November 2017 |title='Don't Let Adults Off the Hook, Keep Raising Your Voices - ' Kids 'Take Over' UN for World Children's Day |work=UN News Service}}

{{Reflist}}

• Embassy of the United States, Kabul, Afghanistan - [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kabulpublicdiplomacy/sets/72157628232390399/with/6435880313/ Sesame Street Launch 2011.11.30]

{{Sesame Street international}}

Category:2010s Afghan television series

Category:2010s children's television series

Category:2011 Afghan television series debuts

Category:Dari-language television

Category:Sesame Street international co-productions

Category:Pashto-language television

Category:Puppetry in Afghanistan