Location(s) Kabul Original release December 1, 2011 Network Tolo TV | Original language(s) Dari and Pashto Original network Tolo TVLemar TV First episode date 1 December 2011 Languages Pashto, Dari | |
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Similar Sesame Street, Hikayat Simsim, Shara'a Simsim, Sesame Square, Sesame Tree | ||
Baghch-e-Simsim (meaning "Garden of Sesame") is a Dari and Pashto language children's television series based on the American Sesame Street, which was launched in Afghanistan in December 2011. Characters appearing in the show include Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Grover as Kajkoal, and Ernie as Hadi along with Bert. In April 2016, a local Afghan female muppet named Zari was added to Baghch-e-Simsim.
Contents
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. The new Baghch-e-Simsim version "will be partly filmed in Afghanistan with the rest lifted from other versions in Muslim countries including Egypt and Bangladesh", as well as Mexico and Russia.
The project is funded by the U.S. embassy in Kabul and is produced in consultation with Afghanistan's Ministry of Education. Baghch-e-Simsim's initial 26 half-hour episodes were aired in Dari language on locally owned Tolo TV. The Pashto version was later be aired on Lemar TV. Education in Afghanistan is very low and Baghch-e-Simsim is designed to help with that, especially Afghan children because about 45% of the population is younger than 15.
The Executive Producer of Sesame Street Season 01 was Tania Farzana. The Executive Producer of Baghch-s-Simsim for Season 02, Season 03 and the beginning of Season 04 was Tarique Qayumi.
TV channels and schedule
The show is broadcast: