Sesame Street teaches tolerance to Kosovo's children
A place for everybody
"Rruga Sesam" (Albanian language) and "Ulica Sezam" (Serbian language) were introduced at a launch event in early November 2004. Welcoming Sesame Street to Kosovo, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General in Kosovo, Soren Jessen Petersen, thanked all those who made this possible: "We may be different, we may speak different languages, we may come from different places, but on Sesame Street, we all live together. On Sesame Street, there is place for everybody. On Sesame Street, we live peacefully together and we have lots of fun while being a little bit serious from time to time," he said.
Sesame Street's production company, Sesame Workshop, is a non-profit organization. With over 20 international co-productions, Sesame Street is applying media interventions to the tough issues like tackling the stigma of AIDS in South Africa, addressing female illiteracy in Egypt and encouraging understanding of cultural diversities in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
Like in the other countries where it is broadcasted, Sesame Street is expected to have a valuable influence on Kosovo's children. It should help them get to know other cultures as well as respect and understand other ethnic groups and religions.
"We're so proud to be here today to play one small part in the further development of Kosovo," said the President of Sesame Workshop, Gary Knell, at the opening ceremony. Sesame Street started in the United States 35 years ago. It is now the longest street in the world in over 120 countries."
Learning about and respecting each other
The show was first broadcasted on 5 December. 52 episodes in each language are planned. The live film segments were locally produced and are based on an educational curriculum developed with both ethnic Albanian and Serbian content advisors. They celebrate diversity, showing children's daily lives, family relationships and cultural elements such as festivals, language, dance and music.
"We are pleased to be able to provide our children with a programme designed to foster respect and understanding among them, reinforcing the educational content while engaging them in fun learning activities that promote their growth," said Agim Zatriqi, General Director of Radio Television of Kosovo. "Furthermore, we hope that both 'Rruga Sesam' and 'Ulica Sezam' will help in crossing over more than the language barriers among Kosovo's children."
Training for pre-school children
"The series will provide preschool children who have little or no formal early childhood education with critical skills that promote literacy, numeracy and health awareness as well as understanding of their own cultures and those of their neighbours," Knell said.
The OSCE sponsored the project both financially and with a dedicated project team. Together with its partners, the OSCE provided advice on educational goals and values and on the selection of special topics like friendships, relations with parents, girls' education and local customs. The OSCE will further support the project by bringing the series on VHS to community centres in remote areas.
"We hope that Sesame Street in Kosovo will help insure that children have a big impact on Kosovo's future. Together, we can, and we will, change the next generation," concluded Gary Knell.