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sunny days sweeping the clouds away...
Jan. 31st, 2007 10:08 pmLast night I watched 'The World According to Sesame Street', a documentary about making 3 Sesame programs for other countries - Bangladesh, Kosovo, and South Africa.
What a fascinating and eye-opening experience. It's so amazing the love and care that is taken to create Sesame for other countries. It's not a McWorld program - they don't just dub over the show and send it out. They send members of Sesame workshop out into these countries and find film crews and muppeteers there and create a unique space for each program. And unique characters - it's not just Elmo speaking Spanish. Each country creates Muppets that mean something to them - an animal that is part of their countries heritage, the monsters might be colors that mean something to that culture. So much more thought goes into it all than I would have guessed!
It only makes sense. What would an urban, New York-style street mean to a child living in rural Bangladesh with dirt roads and their own style of architecture. It's not about shoving American culture and values down anyone's throat - it's about providing a learning opportunity to preschool children who might not have a chance to go to school. During the documentary, they talk to a couple random kids on the street, kids that are probably 5 or 6 and are already working to support their family. The adults on the Bangladesh crew complain about how they don't encourage children to play. Can you imagine that? A child that is not encouraged to play? That is too busy because they have to go collect cans out of the street in the hopes of making a few cents for their families? It's just so mind boggling to me, having grown up in this wealthy country...
But one thing is the same no matter where you are - the magic of the Muppets. In one scene, the Bangladesh Muppets are finally delivered to the crew. And their faces just light up, the muppeteers slip the muppets on and suddenly, they are alive and chatting and hugging each other. Just a beautiful moment.
If you get a chance, rent it. It just makes you feel good that there are people out there trying to make things better.
( in other news, which Sesame Character do you think I am? )
What a fascinating and eye-opening experience. It's so amazing the love and care that is taken to create Sesame for other countries. It's not a McWorld program - they don't just dub over the show and send it out. They send members of Sesame workshop out into these countries and find film crews and muppeteers there and create a unique space for each program. And unique characters - it's not just Elmo speaking Spanish. Each country creates Muppets that mean something to them - an animal that is part of their countries heritage, the monsters might be colors that mean something to that culture. So much more thought goes into it all than I would have guessed!
It only makes sense. What would an urban, New York-style street mean to a child living in rural Bangladesh with dirt roads and their own style of architecture. It's not about shoving American culture and values down anyone's throat - it's about providing a learning opportunity to preschool children who might not have a chance to go to school. During the documentary, they talk to a couple random kids on the street, kids that are probably 5 or 6 and are already working to support their family. The adults on the Bangladesh crew complain about how they don't encourage children to play. Can you imagine that? A child that is not encouraged to play? That is too busy because they have to go collect cans out of the street in the hopes of making a few cents for their families? It's just so mind boggling to me, having grown up in this wealthy country...
But one thing is the same no matter where you are - the magic of the Muppets. In one scene, the Bangladesh Muppets are finally delivered to the crew. And their faces just light up, the muppeteers slip the muppets on and suddenly, they are alive and chatting and hugging each other. Just a beautiful moment.
If you get a chance, rent it. It just makes you feel good that there are people out there trying to make things better.
( in other news, which Sesame Character do you think I am? )
