Takalani Sesame ("be happy Sesame" in Venda) is the South African version of the children's television programme Sesame Street.

It incorporates all of South Africa's 11 National Languages, including Afrikaans, English, Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Sesotho, Northern Sotho, Tsonga, Tswana and Venda.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, and Nane Annan have made guest appearances on the show.

Crew

• Executive producer: Seipati Bulane-Hopa
• Chief producer: Horace Rayners
• Director of operations: Stan Joseph
• Line Producer: Shame

Kami

The HIV+ character's name is derived from "Kamogelo", which means acceptance and/or welcome in Zulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, and Setswana. She was controversial in the USA because it was mentioned that Sesame Street may also include an HIV+ character in the future. Kami has appeared at the United Nations and the World Bank.

Occasionally, the international version of the show airs segments that might not be considered acceptable by American audiences. In 2002, Sesame Workshop announced that a HIV-positive character would be introduced to Takalani Sesame, the South African version of the show. This idea was considered crucial for an area where AIDS is an epidemic. The matter was not presented clearly by the media, whose reports gave many the impression that this character was proposed for the American version of the program. Some right-wing activist organizations vigorously opposed the idea, and several politicians and programme affiliates also became concerned. The character named Kami was introduced in late September 2002; the name is derived from the Tswana word for "acceptance".

Episode guide

1. The Muppets sing "Doing the Family Thing"
2. The Muppets see the importance of exercise in "What I Can Do" and "Mika Skipping Rope"
3. The song "That's what friends are for" explores the qualities of a friend
4. Zikwe writes a "Book about me"
5. Takalani Sesame Street is holding a party so food is the theme
6. In "Sunrise to Sunset" we see the movement of the sun during the day
7. The Muppets learn that whenever we talk about transport we must also talk about safety
8. This is what my body can do!
9. The children look at some special things that they can make or do
10. Children make their own elephant masks for a performance
11. We see children greeting each other in 11 languages
12. We see children greeting each other in 11 languages
13. A little boy's sister has HIV and learns coping strategies
14. Losing things, looking for them and finding them are at the heart of this show
15. Losing things, looking for them and finding them are at the heart of this show
16. This show looks at different feelings and how we can express these feelings
17. Zuzu and Moshe share memories of toys they used to have
18. In the song we learn that insects are part of the circle of life
19. The Muppets and the children learn that everything and everybody needs water
20. In this show we see the Muppets busy with activities that need persistence and concentration
21. Zikwe and Zuzu use a telescope to look at the moon

External links

• Takalani Sesame official site
• BBC article speculates on possible HIV+ Sesame character in the USA
• Kami formally appointed by the UN as a global champion for children