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Children all over the world first learn their ABCs from the popular program Sesame Street. But in the South African version, children learn a new set of letters, "H-I-V" and "A-I-D-S."In Takalani Sesame, Kami is like any other children's puppet, except for one significant difference: she has HIV. Kami brings to life the reality of HIV/AIDS and ends the stigma of the disease.
Moving almost four years ago to the Takalani Sesame neighborhood, Kami not only represents the face of AIDS in Africa but also the 14 million orphans whose parents have died from the disease, a number which is currently rising as more and more people with children die every year in the region.
According to the UN, "the disease is in effect making orphans of a whole generation of children, jeopardizing their health, their rights, their well-being and sometimes their very survival, not to mention the overall development prospects of their countries."
Is Kami ready to move into the global Sesame neighborhood?
As the wings of AIDS spread far beyond Africa, and world leaders harden to indifference to act on this emergency, Kami's power-hold charisma among children, youth and even parents, makes her the right persona to carry the burden of raising awareness on HIV/AIDS, especially in developing countries where most of the education is provided by television.
Kami could also easily transcend cultural sensibilities for her obvious furry countenance.
In South Africa communities for example, people took a long time to openly talk about the disease, making it more difficult to educate people about AIDS. But it was a furry female muppet from the Sesame series who broke the taboo.
Kami is now a fixture in the South African household and rural areas, viewed by almost half a million children per week, especially those who are in dire need of pre-school education, raising awareness about HIV and AIDS.
According to UNAIDS, in Asia, more than 8 million people are already living with HIV and half a million died of AIDS last year, a region with the heaviest concentration of growing populations. This means the AIDS epidemic is not confined to Africa alone but spreading like wildfire all over the world.
Kami is still living in Takalani Sesame in South Africa. Although there was talk of bringing the character to other countries, such as the U.S., this has not yet happened, and there is still significant opposition to such a move. Not allowing Kami to be introduced to the global Sesame neigborhood signifies that the stigma of the disease still exists.
Article written by Tuesday Gutierrez
Is Kami ready to move into the global Sesame neighborhood?
As the wings of AIDS spread far beyond Africa, and world leaders harden to indifference to act on this emergency, Kami's power-hold charisma among children, youth and even parents, makes her the right persona to carry the burden of raising awareness on HIV/AIDS, especially in developing countries where most of the education is provided by television.
Kami could also easily transcend cultural sensibilities for her obvious furry countenance.
In South Africa communities for example, people took a long time to openly talk about the disease, making it more difficult to educate people about AIDS. But it was a furry female muppet from the Sesame series who broke the taboo.
Kami is now a fixture in the South African household and rural areas, viewed by almost half a million children per week, especially those who are in dire need of pre-school education, raising awareness about HIV and AIDS.
According to UNAIDS, in Asia, more than 8 million people are already living with HIV and half a million died of AIDS last year, a region with the heaviest concentration of growing populations. This means the AIDS epidemic is not confined to Africa alone but spreading like wildfire all over the world.
Kami is still living in Takalani Sesame in South Africa. Although there was talk of bringing the character to other countries, such as the U.S., this has not yet happened, and there is still significant opposition to such a move. Not allowing Kami to be introduced to the global Sesame neigborhood signifies that the stigma of the disease still exists.
Article written by Tuesday Gutierrez