Sesame Square

Sesame Square is a Nigerian version of Sesame Street. It is West Africa's first Sesame Street adaptation. Nigerians produce and voice the series in Standard English. The show is scheduled to have three seasons, with the first containing 26 episodes, one for each letter of the English alphabet. It is due to be screened on Nigerian Television Authority network. The set of Sesame Square resembles a traditional Nigerian village with a central mango tree. The series stars Kami, an HIV-positive Muppet (who was originally part of the South African version of Sesame Street), and Zobi, a blue, furry Muppet who is a 'Yam Monster' (the Nigerian version of the Cookie Monster in the American original). He often shouts out, "me eat yam!" It will also feature segments from the American original including famous characters such as Big Bird and Bert and Ernie. The characters will be revoiced, however, to give them Nigerian accents. The opening theme tune is "Welcome to Sesame Square" and includes the use of talking drums. These are the segments were dubbed in Global Grover, Play with Me Sesame, Elmo's World, Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures, and Sesame Street English. In addition to teaching letters and numbers, the show aims to educate children about malaria prevention, promote Nigerian unity through the representation of the diverse groups that make-up the country and to help remove the stigma of being HIV-positive. It is the second foreign co-production of Sesame Street to be shown entirely in English, the first being Northern Ireland's Sesame Tree.