In the fight against extremism in nuclear-armed Pakistan, the United States is deploying a new weapon - Elmo. The lovable red monster is about to hit TV screens here in a locally produced version of one of America's most potent exports - Sesame Street. There are local productions in 20 countries, from China to Palestine. The Pakistani programme, Sim Sim Hamara, has not come cheap. The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, has committed $10m (7.4m euros, £6.3m) to the four-year project. The final figure could be twice that. It is a major investment in a troubled nation, where the only education on offer for some is in radical madrassas. The US government is hoping that as well as providing basic literacy and numeracy skills, the programme will teach lessons in tolerance, and mutual respect. On set in Lahore, the producers, the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, insisted that while Washington funded the series, it did not write the script.
Puppet power as Sesame Street arrives in Pakistan - YouTube |
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| Entertainment | Upload TimePublished on 8 Dec 2011 |
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