Updated on
Summary
It's always a sunny day on Sesame Street in the West Bank, where the neighbours are friendly and the muppets never see an Israeli army checkpoint all day long. The Shara'a Simsim version of the popular television programme teaches Palestinian children they can achieve their dream of an independent Palestinian state through tolerance, education and national pride -- and not anti-Israeli violence. We are interested in showing the civilized and cultural society, to teach values such as amity, non-violence, co-operation, open intellect, respect for one another, respect of males and females, self-confidence and also pride in their Palestinian nationality. We are not only interested in teaching them A-Z but also in building the society and the integrated human, said executive producer Daoud Kuttab. The fourth series, which airs on Palestine TV in January and has 52 half-hour episodes, aims to teach Palestinian children -- mainly the boys -- non-violent ways of expression, by exposing them to empowered characters who serve as role models. The show's Palestinian producers chose to make no reference to symbols of the Israeli occupation such as the West Bank barrier and the network of Israeli army checkpoints, which Palestinians say are sources of hardship.
