Takalani Sesame

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Takalani Sesame
Created by Based on Sesame Street by Joan Ganz Cooney and Jim Henson
Country of origin South Africa
No. of episodes 65
Running time 30 minutes per episode
Original channel SABC
Original run 2000-2003 (original)
2007-2009 (new) – on hiatus

Takalani Sesame ("be happy Sesame" in Venda) is the South African version of the children's television program Sesame Street. Co-produced by Sesame Workshop and South African partners, Takalani Sesame is now in its 10th year. Takalani Sesame is a uniquely South African interpretation of the Sesame model engaging children and their parents and promoting basic school readiness, literacy, numeracy, and health and hygiene. Takalani Sesame also has a special focus on HIV/AIDS awareness and seeks to introduce HIV/AIDS safety while promoting tolerance and reducing stigma. The Takalani series also includes a popular radio program, a newspaper and magazine comic strip series, and a national Talk to ME Campaign which encourages adults to talk to their children about HIV/AIDS and related issues. The introduction of an HIV-positive muppet for this purpose was widely misunderstood by the U.S. political right, with such groups as the American Family Association mistaking it as a means for homosexual activists to influence young viewers.[1] An estimate 17% of South Africa's population aged 15–49 have HIV/AIDS.

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.


  • Moshe
  • Zikwe
  • Kupukeji
  • Zuzu


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

Episode guide[edit]

  • Season 1 (September 2000-March 2001)
  1. The Muppets sing "Doing the Family Thing" (2000)
  2. The Muppets see the importance of exercise in "What I Can Do" and "Mika Skipping Rope" (2000)
  3. The song "That's what friends are for" explores the qualities of a friend (2000)
  4. Zikwe writes a "book about me" (2000)
  5. Takalani Sesame is holding a party about food (2000)
  6. In "Sunrise to Sunset", we see the movement of the sun during the day; a farmer plants corn and waits for rain (2000)
  7. The Muppets learn that whenever we talk about transport we must also talk about safety; a bird helps a monkey get bananas (2000)
  8. This is what my body can do (2000)
  9. The children look at some special things that they can make or do (2000)
  10. Children make their own elephant masks for a performance (2000)
  11. Children greet each other in 11 languages (2000)
  12. A little boy's sister has HIV and learns coping strategies (2000)
  13. Losing things, looking for them and finding them are at the heart of this show (2001)
  14. This show looks at different feelings and how we can express these feelings (2001)
  15. Zuzu and Moshe share memories of toys they used to have; combing your hair can be fun (2001)
  16. In a song we learn that insects are part of the circle of life (2001)
  17. The Muppets and the children learn that everything and everybody needs water (2001)
  18. In this show we see the Muppets busy with activities that need persistence and concentration; an ant works around an obstacle in his path (2001)
  19. Zikwe and Zuzu use a telescope to look at the moon (2001)


  1. ^ GOP Grouchy Over HIV Muppet

External links[edit]