Alam Simsim
Encyclopedia
Alam Simsim is an Arabic language
Egypt
ian-made adaptation of the format used in the children's television series
Sesame Street
. Alam Simsim is Arabic for "Sesame World".
The show, funded by the U.S. Government's U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID,) is a cooperative project between Egypt's Al Karma Edutainment and the USA's Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop). This effort is one of several such cooperative projects funded by USAID in countries such as Russia
and South Africa
.
The show debuted in 2002, and now has more than 240 episodes.
Satellite broadcaster Future Television
of Lebanon
picked up the show in November 2005, expanding possible viewership to more than 200 million viewers in the Arab States.
The show is set in the imaginary Alam Simsim (Sesame World) neighborhood in Egypt. This area is Medieval-looking like Old Cairo
except perhaps more rural and green. It consists of a small public square surrounded by a park; a store owned by 'Am Gherghis; the carpenter's shop owned by 'Am Hussein with apartments above occupied by 'Am Hussein's family, 'Ama Kheireya his wife, Mona his teenage daughter and Kareem his young son. A bookstore or library (the same word is used for both in Arabic so it is hard to tell which is intended) is run by a young woman named Nabila. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/472/li1.htm The humans are referred to as 'Am and 'Ama, which are "Uncle" and "Aunt" in Egyptian Arabic. These titles denote familiarity common in Egyptian neighborhoodshttp://www.futuretvnetwork.com/Default.aspx?page=programpage&idprog=264.
Nimnim (tiny) is a large green furry character who wears a
cap from upper Egypt and a patterned vest. He is a somewhat gentle and naive creature who enjoys gardening.
Khokha (peach) is a furry pinkish orange colored puppet with long black hair. She is a very inquisitive, imaginative and confident character whose main message is to encourage young girls.
Filfil (pepper) is a bearded furry purple puppet who often gets carried away with himself. He is a bit egotistical and loves to eat honey-sesame stickshttp://www.futuretvnetwork.com/Default.aspx?page=programpage&idprog=264, http://www.sesameworkshop.org/international/eg/eng/home.php
Alam Simsim reuses many of the sketches from other versions of Sesame Street, dubbed into Egyptian Arabic
. Some of these include segments using American Muppets, however some names are changed. Ernie
and Bert are known as Shadi and Hadi, Elmo
is called Tohfa (antique), Telly
is named Mosaad while Grover
is Jafaar. Kermit
is simply called Kermit.http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/newsletter_article.php?contentId=94620&type=sesame
. The letter and reading segments are taught in Modern Standard Arabic which is the language that all Arabic children will use for reading and writing. However the skits are all in Egyptian Arabic
dialect, that used in Egypt for regular interaction.
For example, a segment on the letter Sin will show a picture of a car and call it by the Standard Arabic name, Sayara. However, cars that appear in skits will be called by the word 'Arabiya, as they are commonly known in Egypt
. In this way, children learn that there are two words for the object depending on the context and therefore are not confused when learning to read Modern Standard Arabic. This is the same way that a bilingual child learns words in different languages at the same time.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian-made adaptation of the format used in the children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. Alam Simsim is Arabic for "Sesame World".
The show, funded by the U.S. Government's U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID,) is a cooperative project between Egypt's Al Karma Edutainment and the USA's Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop). This effort is one of several such cooperative projects funded by USAID in countries such as Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The show debuted in 2002, and now has more than 240 episodes.
Satellite broadcaster Future Television
Future Television
Future Television a television station broadcasting from Lebanon. It was founded in 1993 by Rafik Hariri, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon. Future TV is also available via satellite in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Politically, the channel supports the views of the Future...
of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
picked up the show in November 2005, expanding possible viewership to more than 200 million viewers in the Arab States.
The show is set in the imaginary Alam Simsim (Sesame World) neighborhood in Egypt. This area is Medieval-looking like Old Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
except perhaps more rural and green. It consists of a small public square surrounded by a park; a store owned by 'Am Gherghis; the carpenter's shop owned by 'Am Hussein with apartments above occupied by 'Am Hussein's family, 'Ama Kheireya his wife, Mona his teenage daughter and Kareem his young son. A bookstore or library (the same word is used for both in Arabic so it is hard to tell which is intended) is run by a young woman named Nabila. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/472/li1.htm The humans are referred to as 'Am and 'Ama, which are "Uncle" and "Aunt" in Egyptian Arabic. These titles denote familiarity common in Egyptian neighborhoodshttp://www.futuretvnetwork.com/Default.aspx?page=programpage&idprog=264.
Characters
The show also includes three main Muppet characters who interact with the humans in the neighborhood just as they do on the original American program.Nimnim (tiny) is a large green furry character who wears a
cap from upper Egypt and a patterned vest. He is a somewhat gentle and naive creature who enjoys gardening.
Khokha (peach) is a furry pinkish orange colored puppet with long black hair. She is a very inquisitive, imaginative and confident character whose main message is to encourage young girls.
Filfil (pepper) is a bearded furry purple puppet who often gets carried away with himself. He is a bit egotistical and loves to eat honey-sesame stickshttp://www.futuretvnetwork.com/Default.aspx?page=programpage&idprog=264, http://www.sesameworkshop.org/international/eg/eng/home.php
Alam Simsim reuses many of the sketches from other versions of Sesame Street, dubbed into Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
. Some of these include segments using American Muppets, however some names are changed. Ernie
Ernie
Ernie is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Service's long-running children's television show, Sesame Street. He and his roommate Bert form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Ernie acting the role of the naïve troublemaker and Bert the world-weary foil...
and Bert are known as Shadi and Hadi, Elmo
Elmo
Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is a furry red monster and currently hosts the last full 15 minute segment on Sesame Street, Elmo's World, which is aimed at toddlers. His puppeteer, Kevin Clash, uses falsetto to produce his voice...
is called Tohfa (antique), Telly
Telly
The word telly may refer to:* A colloquial term for television* Telly Monster* Telly Awards* Telly Home Entertainment Server*Telly , a range of computer systems*Telly Addicts UK game show*Indian Telly Awards...
is named Mosaad while Grover
Grover
Grover is a Muppet character on the popular television show Sesame Street. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a monster who almost never uses contractions when speaking or singing....
is Jafaar. Kermit
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
is simply called Kermit.http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/newsletter_article.php?contentId=94620&type=sesame
Language Learning
There is an interesting situation with the language of Alam Simsim, which has to do with early childhood educationEarly childhood education
Early childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. 'Early childhood' is usually defined as before the age of normal schooling - five years in most nations, though the U.S...
. The letter and reading segments are taught in Modern Standard Arabic which is the language that all Arabic children will use for reading and writing. However the skits are all in Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
dialect, that used in Egypt for regular interaction.
For example, a segment on the letter Sin will show a picture of a car and call it by the Standard Arabic name, Sayara. However, cars that appear in skits will be called by the word 'Arabiya, as they are commonly known in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. In this way, children learn that there are two words for the object depending on the context and therefore are not confused when learning to read Modern Standard Arabic. This is the same way that a bilingual child learns words in different languages at the same time.