Ahlan Simsim, which translates to “Welcome Sesame” in Arabic, is the newest program to launch from Sesame Workshop, the same organization that brings kids Sesame Street. Ahlan Simsim includes some familiar faces, including Elmo and the Cookie Monster. In episodes that are each just under 30 minutes, the Arabic TV show also introduces us to Jad, who was displaced from his home, and Basma, who becomes his buddy. This program hopes to entertain the refugee children who have been displaced because of the civil war in Syria and help them process trauma safely, reports the Associated Press.
"My toy is not with me ... I left it behind in my old home when I came here," Jad, who is voiced by a Syrian puppeteer, says in a translation of an episode clip that ran on 60 Minutes.
The program is geared toward children between three and eight years old. It will air in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, among other countries, beginning in early February 2020. It will also be available to stream. While Sesame Street has tackled a number of important issues with grace, including homelessness and autism, this series will have a particular focus on self-care and safety skills for kids who are surviving trauma and crisis. As the AP reports, social-emotional and coping strategies like deep breathing and art will appear.
"A big part of the program is doing research in order to learn what works and what doesn't for children in crisis settings," Sesame Workshop spokesperson Hallie Ruvin told CNN.
“We know a lot about children and children’s development and what’s needed. But we always want to learn from people on the ground,” Sherrie Westin, president of Social Impact & Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop, told the AP. “We know that when children can see themselves, identify with these characters and when they can relate to the story lines, we are the most effective.”
This project has been a long time coming. While the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Sesame Workshop first announced Ahlan Simsim in 2016, it wasn’t until the organizations won a MacArthur Foundation award (which comes with a cool $100 million prize) in 2017 that things really got moving. The award is certainly well-deserved, as the organizations aimed not only to introduce a new Sesame show with Arabic speaking characters but to actually help the countless children displaced by extreme violence and crisis through in-person education and outreach.
Given that Sesame has long been ahead of the game when it comes to diversity, like with its ground-breaking Latinx representation, this isn’t a shocker, but it’s still wonderful. On a lighter note, Sesame Street once seemingly mocked Donald Trump as Donald Grump.
Here is Katie Murphy of IRC speaking more about how they fine-tuned a show for children surviving trauma.
From the sneak peeks available, the animation and general vibe of the show are pretty familiar, as you can see below.