There are plans to bring Sesame Street to television screens across Afghanistan in an attempt to reach children before their brains are "hard wired" with the baggage of decades of war. It is hoped that the emphasis on fair play, ethnic tolerance and the value of education will send the message that revenge is not the answer. The television programming available to Afghani children so far has included World Wrestling Entertainment matches and Tom and Jerry cartoons in which the characters are "searching for ever more elaborate ways to pummel one another." It is hoped that Sesame Street's subtle humor can have a positive effect.
Of course, there will have to be some accommodation to local customs and religious outlook. (In class we referred to this as "glocalization.") Will Kermit have facial hair and wear a prayer cap? Will Elmo have to wear clothes? How will Afghanis view the feisty Miss Piggy? Will she be covered from head to toe? Will she go to school? The producers of Sesame Street have had some practice with the process of glocalization after adapting the program for airing in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, South Africa, and Bangladesh.
Kermit has the potential to pick up where the coalition forces leave off. Hooray for Sesame Street!
