Disney, Nat Geo launch new environmental kids' show in Nairobi
From left: Walt Disney Africa Senior Vice President and Country Manager Christian Service, WildlifeDirect Head of Communication Trish Sewe, USAID Environment Kenya and East Africa Strategic Communications Manager Lilly Bekele Piper and White Rhino Films Partnerships and Business Development Lead Susan Kimanzi at the launch of Team Sayari during a panel discussion on September 17, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The show was unveiled with an exclusive premiere of its first two episodes.
- The studio and field presenters are children from the countries the show visits.
National Geographic Wild and Walt Disney Company Africa have launched Team Sayari, an African children's show that focuses on environmental and wildlife conservation.
With their partners, White Rhino Productions, WildlifeDirect, the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the show was unveiled with an exclusive premiere of its first two episodes.
The show was named Sayari meaning "planet" with an aim to create interest for conservation in children in Africa from a tender age. It is hosted by children between the ages of 10 and 15 to help other young children to understand the magnitude of reversing the effects of climate change and caring for wildlife too.
Walt Disney Africa Senior Vice President and Country Manager Christian Service said that the programme focuses on the African heritage and the work communities are doing to take care of the planet as well as the challenges they face.
“This is a series that is told in the voices of the youth for the youth. We are trying to get young people to develop and maintain a curiosity for the planet and their role for being custodians,” she said.
The cast of Team Sayari during an introductory session at the launch on September 17, 2022.
The show takes viewers on a learning experience of Africa’s current environmental state. The studio and field presenters are children from the countries the show visits such as Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa and Nigeria.
Meanwhile back at the studio, also known as the Sayari basecamp, five studio presenters who are Kenyan use an artificial intelligence computer they call Funzi to create challenges for them and provide additional information depending on what they are learning.
“Children do not have to wait to be adults to make a decision to be impactful to the environment. They can start getting involved now in a fun and engaging way. One of our hosts, Marita, met a reformed poacher who is now a ranger who protects wild animals instead of hunting them down, ” said Walt Disney Africa Senior Manager of Programming and Scheduling Tracy-Ann Van Rooney.
The young hosts from Kenya are Shanah Manjeru, Railey Mwai, Mysha Hodson, Adarsh Nagda, Marita Nyambura and Sheila Sheldon. The show will be aired on National Geographic Wild and Disney Channel on DSTV on September 24 in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda and will have translations in Swahili and Kinyarwanda.
“We realise that not everyone can have access to television. There will be an outreach programme that we expect to reach over 10 thousand children in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda in its first phase,” said WildlifeDirect Head of Communication Trish Sewe.
