Takalani Sesame (Radio & TV)

The Takalani Sesame project represented the first venture by the Sesame Workshop into the vital field of radio, through its partnership with Vuleka Productions. Radio is seen by South African educationists as a key means of ensuring that the Takalani Sesame project reaches out to the poorest of the poor, who have traditionally relied on radio for entertainment and information, and increasingly for education. Vuleka Productions was selected by a very competitive international tender to launch help Sesame Workshop add radio to its international multi-media production of the internationally acclaimed Sesame Street show.

Vuleka Productions won the top radio award on the African continent for its work on this first-ever radio version of the internationally acclaimed educational TV series. The Union of National Radio and Television Organisations of Africa (URTNA) awarded First Prize to Vuleka in its 9th Screen, Radio and Television Programme Competition. Minister of Education Kader Asmal commended Vuleka on winning this prestigious award, noting in a congratulatory letter that “the Department of Education is very happy to be working with such a creative and talented team.”

Research into the effectiveness of the Takalani Sesame children’s radio series was conducted by the School of Education at the University of Natal in Durban. “This is path-breaking research,” noted the head of the research team, Professor Linda Chisholm. “Radio listening habits of South African children have never been investigated before.”

Vuleka Productions is a black and female owned and operated South African media production company co-founded by Madoda Ncayiyana and Julie Frederikse in 1993. Vuleka has carved a niche for itself in producing programming around relevant social issues, in all 11 national languages, in radio and audio, as well as film, TV and video, on issues such as human rights, children’s rights, voter education, conflict resolution, labour relations, welfare, gender issues, land issues, environmental affairs and tourism. Vuleka producer Julie Frederikse has a strong radio background, having worked for the US Public Broadcasting System’s National Public Radio as its southern Africa correspondent, as well as for South Africa’s SAfm and Capital Radio. Director Madoda Ncayiyana has a background in radio drama, voice-over work and as a radio host for SAfm.