TV cartoon in Kyrgyzstan promotes educational messages
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, March 11, 2008 - The national TV channel in Kyrgyzstan has created an educational TV programme with the help of UNICEF. For more than two years a cartoon has been broadcast that tackles public health issues such as healthy diets and flu prevention. But the cartoon heroes also give useful advice on important issues for children, such as what are you supposed to do when you break your grandmother’s cup? Seven-years-old Nurbolot Djamangulov got a new brother a few months ago. When the baby was newly born, the whole family discussed what name to give him. Then Nurbolot said: “Let’s give my brother the name Aktan, because he is clever, strong and all the children in the village love him.” And so the baby was named Aktan. Aktan is the hero in the TV animation programme called `Magic Journey` that has been broadcast for a second year by the National TV Channel, with UNICEF support. Atkan and friends travel, have adventures and solve problems. The programme development group consisted of UNICEF staff, specialists in early childhood development and the children’s programming department of the national TV. They agreed that the programme should not only be entertaining but educational too. So, the series around Aktan were created, with topics on health, art and knowledge. “We did not expect this project would get such overwhelming reactions,” says Lira Aitimbetova, producer of TV programmes for children at the national TV. “Children and their parents started calling to our office, we started to get letters from the audience every day.”
Psychologist answers letters “My daughter is only eleven months. She cannot speak yet, but when she listens to Magic Journey’s music she is laughing and waving her hands,” wrote a mother to the UNICEF office. And six–year-old Almazbek wrote: “I know from Aktan how many vitamins there are in carrots, apples, beetroots and sweet peppers.” ***
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