About the lecture
Sesame Street has taught generations of Americans their letters and numbers, and also how to better understand and get along with people of different races, faiths, ethnicities and temperaments. But the show has a global reach as well, with more than thirty co-productions of Sesame Street that are viewed in over 150 countries. In recent years, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided funding to the New York-based Sesame Workshop to create international versions of Sesame Street. At this talk, Dr. Naomi Moland will discuss her new book, Can Big Bird Fight Terrorism? which looks at the Nigerian version, Sesame Square, which began airing in 2011. The show seeks to promote peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, where segregation, state fragility and escalating conflict raise the stakes of peacebuilding efforts. This book offers rare insights into the dilemmas inherent in soft power attempts to teach the ideals of diversity and tolerance in countries suffering from internal conflicts.
About Naomi Moland
Naomi A. Moland is on the faculty of the School of International Service at American University. She teaches and researches about global media, international education, cultural globalization and peace and conflict. Her current research focuses on the cultural dynamics of the global LGBTQ rights movement.