April 24, 2008

ARTICLES / TV: One Little Girl's Inspiration to Dream Big (EGYPT)

One Little Girl’s Inspiration to Dream Big

Fatma, a doorman's daughter, lives in one room with her parents and two of her three older brothers in the heart of Cairo.* Newly 7 and in the first grade, Fatma already knows she wants to be a lawyer. Where did she get such an idea? She heard “Khokha (the exuberant female Muppet on Alam Simsim, Sesame Street in Egypt), talking about all the things she wants to be when she grows up, one of which is a lawyer.” Her 12-year-old brother, Mostapha, thinks she should be a doctor, but Fatma holds firm. Asked if she knows what’s involved in becoming a lawyer, Fatma replies with confidence that she’ll “figure it out,” but continuing in school and going to college is a big part of it. Again, her inspiration is this uniquely Egyptian Sesame Street. “Khokha always talks about going to school and about how great it is.” And why is Khokha such a powerful influence for Fatma; why does she like her so much? Because (isn’t it obvious?) “she’s a girl like me."
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