The Walt Disney Company Africa, together with its project partners USAID, the U.S. State Department and WildlifeDirect are pleased to announce that brand new episodes of Team Sayari will premiere on National Geographic Wild (DStv 182, Starsat 221) this March. Following a successful launch and enthusiastic reception, viewers can look forward to more adventures in the natural world with episodes premiering on the channel every Saturday at 13:00 (CAT) / 14:00 (EAT) from 4 March 2023.
The first of its kind, this authentic African children’s programme aims to encourage viewers to engage in conservation of Africa’s vast biodiversity and natural resources. Led by the programme’s goals to inspire curiosity, ignite positive behaviour change and nurture environmental champions, studio hosts Mysha Hodson (15), Marita Lucas (14), Shanah Manjeru (16), Railey Mwai (12) and Adarsh Nagda (14) commence each episode in the Sayari Basecamp where a gigantic tree, with a textured trunk named Funzi imparts knowledge about the environment and gives the team various challenges on which to embark.
Young field presenters from across the continent Thandolwethu Fani (15), Khahliso Khojane (15), Sabrina Kilumanga (11), Atule Mazane (14) Christian Mekhi (11), Toluwanimi Olaoye (13) and Sheilah Sheldone (14) visit the wild to meet African experts to learn about our environmental challenges and be inspired to reduce their impact, protect and restore nature. Along the way, they provide viewers with the knowledge of how to protect the natural world, in a fun way.
When the series returns, the brand new episodes will continue to showcase fascinating insights, facts and adventures throughout our natural world. For instance, Team Sayari learns how animals, from the cheetah to the tortoise, are built for speed and how this helps them survive in the wild. They discover that the more you learn about snakes, the more you realize that they are incredible creatures worthy of our respect and protection. Our youth also learn that, bursting with wildlife and filled with mysteries to be solved, our oceans are one of the most amazing habitats on Earth, that need to be protected, as well as many other intriguing discoveries.
Alongside the television production, an outreach programme, run by WildlifeDirect is currently underway across East Africa, extending the reach of the series into rural communities through the Nature Positive Kids Outreach program targeting 10,000 children in 200 schools. Additionally, a call for conservation project proposals to all participating schools will be rolled out in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania on 3 March to mark this year’s World Wildlife Day and to incentivise schools to embrace the environment. An exciting digital extension, the Team Sayari web-based app, will soon be available, providing digital extensions of the programme, fun activities and even more ways to engage with the natural world.
Team Sayari is the result of a collaborative effort between National Geographic,The Walt Disney Company Africa, USAID, the U.S. State Department and WildlifeDirect. This successful, innovative, edutainment TV series is produced by Kenyan Production Company, White Rhino Films and aims to celebrate, encourage and inspire the next generation of environmental champions to interact with, preserve, and safeguard the environment and natural resources.