A 46 second colorful introduction of Sesame Street characters mixed with children blowing bubbles, playing with a parachute and cartoon drawings, displays where U.S. taxpayer money has gone in Iraq. Under the Biden administration, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded $20 million to a nonprofit called Sesame Workshop to produce a show called “Ahlan Simsim Iraq.”
Why? The money was taken from U.S. taxpayers and given to Iraq by USAID “In an effort to promote inclusion, mutual respect, and understanding across ethnic, religious, and sectarian groups” according to the USAID website.
A video of the introduction to the show “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” was posted on social media, with the caption: “USAID spent $20 million of taxpayer funds for an Iraqi television show called ‘Ahlan Simsim.’ It’s the Middle East country’s version of ‘Sesame Street.’ ‘Ahlan Simsim’ means ‘Welcome Sesame’ in Arabic. Here’s the intro to the show, how does this advance America’s interests?”
Fox News reports that an archived link to USAID’s website reads: “As Iraq recovers from years of conflict, communities struggle to find a new sense of normalcy while physical and emotional wounds remain.”
“The legacy of Iraq’s conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) left many children without a stable home or displaced, especially those from Iraq’s ethnic and religious minorities. Additionally, Iraqi youth, who make up over half of the population, are unable to find jobs in an economy strained by war and corruption, creating vulnerabilities to radicalization” the website continues.
Fox News notes the show is styled like the American kids’ show “Sesame Street,” and was granted funding that began in 2021 and runs until 2027, according to the archived website. It continues to air in the Middle East, a review of its website shows
