Camping Out to Beat Rent; Nigeria Opens "Sesame Street"
HOLMES: All right. Forty-five minutes past the hour now. Many people in the U.S. grew up on "Sesame Street", love the show. Everybody loves that show. It may be responsible for shaping parts of our vocabulary and our numerical skills, of course. But it may interest you to know that many countries, including some countries in Africa, are adopting the concept as an educational and training tool as well. I'll tell you about "Sesame Square" that's launching in Nigeria and how that's a lot different from what we're used to seeing in "Sesame Street" here. But, also, I want to bring in Nadia Bilchik also, who always takes us around the globe, puts some things in spotlight you may not be - not be hearing about a lot, including in London. Nadia, good morning to you.</s>NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Good morning,</s>T.J. HOLMES: Folks can't afford the rent.</s>BILCHIK: Yes. Well, what's happening in London is that because they're increasing prices in rent, some people are choosing to go to tent cities and camping sites to live during the week, and they call them camping commuters. So if you think that the average - let's say a very - a cheap hotel would be $100 a night -</s>HOLMES: OK.</s>BILCHIK: -- an expensive camping site would be just $20 a night. So that's an expensive camping site.</s>HOLMES: OK.</s>BILCHIK: So just much cheaper to stay there than having to rent. But, obviously, the way people are dealing with difficult rent or expensive rent in London is they - subletting, sharing, all those things. Although, you know, the property did go in London for $140 million an apartment this year. So just another thought.</s>HOLMES: It's just another thought, though. Are they becoming a problem? Is the government trying to shut down these things, necessarily, yet? No?</s>BILCHIK: No. They're simply not (ph) trying to shut them down. In fact, it's just a push for more affordable housing. Probably like if you think of New York, how expensive it is in the city, imagine if there were trailers in Central Park -</s>HOLMES: Oh.</s>BILCHIK: -- probably bigger than some of the apartments, right?</s>HOLMES: Yes. That's a very good point, Nadia. Now, the other story, which is an interest and certainly got a lot of our attention here and you brought to our attention - "Sesame Street" moving to Nigeria.</s>BILCHIK: Well, what happens is, Sesame Workshop will come to Nigeria. They've done that this year and actually broadcast in 2011. And they work in partnership with Nigerian educators and puppeteers and they've come up with "Sesame Square, Nigeria". Two unique characters - Kami, as you mentioned --</s>HOLMES: Yes.</s>BILCHIK: -- earlier who's HIV positive and then Kobe, who is not a cookie monster. He's a yam monster because yam, sweet potatoes are much more prolific in Nigeria than let's say cookies, which by the way are called biscuits in Nigeria. But the idea behind this is let's look at what the children in Nigeria having to deal with. Now, pediatric HIV/AIDS is a problem. So here they've created this glorious golden character called Kami and she deals with her HIV in a very positive way. They call it the normalization of AIDS and that she's healthy. She talks about her feelings. Some of the other issues that Nigerian children are dealing with is racial acceptance and religious acceptance. So that's one of the things. You know, there's a lot of religious intolerance between Muslims and Christians. So how you do that? Malaria is another issue that they're dealing with. So they've taken - what Sesame Workshop done is taking the best of entertainment and brought it to other countries - Russia, Nigeria, South Africa, Argentina, and said how can we use our methodology and partner with the country to create "Sesame Square", not Street.</s>HOLMES: Not Street.</s>BILCHIK: Because squares have a better connotation.</s>HOLMES: Well, again, adapting the concept which clearly is entertaining to kids, but also edutainment -</s>BILCHIK: Edutainment.</s>HOLMES: -- it's now you said it. But one last thing, how was it received initially to, you know, some people might tell, hey, you shouldn't have a character on in here with</s>HIV. BILCHIK: Well, actually well received. They first piloted the HIV positive character in South Africa.</s>HOLMES: OK.</s>BILCHIK: Nigeria is only 2011. But it's such a different paradigm because it's such an issue there. So - and they have collaborated with Nigerians to say how will people receive it, very, very positively.</s>HOLMES: Very well (ph).</s>BILCHIK: So congratulations to Sesame Workshop and it's fun to buy a United States agency for international development.</s>HOLMES: Nadia, thank you so much. As always, we're going to be checking in with you again this morning. Nadia Bilchik, our - what's the official title, our editorial producer, is that right?</s>BILCHIK: Yes. I like to think I'm multifaceted, right.</s>HOLMES: Multifaceted. That's how we're going to start introducing you, the multifaceted Nadia Bilchik. Thank you so much. Well, coming up here, folks at 12 minutes to the top of the hour. It's safe to say some women keep secrets from their husbands. We understand. We don't like it, but we get it. OK? But ladies you can't just do that same thing with your doctor. We'll tell you why. Stay here.