Muppet Messaging

American readers will probably recognize the dopey guy on the right as Elmo, of tickling fame, who lives on Sesame Street. But this isn’t Elmo, it’s his doppelgänger, Neno, who appears on Takalani Sesame, the South African version of the show. The blonde is his co-star, Kami, who will also appear on Sesame Square, a new Nigerian adaptation, slated for launch in March.Kami is only 5 years old, but she has grown-up problems. When she was an infant, a blood transfusion left her HIV positive. Her mother had AIDS and died, leaving her orphaned.Read more at...The Last Word on Nothing, February 2011.