New episodes of Team Sayari are now available to watch on the National Geographic Wild channel on DStv (channel 182) and Starsat (channel 221). New episodes will premier on the channel every Saturday at 13:00 (CAT) / 14:00 (EAT) from March 4 2023.
Team Sayari is a collaboration between The Walt Disney Company Africa, together with its project partners USAID, the U.S. State Department and WildlifeDirect. Following a successful launch and enthusiastic reception, viewers can look forward to more adventures in the natural world
Team Sayari is an African children’s programme that aims to encourage viewers to engage in conservation of Africa’s vast biodiversity and natural resources. It is led by the programme’s goals to inspire curiosity, ignite positive behaviour change and nurture environmental champions. Each episode starts 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.
The show’s studio hosts include Mysha Hodson (15), Marita Lucas (14), Shanah Manjeru (16), Railey Mwai (12) and Adarsh Nagda (14). Young field presenters from across the continent are: Thandolwethu Fani (15), Khahliso Khojane (15), Sabrina Kilumanga (11), Atule Mazane (14) Christian Mekhi (11), Toluwanimi Olaoye (13) and Sheilah Sheldone (14). They 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.
The 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.
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 was rolled out in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania on March 3. A 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.