Mrs Bush tries 'acting skills'
2005-05-24 13:54
Cairo - United States (US) first lady Laura Bush recorded on Monday an episode of the Arabic version of the US children's show Sesame Street, where she underscored the importance of reading, the US embassy said.
"She and Mrs (Suzanne) Mubarak (the wife of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak) visited the set and then recorded a brief sequence on the importance of reading with Khokhah, a peach (coloured) little muppet girl," said an embassy spokesperson.
He said the episode of Alam Simsim, broadcast in Egyptian Arabic, would probably air in the show's next season.
It was not clear whether the sequence featuring Laura Bush would be translated in Arabic or in her native English.
Stars in her eyes
The US first lady, who will wrap her two-day tour in Egypt on Tuesday also visited a girls' school in Cairo and is set to visit another primary school in the port city of Alexandria on Tuesday.
"The four-year-old Khokhah is the star of the show", said an official at the US Agency for International Development (Usaid) which is funding the show.
"She wants to be a pilot, a doctor, and an engineer, all at the same time! She and her friends are changing attitudes on girls' education while helping all children better prepare for school success," said the US government's development arm on its website.
Khokhah, whose name means peach in Arabic "teaches children and adults its okay for girls to have dreams and ambitions".