Leading children’s entertainment channel Nickelodeon will be celebrating SpongeBob SquarePants’ 25th anniversary this year.
To commemorate this momentous occasion, Nickelodeon will broadcast three seasons of the series in three languages. These are English, isiZulu, and, for the first time in history, Afrikaans. This is also part of the “Nick in Your Language” initiative.
SpongeBob SquarePants fans of all ages can now experience the underwater adventures of SpongeBob and his friends in their mother tongue. They can also use it as a fun way to learn a new language.
Nick in your Language project
Nickelodeon is committed to helping preserve local languages with their “Nick in Your Language” project. It is an exciting initiative aimed at promoting inclusivity and cultural diversity in children’s entertainment across South Africa.
Earlier this year, Nickelodeon launched PAW Patrol in IsiZulu. Nickelodeon plans to dub more popular shows into local languages. This will allow young viewers to enjoy their favourite programmes in their preferred languages.
Dillon Khan is Vice President of Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Studios & Creative Services (Africa). He expressed his excitement about the project.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer SpongeBob SquarePants fans the opportunity to celebrate his 25th anniversary in local languages.
Speaking to Sunday World, Khan confirmed the innovative changes. He said their ambition is to roll out the “Nick in Your Language” in as many South African languages as possible over time.
Aims to promote inclusivity and cultural diversity
“Nick in Your Language is an initiative aimed at promoting inclusivity and cultural diversity. This pertains to children’s entertainment across South Africa using some of Nickelodeon’s most loved characters.
“It is a long-term project, and Nickelodeon will roll out more local languages over time. Nick in Your Language is aimed at school-going children. And the decision to roll out isiZulu and Afrikaans first, is based on one factor. It is the fact that most schools offer isiZulu and Afrikaans as second language subjects,” said Khan.
StatisticsSA’s Census 2011 shows that IsiZulu is South Africa’s biggest language. It is spoken by almost a quarter (23%) of the population. This is followed by IsiXhosa, spoken by 16% and Afrikaans, spoken by 13.5%.
