''Eesh Safari'' (Live Safari) is a TV reality show produced by the
Middle East Broadcasting Center
MBC Group ( ar, مجموعة إم بي سي), is a Saudi media conglomerate based in the Middle East and North Africa region. Launched in London in 1991, the company moved to its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 then moved to Riyadh in 2022.
MBC ...
for the channel
MBC 3
MBC 3 is a free-to-air children's channel launched on 8 December 2004, and appeals to children under the age of 15. All foreign television animated programs have been dubbed into Arabic. The channel also produces its own original programmes. It ...
. The show's main idea is to star a variety of children from around the
Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
to camp around with an organized team (by MBC 3) which is filled with coaches, traveling planners, and more. The show is exclusively aired on the channel it was designed for MBC 3. The show received huge success from
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
children, and so did its sequel, which was filmed in a different area located in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
.
Information and parts
Eesh Safari mainly consists of 2 teams, which are named after the most 2 popular animals in the region they're traveling to, using the region's language. E.g.
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
's
giraffe and
rhinoceros
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...
translated to Edubè and Umkumbè.
First season
Filming location and cultures
The first part of Eesh Safari was filmed in a natural sanctuary in South Africa. The culture was a South African tribe, called the
Zulu. One of the main tasks in the Eesh Safari competition was completing the traditional Zulu house, which becomes the main task (but for Thai houses) in the sequel.
Teams
Edubè: This team is named after the Zulu name for the
giraffe, and is the team that lost the competition. It is the orange team in Eesh Safari 1 and was led by participant Yasmin from
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
.
Umkumbè: This team is named after the Zulu name for the
rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
, and is the team that won the competition. It is the green team in Eesh Safari 1 and was led by the participant Ammar from
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
.
Second season
Filming location and cultures
The second part of Eesh Safari was filmed in another natural sanctuary but in Thailand. The culture was that of the typical
Thai people
Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย; '' endonym''), Central Thai people ( th, คนภาคกลาง, sou, คนใต้, ตามโพร; ''exonym and also domestically'') or Siamese ( th, ชาวสยาม; ''historical exonym an ...
living in an area near the sanctuary. One of the main tasks in the Eesh Safari competition was to build a traditional Thai house, which was similar to the first season, and is recognized as an ''Eesh Safari tradition''. The participants of the Eesh Safari show also shared in learning
kickboxing, which is a popular Thai type of
martial arts.
Teams
Rachasi: This team is named after the Thai name for the
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...
(which is one of the most popular animals in Thailand) and is the team that won the competition. It is the orange team in Eesh Safari 2 and was led by the participant Al-Khansa'a from
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
.
Kochasan: This team is named after the Thai naming for the
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
(which is less popular than the tiger in Thailand), and is the team that lost the competition, although most fans and even the presenter Hassan Al-Mula and coaches think they did the most effort, and they're best known for their "team anthem" called "Ya Laleh", which is composed by the team's leader Mu'ayyad from
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
.
Third season
The third part of Eesh Safari was filmed in
Australia. The culture was that of the
aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...
. It was the most unsuccessful season between the three, due to a lack of active personalities and so-called "very strict" coaches. The main teams were the Kangaroo Team and the Koala Team.
Fourth season
The fourth season is now in production. Participants in the fourth season were called and confirmed on-air on June 27, 2008.
Eesh Safari's social, cultural, and physical help
Eesh Safari is a helper method to the native parts of the regions that the show uses for the contests. Participants of Eesh Safari usually clean up their left-overs and help themselves with problems that occur to their habitats or own property, such as a flood that occurred in the second part of the show. Other than teaching the children to help themselves, and teaching them teamwork, the show also helps the native parts of the region by "punishments" teams who lose, which, most of the time, brings fun to the punished team's hearts. The punishments are always dealing with helping the native people in the region, such as cleaning animals
feces, collecting unnecessary weeds on the coast and in gardens, washing up farm animals, and many more. Also, participating in quizzes, visiting cultures, building traditional homes, going to scientific places and a lot of other activities teach participants and also the watchers of the show physical, scientific, cultural, and social help.
See also
*
MBC 3
MBC 3 is a free-to-air children's channel launched on 8 December 2004, and appeals to children under the age of 15. All foreign television animated programs have been dubbed into Arabic. The channel also produces its own original programmes. It ...
*
Middle East Broadcasting Center
MBC Group ( ar, مجموعة إم بي سي), is a Saudi media conglomerate based in the Middle East and North Africa region. Launched in London in 1991, the company moved to its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 then moved to Riyadh in 2022.
MBC ...
External links
MBC 3's official website{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615205314/http://mbc3.mbc.net/safari/es4_intro.html , date=2008-06-15
The Middle East Broadcasting Center's official website
Emirati reality television series
2005 Emirati television series debuts
2000s Emirati television series
Middle East Broadcasting Center