After a successful television career of more than four decades on “Plaza Sésamo,” Sonia Manzano still remembers her loneliness due to the notable absence of Latinos on American television. His new bilingual series on PBS, “Alma’s Way,” extols Hispanic culture in all its dimensions and seeks to encourage “critical thinking” in Latino children.
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, PBS Kids will debut on October 4 Manzano’s animated series, inspired by his own childhood as a “Nuyorican” family in the Bronx. The series, aimed at children between 4 and 6 years old, recounts the adventures of Alma, a 6-year-old Puerto Rican girl who lives with her family and their puppy, Chacho, in the Bronx.
In an exclusive interview with El Tiempo Latino, Manzano explained that his goal is to help children “think for themselves” and at the same time have an open mind towards others.
“The series tries to promote critical thinking, because that’s how Alma thinks,” said Manzano, interpreter of the endearing character “María” in “Plaza Sésamo” for 44 years and until her departure in June 2015.
In each episode, Alma speaks directly to viewers, explaining the process of “thinking hard” and showing them that with discipline you can find solutions to problems. That way, kids can follow Alma as she learns to speak up for herself, make tough decisions, figure out how to help her friends, and much more. The series, which was hosted by Fred Rogers Productions, will be available in English and Spanish also through the PBS Kids website.
Manzano was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series and has won 15 Emmys for her writing on television.
Below, we share the telephone interview with Manzano, which has been edited for clarity.
Tell us about your new series
I put characters from the Bronx because that was my experience… I wanted to show the children that everyone has a mind, that this is their domain and that it is powerful. It is something very personal for me; many of the characters are based on characters from my own life. I remember that as a child my mind was a refuge: I went there when there were problems in the neighborhood, in my family. I escaped into my mind, looked for cracks in the ceiling, and discovered that the world had symmetry.
What is the goal of the series?
When I was a child, Latinos were invisible, there were no Latinos in the media or on television.
The only ones were Cantinflas, Joselito, María Félix, actors in Mexican films; I would see Sarita Montiel and when I got home I would put on a shawl to be like her, I wanted to emulate someone. I hope the children see Alma in this series the same way they saw Maria in Sesame Street: oh, look, she looks and talks like me.
– Why is it important for Hispanic children to have a character like Alma?
For the same reason that it was important for me to see a character on TV like me when I was a child: I felt invisible, I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up, because I had no role models. I believe that children have to be reflected in many people and that they understand that society expects their contributions.
On this occasion (for Hispanic Heritage Month) I think we celebrate, but we also demand (opportunities).
Many children are glued to the television and new technologies. Can they be allies of the parents of a relative to help their children?
We are using technology to an advantage, for children to extract information from their computers and televisions… times change, but I think Alma’s Way tries to equip children with the tools they need to navigate the world.
Alma is of Puerto Rican origin like you. In the face of such a fragmented Hispanic community, how did you make the series have universal appeal?
Something I learned from Sesame Street is that the more specific things are done, the more people will like them. Sesame Street was a series conceived for African-American children in impoverished areas, but the world grew to love it.
The Bronx is now more diverse, there are people from all over, from Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and we are a mix. In the series, all the actors are Latino and not just Puerto Rican, and we reflect our variety in music, from Cuban son to merengue, bachata, and hiphop. The song of the series, peppered with salsa rhythms, was written by the actor and composer of Puerto Rican origin, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
What life lessons did your career as “Maria” in “Sesame Street” leave you?
Well, I realized that it was time to quit when I could no longer recognize who the celebrities were. I learned that children respond well to honesty – that’s why my character was very popular – and humor, and not to be looked down on because they have their own ideas. Those sensibilities were important to me.
What advice do you give children and young people to make them feel proud of their cultural heritage, especially when there are still sectors that are unaware of that Hispanic trajectory in the United States?
I would tell them to know their history well, where they come from, what their roots are, that would give them strength. I remember the great (Puerto Rican) actor Raúl Juliá, who used to say that his accent was not a problem, it was his weapon.
If Juliá used her accent as a weapon, what was yours?
I think I realized that I had to be myself; I had no one to follow because there were no Latino people on television. It was like stripping your soul, seeing yourself, and I think that has been my success.
In each episode, Alma speaks directly to viewers, explaining the process of “thinking hard” and showing them that with discipline you can find solutions to problems.
These children have to see who they are, embrace their Hispanicity. I am Nuyorican, and perhaps before there was a division between those from here and those from the island, but now that word contains only one people.
– How do you imagine that the series will help the mainstream of the country (“mainstream”) see and listen to us?
It is a very colorful series, very entertaining, with wonderful music. People will see that this is a series about human interactions, about childhood. And it does have that Hispanic part because it is who I am, but the impulse of the series is to learn to use the brain, to use it to think well, and everyone can relate to that.
And we do it with all Latin flavor.
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