We see many excellent religious programmes and content, but Zayn & Zayna’s niche is using fun to teach children the softer values of the faith, which are sometimes overlooked. This sets them apart in many ways.
We see many excellent religious programmes and content, but Zayn & Zayna’s niche is using fun to teach children the softer values of the faith, which are sometimes overlooked. This sets them apart in many ways.
Zayn & Zayna’s Little Farm is an animated show and book series for children, which follows brother and sister, Zayn & Zayna, on adventures with their Muslim family on their British farm. It is a show that challenges current tokenistic programming by offering an inclusive approach to its content platform.
The core values of this entertainment series are orientated around ‘Community, Creativity, and Communication’ bundled up as fun and engaging entertainment, whilst simultaneously promoting kindness, cultural diversity, and inclusion.
The principle idea is to launch a Muslim family with universal values into the media with a focus on broader family values for the good of humankind and the environment as a whole.
Zayna & Zayna’s creator, CEO Wa’qaar A Mirza, states:
Our aim is to bring a Muslim family to both Muslim and wider non-Muslim mainstream audiences, to demonstrate the warmth of Islamic culture. We want children to engage with the values of mindfulness, kindness and caring for others, as well as the importance of family, which are best received through engaging, fun-filled entertainment.”
Children’s shows featuring Muslim families in mainstream media are very few and far between, making Zayn & Zayna’s Little Farm extremely important to the Muslim community. Its aim is to represent a Muslim family’s way of life within a local community, demonstrating aspects of differences between cultures where relevant. We see many excellent religious programmes and content, but Zayn & Zayna’s niche is using fun to teach children the softer values of the faith, which are sometimes overlooked. This sets them apart in many ways.
The series is not a religious education programme, but Zayn & Zayna’s Little Farm does show occasional daily Muslim practices. Like any family, Zayn & Zayna use cultural greetings for example, such as Al-hamdu-Lillaah and As-Salam-u-Alaikum. Characters respond in English with the translation to explain what these phrases mean. These practices are shown throughout the show and are subtle by intention. By using cultural phrases in passing, it simply normalises the content without intruding on the core values of the series.
Music also has a big role in the creation of Zayn & Zayna’s Little Farm. Created by Bollywood director Shahid Bawa, the music follows strict Islam practices and is created using solely percussion and vocals.
“All songs and rhymes have been created with no musical instruments. It’s something most people don’t notice but it was important for us to follow this important value,” says Wa’qaar.
So how can people get involved with Zayn & Zayna? The series has pre-launched on YouTube and is available to watch for free. There are activity packs and kids e-learning modules supporting each episode available on the website as well. Coming soon, Zayn & Zayna’s Little Farm will be seen at live shows and there are books and other merchandise available in their store!
CEO, Wa’qaar A Mirza, says: “We would love for people to get actively involved with the show. All ideas and comments are welcomed and are really helpful for us.” You can give any feedback or ideas to the show via their website or social media channels.
You can visit Zayn & Zayna, play games, buy books and watch exclusive content on zaynandzaynas.com or visit the interactive app, available on The App Store and Google Play store. For additional information about Zayn & Zayna, visit zaynandzaynas.com.
You can also find Zayn & Zayna on Instagram at @Zaynandzaynas, on their Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ZaynandZaynas.
