Brazil to air a soap opera from Angola for the first time
In Windeck, blacks and mixed race people are depicted in roles other than those of lower-class people working as servants or in low-paid jobs
The first nearly all-black cast soap opera on Brazilian TV will premiere on Monday (Nov. 10), on EBC's TV Brasil. Made in Angola, Windeck will be filled with glamour and ambition and feature elements of an African culture, including customs and dance.
“This is about more than just airing a new soap opera. It's about public policy. We are making room for positive black representation and letting Africa present itself to Brazilians in a favorite format of Brazilians',” explained Eduardo Castro, director-general of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), which runs TV Brasil. Before making the final decision to air the production, EBC held discussions with black movement representatives to see how it would resonate among them.
Castro explained that Windeck portrays black characters in prominent social roles, including business leaders, bank executives, and fashion models. Along with cultural elements of Angola, the soap opera will explore such issues as domestic violence, homophobia, and sexually transmitted diseases.
In the lines of this political approach, the Secretariat for Racial Equality Policy (SEPPIR) has met the costs of copyrights licensing to air the production in Brazil. SEPPIR Minister Luiza Bairros was the first viewer. In her opinion, airing Windeck lays an important foundation, because Brazilian soap operas tend to portray black people in a more stereotypical way. “Airing this soap-opera, a partnership between SEPPIR and EBC, shows that it is possible for such a popular genre in Brazil [as soap operas] to feature black people in the leading roles,” she explained.
SEPPIR's Secretary for Traditional Community Policy, Silvany Euclênio, said that the soap opera will provide a good alternative to domestic productions where most of the cast are whites, with blacks appearing only in minor roles.
Filmmaker Joel Zito de Araújo expects the new broadcast to be an aesthetic shock for Brazilian audiences with its mostly black cast and its depiction of a quite developed Africa departing from the stereotypical perception of the continent. He thinks that black audiences will be able to easily relate to a story where blacks and mixed race people are depicted in roles other than those of lower-class people working as servants or in low-paid jobs. “It's the first TV soap opera with potential to really appeal to black populations,” he says.
Windeck portrays a young, modern African setting, completely in contrast with how Brazilians are used to thinking of it, according to journalist Angélica Basthi, of the Committee of Journalists for Racial Equality of Rio de Janeiro. She thinks the program will set a milestone in Brazil's television for having black main characters and tackling issues that people can identify with. “I think this will have a very positive impact and introduce a new standard of black visibility in Brazilian society,” she said.
“Windeck” is Angolan slang for reckless ambitious people who pursue success at any price. The story is set in Luanda and revolves around an editorial magazine called “Divo”. The first soap opera ever produced in Angola, it has 140 episodes and has already aired on other television channels including Angola's TPA and RTP1 in Portugal. In 2013, it was one of four soap operas nominated for the International Emmy Awards, along with two productions from Brazil and one from Canada.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Brazil to air a soap opera from Angola for the first time
