AfricaNews editorial desk Photo: Agencia Brasil
An international channel TV Brasil Internacional dedicated to Africa has been launched in Brazil. The aim of the Portuguese-language channel was to represent Brazil to the world, according to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The channel would show Brazil's growing interest in Africa, the BBC reported. It will also soon be available in Latin America, Canada, Europe and the US, according to officials.
Speaking at the launch in Brasilia, President Lula described it as the realisation of a dream.
"I don't want a TV channel to speak well of Lula," he said. "I want a channel that speaks well of the country, that can show Brazil as it really is."
TV Brasil Internacional, based in Brasilia, will be re-broadcast via Mozambique's capital, Maputo, to 49 African nations.
The main audiences will be in the African nations where Portuguese is spoken: Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Sao Tome and Principe.
The programming will come from domestic TV Brasil, with the emphasis on news and culture.
The network will also aim to reach the estimated three million Brazilians who live abroad, officials said.
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