Western civilization is quickly moving into acceptance of homosexuality as a standard way of living, despite a long history (and present) of disagreements and misunderstandings. Just years ago few believed in the acceptance of same sex marriage. Today, it is a law recognised in almost every American state, even as the battle continues on. But what about LGBT acceptance around the world?

Angola has just witnessed a case of alleged censorship after one of its most popular soap-operas, Jikulumessu, was taken off the air following an episode that featured a kiss between two men.


The episode aired on Angola's Public Television (TPA) on January 28.

The kiss led to a flurry of comments on social media for and against the display of affection between two men, many claiming that the soap is victim of state censorship.

Coréon Dú, one of the show's producers and son of José Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola, condemns the "act of censorship that the project suffered by the agency, regardless of any motivation," adding that "art projects like these aim to entertain, but should also generate a healthy way dialogue and debate".

However, the show's director claimed that 'technical issues' were the reason for the suspension. This is the message that was announced during the network's daily news. Jikulumessu's production company Semba issued a note on the show's official Facebook page, stating that "disrespect and offence was never the purpose" and that "some images may have hurt sensibilities" and "some people may have considered improper". They also assured the public that they would make "corrections in the representation of some more sensitive content".

Semba also stressed that the topics, including homosexuality, aim to stimulate a debate "to encourage dialogue in society about tolerance and respect for all social groups, as enshrined in the Constitution."

Jikulumessu follows the story of 17-year-old Joel Kapala (played by Fernando Mailoge), and covers subjects such as youth violence, betrayal, crime, corruption, polygamy and prostitution.

Despite this incident, Angola, as one of the most prominent countries in Africa, can't run from progress on human rights, especially when its capital city, Luanda, topped last year's list of the most expensive cities in the world for the second year in a row. 

Nevertheless, Jikulumessu is a step forward and is certainly not the first show to represent gay men. Former soap-opera Windeck portrayed two same sex relationships, one between two men and another two women. 

As of this writing, it has not been announced when Jikulumessu will return to TPA.