Lula’s historic Africa tour

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, has arrived in Africa at the start of a week-long visit.

The five-nation tour - which began in the archipelago of Sao Tome and Principe and then Angola - will end in South Africa.

Brazil has strong historical ties with the African continent - nearly half of all Brazilians trace their ancestry to black slaves imported during the colonial era.

President da Silva, usually known simply as Lula, wants to build a partnership to fight hunger and poverty.

Deep bonds

Just walking down the street in the centre of Sao Paulo you can't help but notice the incredible African influence on this country.

It's everywhere - whether it's the samba music blaring out of the record shops, the food that's on sale in the markets or, above all, the incredible racial diversity of the Brazilian people.

The links between Brazil and Africa are all around you.

"It was black people like me who built Brazil," a trumpeter in a street band told me.

He said the Portuguese came here with millions of slaves so of course the bond with Africa is strong.

However, some people angry about the President Lula's Africa trip.

"Lula promised lots of things but he's done nothing," he says.

"There are people starving and homeless in Brazil - he should be sorting out things here."

'Common identity'

Speaking before his departure, Lula acknowledged what he called Brazil’s historic debt to Africa - a reference to the four million black slaves who were brought here by the Portuguese.

The president said he was proud that Brazil had the second largest black population of any country on earth. Nigeria has the largest.

"After decades and even centuries of turning our backs to Africa, we feel that we have the conditions now to feel together with the Africans our common identity," says Pedro Motta, a senior Brazilian diplomat in charge of relations with Africa.

Mr Motta says that Brazil will honour its historic debt by funding health and education projects and by sharing expertise in the fight against HIV/Aids.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3238979.st...