afrol News, 23 April - The notorious US soft porn magazine 'Playboy' plans to launch its Angola edition later this year, also considering a Mozambican edition. In Angola, reactions so far are positive.
The announcement was made yesterday by Frestacom, a US-Portuguese editorial owning the Portugal edition of 'Playboy'. Frestacom assures it has achieved exclusive rights to 'Playboy' editions in the entire Portuguese speaking world except Brazil.
According to the editorial, there are well advanced plans to launch the magazine in Angola later this year. Frestacom also has plans for a Mozambican edition of 'Playboy', but there is no final decision whether this will happen in 2010.
No details were given whether the Angolan and Mozambican editions would be much different to the Portuguese edition, or whether investments were planned in Luanda or Maputo staff or offices.
'Playboy', since its modest starts in the US, has developed into a main trademark in the global soft porn industry, with special successes in the Americas, Europe and limited parts of Asia. The magazine presents itself as a place for "nude girls, sexy women and playmates."
Since its beginnings, 'Playboy' has been met by protests from both conservative groups and feminists for portraying the female body in a sexist way. In America and Europe, however, such protests are now more focused on harder porn providers while 'Playboy' is widely seen as more innocent, though still sexist.
In Africa, where sexual conservatism is still profound, magazines such as 'Playboy' are either taboo or banned in most countries. The US porn magazine only has a strong position in liberal South Africa, where it has published an own edition since 1993.
Angola and Mozambique thus will be the second and third African countries overall to publish their national 'Playboy' editions. Whether it will be well received by Angolans and Mozambicans remains to be seen, and even Frestacom indicates the magazine will primarily aim at the many Portuguese expatriates in the two countries.
But the reception in Angola so far has not been negative. A large majority of independent and pro-government media in Angola yesterday and today have published the Frestacom with great interest and in a neutral way. No moral issues surrounding the soft porn magazine have been discussed in Angolan media yet.
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