Prime time soap operas break TV's colour barrier

With their daily dose of melodrama, suspense, romance and tears, Brazil's wildly popular telenovelas have never shied away from bringing social commentary into viewers' living rooms

-  Malleret RIO

Over the years, blockbuster soap operas have tackled many contentious issues, from class and sexuality, to dictatorship and deforestation.

But for decades, the issue of racial inequality has been conspicuous by its absence: despite the fact that 56% of Brazil's population identifies as black or mixed-race, its soaps have displayed a glaring lack of diversity - in some notorious cases, white actors were even hired to play black roles.

Now, for the first time ever, the three prime-time telenovelas on Brazil's dominant TV network Globo feature prominent black protagonists.

Six days a week, Perfect Love, Never Give Up and Land and Passion serve up the traditional mix of family feuds, romance, betrayal and endurance - but played by a racially diverse cast.