Meet Wolo TV founder & CEO: Licínio Januário

Black Consciousness Day was officially instituted to celebrate the Black community of Brazil and highlight their contributions to the country. In honor of the day, which is held annually on November 20, we interviewed Licínio Januário, founder and CEO of Wolo TV, which is focused on bringing Black-centered content to Brazil and beyond.

Licínio Januário: I was born and raised in Angola, but I've lived in Brazil since 2009. I came to Brazil to study civil engineering, but then discovered capoeira in the first week and it became my passion.. In addition to practicing capoeira, I’m a movie director and actor.

LJ: Capoeira helps broaden your view of society through the body, culture, history, and music and it led me to FITA, an arts and culture festival in Angra dos Reis. I was there to perform a play based on Romeo and Juliet, set in the world of capoeira gangs from old Rio de Janeiro, for an audience of 1,500 people.
That really made an impression on me. It would transform those people's lives.
Capoeira is similar to art, theater, and audiovisual media in that it is a transformative tool. It's democratic –everyone involved is treated equally and subject to the same rules.

LJ: From my experience of Brazil, a few questions sprang to mind: 54% of Brazil's population is Black but there isn't a single channel providing content aimed specifically at Black audiences. In the US, the proportion of Black people is much lower but there's a lot more choice when it comes to finding content from Black-led channels. Why does Brazil produce content that shows Black stereotypes? Black-led projects in Brazil, with the same narratives and quality as successful projects in North America or Nigeria, are not given space in Brazil. Wolo TV came about for that very reason: to strengthen, promote, empower, and give a voice to Black-led narratives.

LJ: These days, for me, it means how much further we still have to go, especially if we are going to change the Brazilian mindset. Long ago, Black woman entrepreneurs even before slavery was abolished, would sell cakes to be able to free other Black slaves. Or even achievements like the Rebouças brothers, are not leveraged by media.
We still have a long way to go in order to change the way people consume products and stories led by black people.

LJ: As I see it, the audiovisual industry and Black-led productions, content, and narratives have key roles to play in changing the mindset and behavior.
When we manage to burst the bubble and change mass behavior, Wolo will be a success. Wolo is a Black-led content platform, but it is for everyone.

LJ: It validated our early steps. When you're starting out, there's some trepidation. Having Google's support as validation, as a stamp of approval, is really great. It provided us with access to tools, people, and partnerships, which is really valuable. Having connections through networking with other Black entrepreneurs and other networks is really cool. It enhances our vision, our products. This exchange brings us together to devise different strategies and actions.

LJ: We're actually part of a very important generation. We have access to a lot of information, and information is power. We can connect with other Black groups around the world who are going through – or have already gone through – the same difficulties. We have a huge mission ahead in the coming years: to build a legacy for future generations. Our battle is not about today, but it's our generation that needs to break the cycle.