1. Transsexual artist Titica takes Angola by storm 12 April 2012 www.bbc.co.uk/news

2. She is bold, she is bright, she is beautiful and she is taking Angola by storm. Not bad for a transsexual in a Catholic African country where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by hard labour. Born in Luanda as Teca Miguel Garcia, singer and dancer Titica adopted her female persona four years ago following a breast enhancement operation in Brazil. Now, at 25, Titica is the new face of Angola's unique urban rap-techno fusion music style known as "kuduro".

3. Surprisingly shy for such a flamboyant and raunchy performer, Titica declined to comment on her sexuality when asked, but said her new-found stardom had not all been plain-sailing. " I've been stoned, I've been beaten, and there is a lot of prejudice against me, a lot of people show that. There is a lot of taboo," she said. Despite that taboo, Titica appears to have no shortage of fans and most seem more interested in her music than in her sexuality.

4. Angolan creative Hugo Salvaterra, who has been involved in the filming of a documentary about kuduro for Swedish television, said Titica was a musician first and a transsexual second. "Throughout the whole history of music, that's what art does, it transcends and it breaks taboos," he added, comparing her to Chuck Berry who won over black and white audiences in segregated 1960s America.

5. Mr Salvaterra said that while Titica's profile was growing, he knew there was still resistance among some sectors of society. "I think we have to separate the state and the people," he said, but explained that the country's independence from Portugal in 1975 and then the 27-year civil war that followed until 2002 had made Angolans more open to embracing new ideas.

6. Homophobic editorials It is hard to imagine however that Titica would be so welcomed in other African countries such as Uganda, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya and Cameroon, where homosexuals are regularly victims of intolerance, violence and legal proceedings. While homosexuality is illegal in Angola, there are no records of any convictions and a new penal code due to go before parliament in fact criminalises discrimination for reasons of "sexual orientation".

7. The government is largely muted on the subject. Despite requesting an audit of homosexual numbers to help inform future HIV policy, the Health Ministry had since decided not to publish the results and focus on other campaign areas instead. Regardless of the politics, there is no doubt that Titica has won a place in the country's heart and she is only likely to grow in popularity.