Rio, February 25, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - With tune and lyrics written by Gilberto Souza Esmeraldo, Petrobras launched a CD this Carnaval with its first samba, entitled "Petrobras, a life of challenges and tradition," composed in honor of the state enterprise's 50th anniversary. Presented by Luizito, one of the steerers of the Mangueira samba school, the song emphasizes Petrobras's initiatives in the economic, social, and political sphere over its 50-year existence.

According to the Petrobras press office, the samba recounts the story of the company since the Vargas era, when it was founded, to the present, in which it masters deep-sea exploration techniques. The song refers to the first production fields on land and sea, as well as the production of gasoline for Formula One race cars, a fact that projects the company more and more on the national and international scene.

The composer, Esmeraldo, who is from Rio, defines his creation for Petrobras as the consequence of "an affair of love and admiration" for the Brazilian state petroleum company. (DAS)