They are like two old friends happy to meet again, without ties, in shirt sleeves, often taking each other's hands, walking, in the humidity of this late Tuesday afternoon, in the lush Amazonian forest of the island. from Compu, opposite the city of Belém, from where they arrived by motorized canoe.
Emmanuel Macron and his host, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, stop in front of a tree as wide as a building hall: a Sumauma, an ancient species whose crowns can reach 90 m in height, totem of indigenous peoples which the two friends contemplate, alternately pensive and laughing, machine-gunned by the photographers.
They have just signed in Belém, at the opening of Macron's three-day state visit to Brazil, a billion-euro green investment program for the Amazon: a reunion under the seal of biodiversity and of the energy transition.
The rest of the trip, the first by a French president in eleven years, will be devoted, from Rio to Brasilia via Sao Paulo, to defense, trade and the crises shaking the planet.
But this evening, the atmosphere is warm and relaxed.
Macron came to award the Legion of Honor to old leader Raoni Metuktire, a global icon for the defense of the Amazonian primary forest and indigenous peoples.
The Cacique of the Kayapo people, the “people of the water”, with the colorful feather headdress and the famous lip plate, a lively and impressive nonagenarian, stoically awaits the presidential duo, seated for a good two hours on a chair on the dais wooden stand, flanked by other Native American chiefs with impressive tattoos.
All around, in the tropical humidity, slaloming on wooden footbridges placed on the muddy ground, waiters distribute cold drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails to French and Brazilian officials and journalists.
“Your water people were lucky to have a fiery leader.”
Finally the two men arrive.
Frank hugs, radiant smiles, Raoni is celebrated.
While Lula sits in a rustic armchair, borrows his camera from his official photographer to point it at the press gallery, Emmanuel Macron launches into a speech, before interrupting himself because of a strong feedback effect, demands another microphone under the eye of a laughing Lula.
He gets it, satisfied: “it will make the recipe”.
Launches into an apology for the cacique, moving from “you” to “you”.
“You came to France, I made a commitment to come to your forest, the source of so much desire.”
After praising his “tireless fight”, he calls the audience to witness: “each time I see him again, like the great singers, he is even more fit, he continues the fight”.
In the forest plunged into the tropical night, suddenly, there comes an unexpected tribute from the president to Nicolas Hulot, his former Minister of the Environment, who “helped lead this fight in France”, giving echo to the Native American cause .
Dear Raoni, for your work, your tireless fight, for you, your people, for all of Amazonia and its indigenous peoples: mejkumrej, thank you.
pic.twitter.com/E2D5VUfQSg
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 27, 2024
Then he calls his aide-de-camp, who brings him the decoration.
Emmanuel Macron pins it on the recipient's chest: “your water people were lucky to have a leader with a fiery temperament”.
The two men hug each other, Lula photographs from all angles, while regularly wiping his forehead.
Raoni speaks, in his Kaypo language, translated into Portuguese.
“I'm really happy to be with you, a few days ago I was very sad because I lost my granddaughter.
We must continue our work, because peace and the survival of future generations depend on it.
I am very worried that the white man continues to destroy nature.”
He asks the two presidents to continue the process of returning “indigenous lands” to indigenous peoples – stopped under the presidency of the populist Bolsonaro, who vilified Raoni as a “foreign agent” – to stop the ravages of deforestation, advance of excessive crops (soy).
He who “considers Lula as his brother, and Macron as his son”, challenges them both.
“Macron, Lula,” he thunders, “I would like to present my candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize, and count on your support.”
“I can tell you, Comrade Raoni, that there is no one on planet Earth who deserves to win this prize more than you,” the Brazilian president, returning to power in 2022, immediately encourages.