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State visit – or honeymoon? Brazilian President Lula with Emmanuel Macron
Photo: Ricardo Stuckert / AFP
The pictures show two men in casual clothing, once against a clear blue sky on a sailboat off the coast of Belem, once against a lush green rainforest backdrop on Combu Island, and another while visiting indigenous residents. The two men seem happy, even familiar, and somehow as if they couldn't keep their hands off each other. The internet rightly asks: Are these snapshots of a honeymoon?
In fact, these are pictures from a state visit. The Brazilian head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss billions of dollars in investments to preserve the Amazon region.
It is not the first time that Macron has caused a stir with official images. Only recently, photos of him doing the rounds showed him fighting on the punching bag with a strenuously distorted face and impressive biceps. Of course in black and white:
It should seem determined and dynamic. Look, here's someone who doesn't shy away from confrontation! Communication experts agreed that this message was aimed at Vladimir Putin, after all, the Kremlin boss used to like to be photographed as a macho man doing various sports - or with his bare torso while hunting.
It's not just the current pictures from Brazil that show that Macron can do things differently. There is probably no statesman who conveys the subject of “political togetherness” with as much flair in photos as the 46-year-old. It doesn't matter whether his counterparts are prime ministers or presidents, autocrats or would-be dictators. You can see a small selection here:
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