French President participated in the Festival Nosso Futuro and will head to Belém for the COP30 Leaders Summit
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, played the drum this Wednesday (5.Nov.2025) during a visit to Salvador (BA). The visit to the capital of Bahia was part of the official program of the Festival Nosso Futuro Brasil-França: Dialogues with Africa, organized to highlight cultural and historical connections between the countries and the African continent.
According to the French government, the trip is part of a policy of renewing relations with African countries and seeks to reinforce dialogue on culture, memory, creative economy and international cooperation. The festival is presented as a meeting space between artists, cultural producers and Brazilian and French authorities.
Before the opening of the event, Macron walked through the Historic Center of Salvador. He was accompanied by residents and tourists, who recorded the visit with cell phones. Along the way, alongside the governor (PT-BA), he played drums with Olodum, watched Afoxé Filhos de Gandhi and walked down Ladeira do Pelourinho, a tourist spot in the city center.
Before flying to the COP tomorrow in Belem, Emmanuel Macron’s arrival in the streets of Salvador for the opening of the Franco-Brazilian cultural season… against a backdrop of percussion and drum tests.
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— Leopold Audebert (@LeopoldAudebert)
On social media, Rodrigues stated that the presence of the French president “reinforces the bonds of peace, culture and future”. Macron also visited the MAM (Museum of Modern Art), the Pierre Verger Foundation Gallery and the Casa do Benin, institutions that maintain collections related to Afro-Atlantic history.
At the opening ceremony of the festival, Macron shared the table with Rodrigues, the mayor of Salvador, (União Brasil-BA), and the Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes. During the cultural program, he played percussion again, this time alongside musician Carlinhos Brown.
Macron will travel to Belém on Thursday (Nov 6), where he will participate in COP30 (30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and hold a bilateral meeting with the president (PT). After his stay in Brazil, he will travel to Mexico, where he will be received by President Claudia Sheinbaum.
