Meeting with President Jair Bolsonaro (July 8, 2019, Brasilia, Brazil) I have just returned from a two-week trip to Brazil, which I visited in my capacity as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. I traveled to different parts of the country, meeting with political leaders, health officials and others to request their further cooperation and commitment to eliminating Hansen’s disease, as leprosy is called in Brazil. On July 8, I had the honor of meeting President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia, the federal capital. A former military officer, the president is handsome, like an actor. I told him that Brazil has the second highest number of cases of Hansen’s disease in the world after India, and that it needs to make further efforts against the disease. At this, the president suggested that we reach out to the nation right away. He took his mobile phone from his jacket and started a live broadcast on Facebook.
During the live broadcast, he firmly stated that “Hansen’s disease is an issue that the government of Brazil needs to be involved in. We will work with Mr. Sasakawa.” I was also invited to speak. Stressing the importance of early detection, I called for Brazil to aim for “zero Hansen’s disease.” The 13-minute-long video has since been viewed more than 650,000 times and attracted over 18,000 comments. People say that President Bolsonaro won the election by harnessing the power of social media. His stance on various issues, his brash statements as well as his use of social media have led to comparisons with US President Donald Trump.Nevertheless, I was left amazed by his swift action and improvisation. During the live broadcast, he asked for comments from the Minister of Health, the Minister of Human Rights, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who were also present. I described him above as having an actor’s good looks, but seeing the way he handled himself during the broadcast, he reminded me more of the emcee of a TV show. As I watched the president of Brazil in action−the president of the largest country in Latin America with a population of more than 200 million people−I felt I understood how social media is the key to fundamental political change. [The President's Live Broadcast Available HERE] |