A successful celebration of the Africa Youth Day organised by the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University took place on 25 May!
The Africa Youth Day was held in Moscow for the first time and gathered more than 200 participants. Among the guests were mostly African and Russian students of Moscow universities.
The event aroused great interest among media representatives. It was covered by such publications and channels as Izvestia newspaper, RT France, BRICS TV channel, RIA Novosti, DRAFT TV, European Broadcasting Union (Eurovision TV), Sputnik Africa IA, Rossiya Segodnya media group, media from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal, Benin, as well as many bloggers.
Oleg Ozerov, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum and Chairman of the Council of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, delivered a welcoming speech.
Among the honoured African guests were the Ambassador of Burkina Faso, first secretaries, counsellors and attachés of the embassies of Zambia, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Burundi, as well as representatives of Egypt and Sudan. The President of the Union of African Diasporas, heads of African student councils of Russian universities and presidents of African diasporas attended the celebration.
Representatives of the scientific, cultural, educational and diplomatic community of Russia, who are actively working on the development of Russian-African co-operation, also contributed to the festive event.
The event included a plenary session where all speakers emphasised the undeniable importance of strengthening all-round cooperation between Russia and African countries.
The Ambassador of Burkina Faso, Mr Aristide Ludovic Tapsoba, noted in his speech that relations between Russia and Africa are mutually beneficial, which distinguishes them from relations with Western partners. The First Secretary of the Embassy of Zambia, Mr Abina Mwinga, pointed to the growing importance of Russian education for African countries.
The event was supported by Tatiana Stefanova, Head of the Sides of the World People’s and Cultural Diplomacy Project, Olga Mishedchenko, Director General of the Adansonia Charitable Foundation, as well as united communities of African diasporas and compatriots.
Two exhibitions were presented at the event: “The World of Africa Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday” by Tatiana Tudvaseva, President of the international association GATINGO, and photo works from the Festival of African Culture and Cinema directed by Anna Shtil.
On the same day, the results of the International Journalists’ Competition “Great Personalities in the History of Russian-African Relations”, dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Pushkin, were summarised. The competition, organised by the Russian-African Club of Moscow State University, brought together the best journalists and writers from around the world who shared their unique views and research on outstanding personalities who influenced relations between Russia and African countries.
The concert programme featured singers, musicians, dancers and musical groups from Chad, Congo, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Kenya, Cameroon, Madagascar and Tanzania. A dance group from the Congo presented the traditional Congolese dance and sports game Nzango.
The programme also included an African fashion show by the Afro-brand KETANGE, which presented collections of women’s, men’s and children’s clothing made of traditional African cotton. Guests of the event could enjoy national cuisine of Madagascar, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Senegal, Mali, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.
Ilya Shershnev, Programme Director of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, spoke about the role of youth in public diplomacy, stressing its crucial importance for strengthening relations between Russia and the African continent.
According to him, the Africa Youth Day has become a platform for people’s diplomacy, where young people negotiate a bright future for Russian-African relations.
The host of the celebration, President of the Diaspora of the Republic of Cameroon Louis Gowend, also the Chairman of the Commission on Work with African Diasporas and Public Relations of the Russian-African Club of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, noted the noticeable growth of Russia’s interest in African countries.
At the end of the celebration, he emphasised that it was a true celebration of youth, communication, African rhythms, energy, peace and friendship.
Source: Louis Gowend | contributor
