Celebration of Africa Day

On May 28, 2025, the conference hall of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted a solemn event dedicated to the celebration of Africa Day. The theme of the meeting was the 65th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. The event was supported by the Expert Council for the Development and Support of Comprehensive Partnership with African Countries under the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation A.M. Babakov (Russia-Africa Expert Council).

Irina Olegovna Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Economics, Professor, addressed the participants with welcoming remarks, noting the annually growing role of the African continent in the formation of a new global order. Irina Olegovna emphasized that today Africa is in the center of attention of both “old” and “new” players. Russia, being among the former, pays special attention to the African direction, and the methods used by our country to build relations with the states of the African continent are fundamentally different from the Western colonial and neo-colonial practices. Russia has historically been guided by the principles of equality, mutual respect and strategic partnership, increasing the number of thematic projects every year. One of them is a large-scale study by the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the estimates of reparations that Western countries are obliged to pay to African countries for the colonial past. Work on this project began this year, and its results could become an important step towards restoring historical justice.

The official part of the event consisted of four sections that brought together representatives of the political, diplomatic, scientific and business communities.

The final part of the program was the screening of a video by the ANO “Eurasian Center for Cultural Initiatives” about the genocide of the Herero and Nama tribes committed by the Kaiser's Germany.
The official part was followed by a buffet, during which the participants held informal talks and individual negotiations. The total duration of the event amounted to more than three hours, providing a rich platform for exchanging views, establishing contacts and discussing practical steps to develop cooperation. The gala meeting was actively covered by the Russian and international media.

The Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences would like to thank the title sponsors of the event - EFCO Group of Companies and Cytorost LLC.