Almost the entire life of my interlocutor Dmitry Viktorovich KURAKOV, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Senegal and Gambia, is connected with Africa. In an exclusive interview, which he agreed to give to the “New Eastern Outlook”, we talked about the relationship between our countries in various spheres and areas, discussed the study of the Russian language in Senegal. I also asked him what he would talk about if he were offered the opportunity to write a book about his work in Africa.
– Dmitry Viktorovich, I will begin our conversation with a topical question – about the situation in Senegal. After the summer unrest, has the situation in the country stabilised? Have the universities already opened?
– If I may, I should like to begin by saying a few words about Senegal. In order to understand the current situation in the republic, in my opinion, it is necessary to turn to its history. In fact, Senegal is a kind of “island of stability” in West Africa. Since its independence (more than 60 years have passed), the republic has had only four presidents. The remarkable fact is that it is the only state in the sub-region where no coup d’état has been recorded. Senegal has gone through difficult periods in its history, but the internal political situation has never gone out of control.
The wave of protests in June-July 2023 was undoubtedly socio-economically motivated. The fact is that the country’s population is quite young: the average age is 19. The authorities pursue an active youth policy and are closely engaged in the issues of youth employment. As for local universities, this year they did not stop their work, education continued in the correspondence format. According to some data, the return to full-time education can be expected from the next academic year.
– You have been working in the Russian Foreign Ministry system since 1984, this year is an anniversary one. Were you born into a diplomatic family and, perhaps, your choice of profession was predetermined? As far as I know, you are not an Africanist by education. How did it happen that you connected your life with Africa?
– You’re probably right. My life choice was predetermined. I decided to become a diplomat as early as 5th grade. The example of my father, who had also worked on the African continent all his life, who came to Mali in 1962, almost immediately after the country’s independence, was decisive for me. Apparently, from early childhood (I was 6 months old when I was brought to Africa), I absorbed the “African spirit” – the colours, smells, sounds, and nature of this unusual continent in every respect.
– President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the Russia-Africa summit in a conversation with Senegalese leader Macky Sall called his country a reliable partner of Russia, emphasising that: “Russia has great respect for the principled position of Senegal and other African states in favour of preserving stability and security in the world, the formation of a fairer model of international relations, and the peaceful settlement of conflicts.” How are relations between our countries developing now?
– Speaking about Senegal’s foreign policy, it should be realised that Dakar has always had quite close ties with France. Thus, the first president of Senegal, Léopold Sedar Senghor (1960-1980), was a member of the French National Assembly and a minister in the French government under Charles de Gaulle. The second president, Abdou Diouf (1981-2000), served as chairman of the International Organisation of La Francophonie after completing his presidential mandate from 2003-2014. The son of Senegal’s third president Abdoulaye Wade (2000-2012), Karim Wade, was born in Paris and until January 2024 held French citizenship alongside Senegalese citizenship. Despite such strong, one could say, kinship ties with Paris, Senegal has been actively involved in the Non-Aligned Movement since independence. As is known, L.S. Senghor was the founder of the cultural-philosophical and ideological-political doctrine of Negritude, the theoretical basis of which is the concept of identity, self-value and self-sufficiency of the Negroid race. In 1966, during an interview with Asia and Africa Today, L.S. Senghor, in particular, gave the following definition of this doctrine: “It would be an irreparable loss to world civilisation, which is being built by common effort, if any people or race did not make a distinctive contribution to it. It is necessary that all peoples, all races of the globe should be mutually enriched by the continuous exchange of their cultural values. Negritude theory thus poses the problem in terms of mutual exchange and dialogue, not in terms of opposition or racial hatred.”
Today, in various international forums, Senegal is in favour of preserving stability and security in the world, taking into account the views and positions of the African continent, and establishing a more equitable model of international relations. Our approaches to key issues on the global and regional agendas largely coincide. The bilateral political dialogue is showing positive dynamics. The current President of Senegal, M. Sall, has personally participated in two Russia-Africa summits. During his presidency, he has visited Russia five times, including in 2023 at the invitation of the head of Tatarstan R.N. Minnikhanov, who visited Kazan. It is important to note that the Senegalese leader, being an active supporter of peacemaking, was at the origin of the so-called “African Peace Initiative on Ukraine”. In general, we can confidently state that Russian-Senegalese multidisciplinary co-operation is developing at a good pace, and we have a mutual desire to further expand it in all areas.
– Last spring, in one of your interviews, you said that Russia wants to work and trade directly with Africa, without intermediaries. How are things in this respect in Senegal and Gambia?
– Recently, we have indeed recorded a significant increase in interest on the part of Russian business in working directly with Africa. As far as Senegal is concerned, we can state the presence of Russian products on the local market. Thus, according to Senegalese statistics, in recent years Russia has consistently been among the top ten countries from which Senegal imports goods. At the same time, our exports to the republic (up to 90 per cent) are based on oil and refined products, as well as foodstuffs, primarily cereals – the share of Russian wheat on the Senegalese domestic market is about 50 per cent.
We note with satisfaction the establishment of direct contacts between the regions of the two countries. In addition to the visit of a high-level Senegalese delegation to Kazan that I mentioned earlier, representatives of the Chelyabinsk Region visited Dakar in September 2023.
We are currently pinning certain hopes on a project promoted by the Moscow Region to establish a high-tech solid waste recycling facility in one of Senegal’s regional centres (“Touba”). A feasibility study of the project is currently underway and investors are being sought.
In addition, Senegal remains interested in Russian high technologies in the field of road safety, geolocalisation and goods delivery. The partners express their willingness to jointly promote startups, implement projects related to smart cities, flood control and environmental challenges, primarily related to the problems of wastewater treatment and utilisation. The Russian experience of creating a taxation system for the self-employed is also in demand here.
In 2023, co-operation with the Gambia was actively developing. As part of the visit of a Gambian delegation led by the country’s Minister of Agriculture D. Sabali to the Vladimir and Belgorod regions in April 2023, visits to the Russian enterprises “Zelenaya Dolina”, “Yasniye Zori”, as well as JSC “Vladimir bread-baking complex” were organised.
– How often do delegations of Russian business representatives visit Senegal and Gambia? What projects are currently being implemented by Russia on the territories of these two countries?
– I confess that this does not happen as often as I would like. Currently, there are no major investment projects in Senegal and Gambia that would be promoted by Russian economic operators. However, I would like to highlight two exemplary initiatives in Senegal – the opening of a representative office in Dakar by the Russian company Novostal in 2023, as well as a Russian taxi service under the Yango brand name, which has been successfully developing in the republic since December 2021.
– Is there a growing interest in Russian culture, literature and art in Africa?
– Our African partners have always shown interest in Russian culture and art. In particular, the National School of Cultural Arts and Crafts has been operating in Dakar since the 1960s. Its current leadership recalls the invaluable experience that was passed on by Soviet specialists to the first teachers of this school.
In this context, it is no coincidence that during the visit to Dakar in November 2023 of a delegation of one of the leading Russian federal educational institutions in the field of culture – the Russian Institute of Theatre Art – GITIS – Rector G.A. Zaslavsky signed an agreement with the school. Zaslavsky signed a memorandum of understanding with this educational institution, and already in December 2023 the delegation of the Russian university consisting of 6 people (2 teachers, 4 students) held concerts and master classes in vocal and choreography at the National Bolshoi Theatre of Senegal.
In addition, we would like to mention the first foreign artistic session of the School of Innopraktika and Russian Seasons, which aroused great interest among local specialists and was successfully held in Dakar in May 2022. Within the framework of this educational project, 16 talented painters and sculptors from 7 African countries: the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Guinea, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Tunisia, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo were invited to the capital of Senegal to create works on a given theme under the guidance of 4 teachers of the Ilya Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
– Last November, the Russian Week of Maths, Physics and Computer Science was held in Senegal. In December, Russian language courses were launched in Dakar. How popular and in demand is the Russian language?
– The Republic of Senegal is one of the few African states where, despite strong Western cultural and educational influence, citizens have the opportunity to study Russian in a centralised way.
It is noteworthy that the teaching of Russian dates back to Senegal’s independence in 1960, when the already mentioned first president of the country, L.S. Senghor, being a poet and a member of the French Academy, insisted that Russian be included in the school programme as a second foreign language. He said, in particular, that “Senegalese should be able to read the great African poet Alexander Pushkin in his native language”.
Today, Russian is studied as a second foreign language and taught not only in the capital’s educational institutions, but also in 50 lycées in the country’s provinces – Kaolack, Fatick, Diourbel, Kolda, Tambacounda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Kaffrin, Tiara, Ziguinchor, Mbour, Matam and Thies. The Russian language is taught in local educational institutions by graduates of Soviet and Russian higher education institutions and their students who have received higher education at the Department of Slavic Languages and Civilisations of the Faculty of Philology and Humanities of the S.A. Diop University of Dakar, as well as at the Russian language department of the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies in Education of the University of Dakar (Fastef).
The total number of pupils studying Russian in local lyceums exceeds 6.6 thousand (ages 16-18), distributed in 234 classes. At the higher level, Russian is taught only at the University of Dakar (7 active teachers, more than 300 students).
The Senegalese side expresses great interest in expanding bilateral co-operation in the educational sphere. In particular, in December 2023, during my meeting with the Minister of National Education of Senegal, S.W. Ann, the latter welcomed our steps to spread the Russian language and culture in this African country, noting, despite the attempts of some Western states to dictate their rules of the “game”, the “neutral position” of the republic with regard to the search for partners for co-operation in the field of education.
– Last November you hosted participants of the joint programme of AECAS and the Russian World Foundation “Russia-Africa: Friendship across Years and Distances”. Its inspirer Galli Monastyreva told us about that trip in our interview. In your opinion, to what extent are such programmes in demand in Africa now?
– It was a very interesting and useful experience. Of particular interest to the local youth audience (and we managed to gather more than 200 students from the Technical University of Thiès) was the fact that the representative of Roscosmos, test cosmonaut, Hero of Russia, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who spoke to them, was a real person who had been to space and from whom you could get comprehensive answers to your questions. In addition, the presentation was complemented by an appropriate video sequence. I believe that such initiatives bring people closer together and show in practice Russia’s scientific and industrial potential and our achievements in science.
– If you were asked to write a book about your work in Africa, what chapters would you include? What would you tell about first?
– I think that the most important thing in my work is the experience of communicating with people, representatives of nationalities inhabiting different countries, each of which has its own customs and traditions, and its own methods of identifying outsiders on the basis of the principle of strangers and outsiders. It is this experience that I would like to pass on to all those who, either by duty or by the dictates of their hearts, have travelled to Africa and would like to achieve the desired results here.
– In your opinion, what qualities, not only professional but also human, should a diplomat possess?
– I am probably going to say a platitude, but without a good command of the language of communication in the country where a diplomat works, it is impossible to speak of his or her professionalism. In addition, it is in no way possible to treat the locals with condescension or disdain. A real diplomat should understand the local culture and traditions, understand the national cuisine and be ready to taste it, and, of course, study the country, including visiting local attractions.
– To conclude our conversation, I would like to ask our traditional question. What is your Africa like? What sticks in your mind the most?
– You know, this is probably one of the most difficult questions. I have had to work in many different regions, in southern, western, northern and central Africa, and the differences are so great that it is extremely difficult to identify anything in common, but one thing I have felt and still feel everywhere is the warmth of communication, the willingness to help and the friendliest feelings towards Russia and Russians.
– Dear Dmitry Viktorovich, thank you for the interesting conversation! We wish you success in your diplomatic career!
Yulia NOVITSKAYA, writer, journalist-interviewer, correspondent of the “New Eastern Outlook”