In this interview, Stephen Mangini, CEO and founder of Soweto Fashion Week and member of the BRICS Fashion Summit International Committee, talks about strengthening cultural and business ties, geopolitics and more. talks about several measures that will largely address the pressing problems of. , Innovation and Sustainable Development. For the new geopolitical situation to take meaningful shape, platforms such as the Russia-Africa Summit and the BRICS+ Summit will help identify existing challenges, chart a path forward, and perhaps help emerging economies and the Global South. Vital and energetic action must be taken. Excerpts from the interview follow:
In the context of building a multipolar world, how is Africa taking advantage of the cultural door opened by Russia? By the way, how do you explain this new multipolar world?
Stephen Mangini: In my capacity as a member of the international committee for the BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow, I believe that Africa is a very unique continent with a range of urgent economic, diplomatic and security challenges. Therefore, Russia’s actions cannot be uniform, as most countries accept Russia’s actions. This primarily includes educational opportunities in West Africa. Even if the education-related ratio is extremely low, the former Soviet Union offered more cultural exchanges in different spheres of influence, which brought about socio-economic changes mainly due to the anti-colonial expulsions of the Russian Federation. I believe. In fact, its cultural doors have been embraced by countries such as Angola, Senegal and South Africa, including music, fashion and craftsmanship, but with minimal infrastructure development.
There is still a long way to go in realizing this new multipolar world. The main reason for this is the state of emergency on the African continent. Although achievable, our approach to Africa will require careful regional selection. Because we never expect an Africa where all 54 countries are forced to move in the same direction and at the same pace in line with one agenda of a multipolar world. Notably, there are still wars in Africa supported by the Russian Federation, and such factors place Africa at a disadvantage.
Could you please evaluate the public outreach diplomacy (people-centered activities) between Russia and Africa in recent years?
SM: Russia House Ideas/Cultural Center, an initiative that the Russian Federation has been exploring between Russia and Africa since 2018. The initiative is already in full swing in the Central African Republic (CAR), but its large-scale expansion remains a topic of discussion by Russia. It is also important to note that it is not realistic to do business in Russia without learning Russian, and therefore I understand the importance of such centers. Meanwhile, Moscow has called on African countries to open similar facilities in Russia, but most African countries also face language barriers. There are more than 3,000 languages in Africa, but only one in Russia, posing serious challenges to making these centers flourish. Less than half of African countries simultaneously use English as an official language, and in Russia, English is not an official language. Therefore, there has been slow progress and hesitation in the dissemination of these centers aimed at sharing scientific, socio-cultural and political alliances.
Do you think African media can be a means to build effective bilateral cultural relations with Russia?
SM: Of course, African and Russian media are instruments, and effective bilateral relations can only occur if African media is able to establish its own independent view of Russia without being influenced by the Global North. I believe we have a big role to play in building that. In my personal experience, I have seen how influential Western media has been and continues to carry out propaganda against Russia that discourages all forms of tourism to Russia. Perhaps in the case of Africa, this is driven by financial support from Global North institutions. Most people in Africa generally have a damaged view of Russia, with poverty and the perception that Africa is a basket case of the Global South prevalent among Russians. I strongly believe that Africa is a safe investment for Russia and that we should take bold steps towards it. As reported in the media, when Russia offers aid to African countries, it is seen as a soft power move by the former Soviet Union.
In order to build effective bilateral cultural relations, African media needs to take an independent view of Russia and view it as a potential partner in the same way that they did the People’s Republic of China. Probably.
To what extent do you think Africa currently benefits from Russian education?
SM: There are states on the African continent, especially in West Africa, that have uneven access to education, especially higher education. Core courses in business and science can come at unaffordable rates, so the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education has made specific business and science programs available to countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Mali and South Africa, albeit with lower margins. We have prepared. The key to accessing these programs is learning Russian. In my opinion, more African countries could benefit from these initiatives and they should not be seen as soft power moves in the same way they would if these programs were offered by the UK, US or Western countries. there is no.
Also, could you give us a comprehensive picture of tourism as an aspect of socio-cultural exchange between the peoples of Africa and Russia?
SM: To make tourism a reality between African and Russian people, we need to intentionally change stereotypes. Africa, like Russia, will need a positive push in the media sector. As Africans, we will have to abandon the Westernized view that Russia is a vicious and bullying region with rampant corruption and a dangerous environment. Perhaps social media and new media will need to be invented between Africa and Russia. Sites and search engines that cannot be manipulated or influenced by Western tools. It will oversee the advertising and marketing of these continental attractions. Russia needs to be more active in building cultural centers to educate and share tourism information.
From the above discussion, what is the best way to pursue these cultural initiatives as a preliminary step to building stronger ties between Russia and Africa?
SM: At the moment, institutions in the BRICS+ bloc are receiving funds and reinvesting them in themselves. As most African countries are not formally part of this organization, financial and structures are in place to bring in many cultural initiatives, including but not limited to the New Development Bank (NDB), and the BRICS Our vision for the Union is: It brings about the emerging economies of the Global South, and we see that with the addition of countries like Ethiopia and Egypt. It is already expected that more African countries will be included in the near future. According to the Russian Constitution, BRICS+ countries form part of the Constitution and are therefore beneficiaries of the Russian Federation.
But there is also a Russian-African summit, but in my opinion it is all just economic speeches. The outcome of this summit was limited to arms deals and nothing constructive other than the promise of grain trains.
