Africa is a continent of great contrasts
Photo: Edward CHESNOKOV
May 25 is a significant date for a whole part of the world. Exactly 60 years ago, in 1963, the Organization for African Unity (now known as the African Union) was created. This happened following the liberation of most of the countries of the continent from colonial slavery, in which the USSR played a decisive role. Since then, May 25 has been celebrated as Africa Day by the UN.
And today this continent is probably the most promising. We open the world list in terms of economic growth rates: Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Ethiopia will be in the top ten among large countries. Everywhere: an increase of 5-8% per year (for comparison, in the US and the EU, less than 2%). Yes, this growth is largely due to the low base effect, but there are more opportunities here than in already developed and stable markets. After all, the continent of 1.5 billion, where the main consumer, the middle class, is emerging, needs literally everything: equipment, clothing, electrical engineering, IT solutions…
Many Russian tourists – when the usual destinations are closed – have already dominated Africa in recent years. Our big business (if one can say so in Soviet times) has been present there since the times of the USSR, which has already been written about on the KP.RU website.
But there are still a number of stereotypes about the southern continent that hinder the development of the association. The most absurd of them are debunked by the KP.RU site.
MYTH #1. “This is a black hole where nothing was and never will be”
Where such a myth comes from is clear. For centuries, Western-centrism has dominated science and the media. And even now, Euro-American liberal democracy, with the “third sex” in schools and gay parades, is presented as “the only correct teaching” (we’ve heard it somewhere before…). And all the alternative civilizations – Russian, Chinese, Indian, African – are supposedly “a regional curiosity that has strayed from the main path.” This approach, unfortunately, did not pass our textbooks. That’s why at school, when talking about the “wonders of the world in Africa”, they only described the pyramids in Egypt, and even then in passing.
Meanwhile, the reality is different.
Do you know that some of the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament, the so-called “Garima Gospels”, are kept in an Ethiopian Orthodox monastery near the city of Adua? The manuscripts are about 1600 years old, they are decorated with the most beautiful illustrations; even then, in Africa there was the highest spiritual and artistic culture.
Or the idea of women’s rights. In Europe, this was widely discussed only in the 19th century. And in Africa, on the territory of the modern Republic of Mali, the then emperor in 1236 adopted the first constitution (well, in that sense; it was called “Kurukan-Fuga”), where special articles prescribed “not to oppress women” and ensure that the fairer sex is represented at all levels of power.
So Africa is one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, and looking at it from above means being behind.
MYTH #2. “It’s dangerous out there, they can kill you for a few dollars”
Of course, there are areas of instability on the continent. In the outlying areas of several countries, international terrorists are still playing pranks, the word “Somalia” has become a household word for a “failed state,” and civil strife is taking place in Sudan right now.
But recently the security situation in several African regions has improved, partly thanks to Moscow. Our military advisers, at the invitation of local governments, have been training soldiers in Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR) for several years, thanks to which the terrorists were expelled, in Russian, “by mozhai.”
The author of these lines was in several countries: in prosperous Rwanda, and in the already mentioned Mali, he walked only a couple of times (within the center, of course). And if you follow the basic safety rules, nothing will happen.
These measurements are simple. Do business only with those for whom someone has already vouched for you. And the best thing is to have a reliable guide who knows the local dialects and understands the realities (if you are traveling for the first time, you can find such a person through the associations of African students and graduates of Russian universities – tens of thousands of graduated black guys from Soviet and Russian universities such as RUDN and still retain sympathy for the Russians).
As in the days of the Soviet “thaw”, Africa awaits us again.
Photo: Edward CHESNOKOV
MYTH №3: “There is no democracy and terrible corruption, it is impossible to do business because of the peculiarities of the mentality”
Here you can answer the question: “Who are the judges?”. For example, the president of country X has been in power for a third of a century, he is a respected partner of the West. And the country’s leader, Ygrek, a patriotic young military man who overthrew the old government, is not a handshake for the United States. Because? Because the first did not prevent Western corporations from withdrawing income from the country, and the second began to restore order and, oh horror, be friends with Russia.
This is neocolonialism: when the entire continent was “sawed up” by white knights, hiding behind their local protégés. Just one example: the value of the shares of the largest Western chain of coffee shops is equal to the annual GDP of a coffee-exporting African country with a population of over 100 million…
And as soon as a truly nationally oriented government comes to power, as in Mali, it suddenly turns out that we have no serious “communication barriers” with local elites.
MYTH №4. “There is savagery and backwardness, it is impossible to introduce innovations”
It is impossible to argue with one thing: this is a continent of great contrasts, where the peoples still live in a primitive system. But, more importantly, there are also growth points. The skyscrapers of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, look like African Dubai. In Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, in 2021, in an open field, they began to erect a local “Innograd” (Kigali Innovation City) for 50,000 jobs. Similar IT centers already exist or are being built in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and other countries; Western digital giants like Google are happy to set up offices here to serve the local market.
The reason is simple: the potential is enormous. In 2014, only 120 million people in black Africa had a mobile phone with Internet access, and in 2020, already 300 million. A simple calculation: another 500-800 million people remain without coverage. In the next few years, they will also have at least a simple, but a smartphone …
And whoever can stake this market first will win. Therefore, investment in the digital sector in Africa grows between 40 and 50% per year; In 2020, two dozen of the continent’s most IT-advanced countries attracted $1.5 billion in investment in digital startups.
Ours are not far behind. Internet giant Yandex has launched a “taxi hailing app” known to Russians in… Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
The author of these lines spoke with smaller caliber Russian investors: they also go to Africa. Although they are asked not to advertise their names and successes. It can be said, unfortunately: a couple of years ago, the last dream of our infobusiness was to rent an office in American California. But now, for obvious reasons, this path is closed.
So entrepreneurs started looking at alternative options, and suddenly they liked it. For example, in the already mentioned Rwanda, there is a heavenly climate (the average monthly temperature is 21 degrees) and one of the best digital public service systems, a foreign businessman can easily register a legal entity and bank account here.
Well, and an unexpected bonus – the most developed countries in Africa are in the Moscow time zone (or have a minimal time difference), it is convenient to establish contacts with the headquarters. And our identical clock hands are more than a metaphor. The West imposes absurd sanctions against African countries in the same way as against Russia. And, like it or not, we are in the same boat, and we help each other. Otherwise, we will drown one by one.
So, as in the days of the Soviet “thaw”, Africa is waiting for us again. Only this is no longer the “backyard of the world”, but its most promising part.
READ ALSO
Conservative revolution in Uganda: African country bans homosexuality
Ugandan parliament passes tough criminal penalties for gays (more)
The USSR left Africa behind power plants, factories and universities. Therefore, there and now they believe in Russia.
What projects has our country implemented in the most growing continent (more)
