The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

The St. Petersburg Seasons Festival of Culture will take place from 25 to 29 July in St. Petersburg at the Second Russia–AfricaSummit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum.

The festival will feature a packed programme, which will expose residents and guests of the Northern capital to the incredible richness and vibrancy of culture of Africa, from traditional cuisine to contemporary art.

“To fully develop Russian–African relations, we need to establish and strengthen human ties. Common cultural values unite peoples and are the basis for long-term relations built on trust and friendship. We wholeheartedly support projects aimed at building intercultural dialogue, and we are confident that they will become commonplace in the future,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of events in the Russia–Africa format.

As part of the Africa. Together Into the Future cultural and educational festival, days of African Culture and Cinema will take place on 25–28 July at Lenfilm studio. The event programme will include a photo exhibition, music concerts by African performers, contemporary African poetry, thematic lectures, round-table discussions and films screening.

African cinema will be showcased over four days, and viewers can look forward to retrospectives as well as documentaries and feature films by contemporary African directors. The Days of African Culture and Cinema will be opened by the winner of this year’s Cannes Film Festival – The Omen film.

On 26–29 July, the Reversed Safari. Contemporary African Art exhibition will be open at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall. Among more than 300 pieces of art presented at the exhibition are painting, sculpture, photography, including 9 video works and 3 large-scale installations created specifically for this project.

All works are devoted to the heritage of the colonial era, the mechanisms of interaction between different and often dissimilar cultures, everyday life, the search for identity and self-determination practices. In the exposition space, they enter into a dialogue with traditional pieces of African art, and the works of Russian artists visualize the changing perception of the African region.

On 28 and 29 July, the main stage of St. Petersburg’s Alexandrinsky Theatre will host the International Ballet Festival of the Innopraktika School “Global Values”. A key aspect of the festival has been the cultural exchange between students from Russia and other countries in the form of joint creative work on choreographic projects.

Visitors can look forward to an engaging programme of original productions by the finest choreographers from Russia and abroad, the world premiere of Boris Eifman’s ballet My Jerusalem, and some special guests.

On 29 July, the Rhythms of Africa Festival will be held at Moskovskaya Square. It includes lectures, workshops and a musical programme. The festival will culminate in a spectacular concert featuring original compositions performed by African musical ensembles, world premieres by St. Petersburg composers, and African-themed works performed by the Governor’s Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Alexey Nyagi. The concert programme will also feature a performance by the Zambian student group Sounds of Dreams, finalists of the Singing in the Kitchen Across the Country programme.

In addition, Second Russia–Africa Summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum will host a gastronomic project entitled Stars of Africa. It aims to introduce residents and guests of St. Petersburg to the finest traditional dishes of the African continent. 3–4 dish set meals will be available (one or two appetizers, a hot main, and dessert) at fixed prices, which will be developed in conjunction with chefs from Africa or by visionary Russian chefs. It will be possible to sample the dishes in more than 40 restaurants across St. Petersburg.

The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the Second Summit, Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum.

The Second Russia–Africa Summit and the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum will be held in St. Petersburg from 27 to 28 July at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre. The measures are aimed at the comprehensive strengthening of Russian–African cooperation and designed to determine the trajectory of the development of Russian–African relations in the long term.