Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peoples'Friendship University of Russia
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
He is a symbol of solidarity, the struggle for freedom, independence, and justice for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and all of Africa as a whole. Of course, we are talking about Patrice Lumumba—an outstanding politician who died for the sovereignty of his country, after whom RUDN University bears its name. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of this hero of the DRC, our university hosted an international conference.
The event marked another step in strengthening and developing relations between the university and the African continent. A delegation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, led by Patrice Lumumba's daughter, Juliana, attended.
"My father was killed when I was three years old. I don't remember much, but I do remember sitting in his office and watching him work. I can't describe the emotions and joy I feel being here in Moscow, and especially at Peoples' Friendship University. The USSR was the first country to recognize Congo's independence and protest after my father's death. And I am gratified to know that 100 years later, so many young people here at RUDN carry on the values of Patrice Lumumba. Namely: freedom, justice, and, most importantly, sovereignty. RUDN embodies these values through its mission, education, and what the university does for the world," says Juliana Lumumba.
"Since 1961, our university has proudly borne the name of Patrice Lumumba, embodying our special connection with the African continent. That's why we see our special mission in preserving Lumumba's memory and disseminating information about his life and legacy among young people. This is especially relevant today, as African countries confront neocolonialism and fight for equality and genuine national sovereignty. We believe that by providing high-quality education, we provide significant support to the entire continent in this regard," said Oleg Yastrebov, Rector of RUDN University.
According to Oleg Aleksandrovich, over decades of work, the university has developed friendly and partnership relations with Africa. More than 15,000 specialists trained at the university work across the continent. They have made and continue to make significant contributions to the development of their countries and the strengthening of relations between Russia and Africa. To further develop this partnership, the university's rector signed an agreement with the Center for Culture and Arts for Central African Countries, as well as a work program with the Congolese Diplomatic Academy. In keeping with African tradition, palm wine was opened to celebrate the signing, and a few drops were spilled on the table, symbolizing the strength and sincerity of the agreement.
"This event means to us that we want to build a relationship with RUDN that will allow Congolese and Russians to see each other without clichés and prejudices, in a real-life setting, and to get to know each other scientifically, culturally, and artistically. We would like young people from Kinshasa (the capital of Congo) to come here to study artificial intelligence and learn Russian. And we would be happy to host students from Russia and share our knowledge with them. Your university has a very strong charisma and appeal. It is a kind of temptation for Africans. After all, since its inception, the university has been educating Africans. It has given our continent engineers and doctors, and this continues to this day," said Baloufu Bakupa Kininda, Director of the Center for Culture and Art for Central Africa.
Photos through the decades
After signing the documents, the Congolese delegation, along with the rector, went to lay flowers at the monument to Patrice Lumumba near the building of the RUDN University Russian Language Institute. On the way to the monument, Julian Lumumba received a small surprise: a graduate student from our university from Egypt approached her and presented the daughter of the first prime minister of independent Congo with a portrait of her father. Meanwhile, African students from RUDN University gathered near the monument to Patrice Lumumba. Along with Julian and other members of the delegation, the students laid white and red roses at the bust of the eminent politician.
This marked the beginning of the guests' tour of the university campus. Accompanied by the rector, they strolled briefly through the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences building and even took the metro! Oleg Alexandrovich wanted the delegation to see the murals that adorn the station. One of them depicts the silhouettes of the world's capitals, while another depicts a sketch on the theme of "friendship of peoples," featuring smiling young people of different nationalities.
"I was very impressed by the metro, and it's nice to know that the station is named after your university. The murals are very beautiful," says Balufu Bakupa Kininda.
But it wasn't just the classrooms and the metro that pleasantly surprised the guests from Congo; Dormitory No. 9 was also a pleasant surprise. The delegation appreciated the freshly renovated student rooms, comfortable beds with lamps and shelves for phones, and also took a short break in the cinema hall, where RUDN students watch films on the big screen.
The final stop of the tour was near Dormitory No. 6, where a photo was taken in 1966 during a visit by a delegation from the Congo, showing Juliana's mother, Pauline Opanga Lumumba, with the university's first rector, Sergei Rumyantsev. Naturally, Juliana and the others "repeated" this photo to once again emphasize the connection between the past and the present.
A fruitful partnership
Finally, the delegation's visit reached its climax: the International Academic Conference to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Patrice Lumumba's Birth. The event brought together over 700 people: RUDN University students and faculty, scientists, government officials, and public figures from Russia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. RUDN University Rector Oleg Yastrebov delivered a welcoming speech.
"For RUDN University, African countries are one of its priority regions for scientific and educational partnerships. The university collaborates with over 50 African countries. The partnership includes over 100 organizations on the continent. Currently, over 2,000 students from 45 African countries are studying here. The most popular fields of study among them are general medicine, economics, engineering, agronomy, and international relations," said Oleg Yastrebov.
The RUDN University rector also noted that university researchers regularly publish joint research articles with their African colleagues. Among the countries with the highest number of publications are Egypt, Algeria, and Nigeria. Over the past few years, African and university researchers have jointly published over 500 articles in Q1 and Q2 journals. Following the rector's speech, presentations were given by Tatyana Dovgalenko, Director of the Department of Partnership with Africa at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences; Andrey Maslov, Director of the Center for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics; and representatives of the Congolese delegation. The experts discussed the historical connections between Russia and Africa, new challenges and areas of growth in economics and politics, and the development of technology and relations in science, culture, and education.
"In recent years, Africa has achieved impressive results, playing an increasingly important role in global politics and economics. The continent has enormous potential, and to realize it, we need reliable partners who will engage in honest dialogue on an equal footing. Our country has been and remains such a friend and partner for Africa. Building on the breakthrough summits, as the Russian President described them, in Sochi (in 2019) and St. Petersburg (in 2023), we are jointly building a strategic partnership between Russia and Africa. Our work is structured around an ambitious action plan for 2023-2026. It covers a wide range of cooperation—from security, energy, and trade to education, science, and culture," said Tatyana Dovgalenko.
She also emphasized that trade between Russia and the continent has grown by 13 percent in the past year alone. The number of African students in Russia has nearly doubled to 32,000, and the number of scholarships awarded to them has more than doubled.
"Our country supports African countries in the fight against terrorism, ensuring food security, combating epidemics, and digitalizing public and municipal governance. The continent is building its largest nuclear power plant, preparing to open a Russian industrial zone in Egypt, implementing an oil pipeline project in Congo, and launching satellites from Angola and Zimbabwe. We are expanding Russia's diplomatic presence in Africa—last year, diplomatic missions opened in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea. This year, the embassy in Nigeria will resume operations, and a diplomatic mission will open in South Sudan," said Tatyana Dovgalenko.
Focus on education
Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute of African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in her report that by 2050, the share of Africans among all the planet's inhabitants will be more than a quarter.
"This means we all need to be prepared for this, we need to build relationships with this continent, which is already being called the continent of the 21st century, the continent of the future. The share of the urban population in Africa is currently rapidly growing, approaching 50%. At the same time, purchasing power and demand for new goods and services are also growing. This means that the continent's consumer market, which is already doubling every five years, will be the most important consumer market in the world in the near future," says Irina Abramova.
Irina Abramova named energy, including nuclear energy, as one of the promising areas of cooperation between Russia and Africa, as the continent still faces significant challenges in providing electricity to homes and businesses. However, she believes that science and education should be the primary areas of partnership between Russia and Africa.
"Africa has a young population—800 million people here are under 25 years old. And young Africans have a strong demand for quality education. Residents of the continent are saying it outright: we need your knowledge, your science, and your technology," says Irina Abramova.
Juliana Lumumba was one of the conference speakers. In her speech, she again emphasized her country's interest in developing a partnership with Russia in the field of education.
"We need this for further economic development. We have a shortage of teachers in universities, and we also need knowledge sharing, particularly regarding the professions of the future," said Juliana Lumumba.
Juliana wished RUDN University continued growth and development, so that more and more Africans could receive an education at our university and pass on her father's knowledge and values to the younger generation, who will increasingly influence what happens on the African continent and in the world today and what will happen tomorrow.
The conference concluded with the premiere of a film dedicated to the Russian-African partnership and the role of Patrice Lumumba in Africa's struggle for independence. The film was produced by RT, and its crew accompanied the RUDN delegation during their visit to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Viewers were touched by the footage of Patrice Lumumba's story and the well-known status of RUDN in schools and universities in the Congo and throughout Africa.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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