African countries should shift away from neocolonialism and find reliable partners if they desire to move towards the renewal of the continent, Fred M'membe, a renowned Zambian journalist and current chairman of the country's Socialist Party, told Sputnik Africa.
The exploitation of Africa's resources by the West continues today, even after the colonial powers have left, the official said. In this vein, as M'membe noted, the continent should break out of this "straitjacket" to create a more multipolar world in partnership with other powers such as Russia.
"Colonialism is not just one thing. It's a complete system. There are cultural, economic and environmental issues at stake. We have no alternative but to fight relentlessly for our decolonization. And cooperation with Russia, with other countries, will help us to liberate ourselves [...] We need a new world order. The current order survives on the exploitation of poor countries like Africa," M'membe explained.
Safety, Education and... Media
There is no shortage of areas for collaboration in Africa, the party leader stressed. He brought up security as a particularly sensitive area.
According to M'membe, Russia could provide a welcome alternative to the United States, which is "expanding its military presence" on the continent, stifling cooperation with other armies. However, as the official pointed out, "sovereignty goes away once the Americans are present."
Russian universities must also continue to train African students, who have "succeeded well"on the continent and in Zambia, holding today leading positions in politics, economics or science, the expert emphasized.
Along with security and education, agricultural cooperation between Russia and Africa is also crucial, M'membe argued.
"Africa needs cooperation with Russia in agricultural technology and fertilizers [...] We also need more students to go to Russia, to study in new fields such as artificial intelligence [...] Finally, we need to chart a new course in the military field, where there should be South-South cooperation and increased cooperation with Russia," he remarked.
Another subject that is seldom talked about is the media. As the official underlined, the flow of information today is dominated by Western channels, which convey their own values. Emerging countries therefore need to cooperate in this area, according to M'membe, who believes that Russian voices should be heard in the Zambian media.
"We are shaping a new world, so we need a new media approach. We need Russian, Chinese, Indian, Brazilian and other media to work together to create a strong alternative to the Western media. We represent the majority of the population of this planet. We cannot be subjected to the opinions of a minority," he said.
Africa and Ukraine
On the international stage, the continent also has its say, as demonstrated by the recent African Peace Initiative on the Ukrainian issue. However, the African leaders who visited Ukraine and Russia should perhaps have looked further afield, by bringing the weight of discussion to bear on NATO, one of the main protagonists in the conflict, Fred M'membe argued.
"I think that the African initiative was well-intentioned but naive. The war in Ukraine is not necessarily between Ukraine and Russia. It's the war between NATO and Russia [...] If the Africans are serious, they should start negotiating with the United States and Europe. Talking to Kiev is a waste of time," he stressed.
In June, several African leaders visited Kiev and St Petersburg to present a peace plan to the leaders of both countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he took the proposals "very seriously", praising Africa's "balanced approach" to the issue.
On the Ukrainian side, the mediators seem to have had more difficulty in convincing President Volodymyr Zelensky, as Azali Assoumani, current Chairman of the African Union and President of the Comoros, recently told Sputnik.