Insightful stories of the most pressing local, regional, and international developments brought to you by Sputnik.

Uganda's 'Son' of Putin Tells Sputnik Africa What He Wants to Learn From Russian Leader

17:04, 8 March 2024

Maxim Grishenkin

Writer

At the closing ceremony of the World Youth Festival (WYF) in Russia, a particularly memorable participant from Uganda asked the Russian president to accept him as his son, to which Vladimir Putin replied with paternal concern: "What can I say, son?" Sputnik Africa contacted the participant and asked him to explain why he'd chosen Putin as a mentor.

Sputnik

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a visionary leader who should be looked up to, Davis Akumpurira, World Youth Festival participant and Putin's so-called "son" told Sputnik Africa, adding that he believes in the Russian president.

"First of all, I want to say that I told Putin to be my mentor because I believe in him. I feel he's a visionary leader. I feel he's a leader that many people can look up to, especially the young people, those who are still growing. And that's one reason why I thought he should mentor me to be a greater leader, to be a leader for the future," he pointed out.

Akumpurira added that Putin is a leader who "looks above his selfish interests, above himself, he looks above his family, he looks above Russia, but looks at the whole world as one."

The participant also spoke about the special attitude of the president and Russia to Africa, noting the leader's contribution to the independence of the continent's nations.

"And as an African, I'm aware that President Putin helped Africans to attain independence, so the love for Africa by Putin has been there over and over for years. It is something that we all know, and he still loves the people of Africa," Akumpurira remarked.

As an example, the WYF participant noted that the Russian government has supported Ugandans with scholarships that started with 20 and now have ten times that number.

Features

Main Points From Putin's Speech at the Closing of World Youth Festival in Russia

7 March, 13:08

He also advocated for stronger ties between the Ugandan and Russian governments, especially in the area of agriculture.

"These are some of the things that we're going to work out and see that the young people of Africa can benefit from this relationship with Russia," Akumpurira believes.

In conclusion, the Ugandan participant spoke about the experience of the festival, saying that the main thing he learned during the festival was that it dispelled the propaganda about the isolation of Russia, which boasts of "friendly people who work with everyone, who love and are very accepting of hearts."

"One of the things that maybe I learned, the propaganda, [the abuse] about Russia, is that most of the Russians don't connect with the Africans, other people from the rest of the world. But what I saw at the festival, I realized that actually it's not true. And I want to say that some of these things have been used by the propagandists. I think they are not right," he concluded.

From March 1 to 7, the Russian federal territory Sirius hosted the World Youth Festival — a venue for open dialogue and exchange of opinions, where everyone can express their point of view and be heard, join together to address social problems, and help each other to build a just world.

Sputnik is the official media partner of the World Youth Festival.