Africa Must ‘Write Its Own History’: Moscow Hosts African Youth Day

Africa has to begin to "write its own history," primarily in economic terms, and then the continent can become a "heaven on earth," Abin Mwinga, First Secretary of Education of the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia in Moscow, told Sputnik Africa.

"We want to run away [...] from being recolonized economically. And so we want to stand on our own, using our resources to drive the economies of Africa to a level where we can compete on the world market, where there are fair prices, fair games, level playing ground for everyone," the official said.

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However, the continent's economic cooperation is impossible without interaction with other actors, but cooperation has to be fair.

"If we talk about development, we cannot do it ourselves without collaborating. But all we are asking is for a fair share. [...] If [cooperation] used properly, Africa can [get up from] its knees. And most of these socio-economic problems that Africa is going [through] can actually be a story of yesterday," Mwinga argued.

The speaker finished the interview with an encouraging message, calling on Africans to "wake up" and take their destiny into their own hands.

"Africa, let's wake up! [...] Let's [...] just start using our resources fairly and squarely and just compete on the world market like anybody else, where the rules should be equal for everyone. I think Africa will go a long way," Mwinga concluded.

Mwinga's compatriot, Raphael Mulenga, President of the African Community at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, also touched upon the importance of Africa's economic success, which cannot be achieved without proper management.

"The most challenging thing currently is proper management of our vast resources that we have [...]. [...] Politically-wise, economically-wise even socially-wise, we are lacking in this area; we are facing some kind of challenges," he told Sputnik Africa.

Aside from that, Mulenga also commented on the emerging concept of multipolarity, noting its particular importance in the area of trade.

"The concept of a multipolarity is a very important aspect [...] in all [...] the sectors of the country's [life]. [...] You can't trade if you are just one-sided in one area. So we need to expand and have a diverse kind of market for us to move towards things. The typical [feature] of a multipolarity comes in as a vital aspect at the current time," he pointed out.

Speaking of multipolarity, one cannot help but recall BRICS, which is one of the manifestations of this new global trend. The speaker praised the creation of the bloc, noting that the participating countries understand each other’s problems, which means that it is easier to find solutions for them within the organization.

"We share the same, the common goal, the same goals, hence it's easy to understand each other and find a solution. That is not benefiting one person, but the whole group as a team in all. So the topic of BRICS, I think it is a good move. I, personally, support the movement," Mulenga emphasized.

During the African Youth Day in Moscow, participants specifically explored projects and initiatives related to Russian-African youth and women's cooperation that could contribute to the implementation of Agenda 2063. The interaction between Russian and African youth public organizations in the field of education was also a key topic of discussion.

Among the participants were Russian and African diplomats, government and public figures, leaders of African diasporas, representatives of non-governmental and youth organizations, and African studies experts.

The event was organized by the Russian-African Club of Moscow State University with support from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.