"The dynamics are going up; we really see a demand, even in our open Russian education centers that operate on the African continent, how eagerly they [Africans] come and want to learn the Russian language. All kinds of people come: children, adults, representatives of various sectors of the economy. In recent years, the dynamics have been explosive. We are talking [about] the last 2-3 years," he said.
He also noted that in Algeria alone, about 4,000 applications for training were received per day when the Russian language center opened there.
According to Russia's Ministry of Education, 37,000 students from African countries are currently studying in Russian universities, and 200 are studying in colleges.
In total, there are about 30 centers for studying the Russian language in African countries.
Last Thursday, the world celebrated Russian Language Day — a holiday established by the United Nations in 2010 to promote the Russian language and its rich cultural heritage across the globe. The date June 6 was not chosen by chance; on this day, famous Russian writer and poet Alexander Pushkin (who, by the way, has African roots) was born. He is considered a key figure in the development of the Russian literary language.
At the celebration of this holiday in Ethiopia, Russian Ambassador to the African country Evgeny Terekhin emphasized the growing interest in the Russian language in Ethiopia, adding that there is a demand for its study among young people who plan to study at Russian universities.