As admiration for chess grows in Zambia, there is a strong desire to enhance exchanges with Russia to improve local players' skills and deepen their appreciation for the game, notes Chitumbo Mwali, Zambia's national chess champion, who participated in the FIDE World Cup in Sochi in 2021.
"I fell in love with Russia because of chess [...]. Russia has got a rich tradition in chess, which I admire. Sometimes I wish, when I was learning chess when I was much younger, [I could] go there for six months to one of the best chess schools in Russia [...] or have sort of a sister connection with an academy that I could set up here," Mwali says.
Tambatamba Mulenga, a visitor at the Chess Museum exhibition, describes his experience as a captivating journey into Russian language and culture, learning chess terms and common phrases despite some pronunciation hurdles.
Two students at the Russian House in Lusaka, Bukatami Mwewa and Rhoda Dube, share their impressions of the exhibition that enhanced their grasp of the evolution of chess, its cultural impact, and ties to Russian culture.
While chess is gaining popularity in Africa, the continent is known for active involvement in other sports, for example, its immense love for football, which is effective in creating solidarity among people, regardless of social and political differences. However, politics should not be associated with the game, as it erodes its unifying essence, according to Ogenyi Onazi, Nigeria’s former international footballer and ex-captain of the Super Eagles.
"I don't like it [politics] to become associated with football because football is a beautiful game. It's not supposed to be associated with governments or political groups or whatever groups. So football is supposed to be a unifying factor and not to be associated with such," Onazi explains.
For his part, Kelechi Orji Nnorom, the CEO of Right2Win Football Academy in Umuahia, Nigeria, explores how football can bolster diplomatic relations and cultural connections between African countries and Russia.
To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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