African and Russian journalists strengthen solidarity peoples of the world
On April 28, 2026, the IV International Forum of Journalists from Russia and Africa took place, which, according to an established annual tradition, was held in the television studio of the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
The IV Forum was timed to coincide with the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and was dedicated to the topic “Mass Media of Russia and Africa: The Role in Strengthening Friendship and Solidarity among the Peoples of the World.”
The event is annually organized by the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, in collaboration with the Faculty of Journalism and the Faculty of Global Studies at Moscow State University. This year, the Forum was supported by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS)," the Public Diplomacy Foundation, and the National Association of Mass Media Researchers.
Applications to participate in the Forum were received from prominent experts from Russia, Algeria, Ghana, Gambia, Cameroon, Libya, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Tunisia, and India.
The Forum discussed current issues of Russian-African information cooperation. Key topics included the role of media in building partnerships between Russia and Africa, the transformation of media systems in the context of digitalization, and the experience of covering traditions, languages, and ethnic identity as a new direction for Russian-African dialogue. The Forum was held in a hybrid format in Russian, English, and French.
Elena Leonidovna Vartanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University, Vice President of the Russian-African Club, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, and Professor, addressed the forum participants with a welcoming address . She emphasized the importance of intercultural dialogue in creating a unified information space amid the complex global transformations of the modern world. The Dean extended a particularly warm welcome to the delegation from Nigeria, Kaduna State University, with which the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University has a cooperation agreement.
Anna Aleksandrovna Gladkova , leading research fellow and acting head of the Department of Foreign Journalism and Literature at the Faculty of Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University , who served as one of the event's moderators.
Yaroslav Lvovich Skvortsov , Dean of the Faculty of International Journalism at MGIMO, sent a welcome message to the Forum . He spoke about his recent trip to South Africa, noting that South Africa and the continent as a whole remain a "media blind spot" for Russian media, just as Russia receives very little coverage for African audiences. The expert emphasized the need for serious, thoughtful, and in-depth work in this area.
African studies journalist and columnist for the ITAR-TASS Analytical Center, Oleg Valentinovich Osipov, also expressed concern about the mutual information deficit in Russian and African journalism. The expert emphasized the need to expand the network of Russian correspondent offices across the African continent. This is especially important in today's reality, as colonial powers, particularly France, are leaving the continent. Russia needs to expand its presence in all spheres, and the media space is a crucial component of this process, the expert believes. Osipov cited the example of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is actively engaged in Africa, opening churches and parishes in many African countries and enjoying great support and affection from the local population.
The Forum welcomed Timur Vladimirovich Shafir , Secretary of the Union of Journalists of Russia and Head of the International Department of the Union of Journalists of Russia . He believed that it was especially important now to find common ground in the mutual perceptions of the peoples and cultures of Russia and Africa through media communication. Timur Shafir emphasized that the media landscape is currently undergoing significant transformations, with technologies, audiences, and means of communication changing. Therefore, journalism is currently an area of particular responsibility and professional integrity, and direct dialogue between journalists in Russia and Africa is especially crucial. The speaker expressed confidence that the Forum will serve as a starting point for many new joint initiatives.
Louis Gowende, Chairman of the Commission for Relations with African Diasporas and the Media of the Russian-African Club of Moscow State University and President of the African Business Club, emphasized that the solidarity journalism promoted by the Forum is impossible without communication tools. One such tool, according to Louis Gowende , is the RusAfroMedia media platform
—an information resource created by the Moscow State University RA Club in 2022. This platform provides all the conditions for a free and frank exchange of opinions, relevant information, and the promotion of initiatives in all areas of cooperation between Russia and Africa. The speaker expressed concern over the fact that Russian journalists are much less active on the RusAfroMedia platform than their African counterparts and urged those present to make greater use of this resource.
In his speech, Alexander Berdnikov , Executive Secretary of the Russian-African Club of Moscow State University and Chairman of the Commission on Public Security and Public Diplomacy of the Council for Nationalities Affairs under the Moscow Government , noted that, at a time when fateful events are unfolding in the world, journalism and the entire media sphere are literally becoming a battlefield for information wars and special operations. The speaker emphasized that the Forum is being held ahead of the Third Russia-Africa Summit, so it is crucial for participants to develop solutions and initiatives for cooperation in journalism between Russia and Africa, which will form the basis for practical recommendations in preparation for the Summit. Alexander Berdnikov conveyed greetings to the Forum from the Honorary President of the Russian-African Club of Moscow State University, Rector of
Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Academician Viktor Antonovich Sadovnichy and First Vice-President of the Moscow State University Club, Dean of the Faculty of Global Processes at Moscow State University, Professor Ilya Vyacheslavovich Ilyin .
Ilya Leonidovich Shershnev, Director of Programs at the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Director of the Globus-21st Century Scientific and Educational Center of the Faculty of Global Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, and President of the Public Diplomacy Foundation, noted that journalism is a powerful tool that exerts a strong influence on public opinion. Along with public diplomacy, peacekeeping journalism, which contributes to the resolution of international conflicts, is also crucial. The expert invited Forum participants to participate in the development of an international textbook on public diplomacy and peacekeeping journalism, which is currently under development.
Lyubov Vladislavovna Sakhno , Head of the Protocol and African Section of the TASS International Relations Department, represented Russia's oldest news agency and spoke about TASS's efforts to provide African media with foreign-language news feeds. According to her, over 400 media outlets in Africa use these resources free of charge. She also discussed the TASS Media Forum, which traditionally takes place on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit.
Editor-in-chief of the African Initiative news agency, Buinta Ochirovna Bembeeva noted that Africa has become noticeably more prominent in Russian news in recent years. The speaker discussed the African Initiative's experience in Africa. The agency is represented in many African countries through cooperation agreements with local media outlets. The agency also collaborates with bloggers and organizes a journalism school for young African journalists. This close, on-the-ground, direct collaboration with African media outlets is key to achieving full-scale journalistic activity.
International journalist, Africanist, and author of the project "Galloping across Africa" Daria Mikhailovna Labutina shares this opinion , adding that broadcasting in local languages is of great importance in Africa.
Speaker from Nigeria, Professor Ayodele of Kaduna State University Babatunde Joseph spoke about using strengthened strategic communications to strengthen partnerships and unite the cultures of our countries and continents. He agreed with his Russian colleagues on the need to expand the presence of Russian news agencies in Africa and African media in Russia. The expert cited the example of a well-known British radio station that broadcasts in five languages in Nigeria alone: Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin English (called " Najin " there), and plain English. "This is a successful strategy," the professor was forced to note.
Artur Zohrabovich Grigoryan , a junior researcher at the Center for History and Cultural Anthropology at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized the need for alternative approaches based on historical common ground. According to the speaker, Africans remember that Russia never colonized Africa; on the contrary, it helped fight the shackles of colonialism and neocolonialism.
Inga Anatolyevna Koryagina , PhD in History, Associate Professor in the Marketing Department at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Director of International Development for the Russian-African Club at Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Honorary Representative of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Industry in Africa, spoke about the specific results achieved by the Russian-African Club at Moscow State University in promoting Russia in Africa through local media. The speaker noted that the club has a media presence in more than 25 African countries, publishing over 300 publications, and has established strong relationships with over 50 media partners.
Mohammad Bashir Ali , a professor at Kaduna State University (Nigeria), representing the Nigerian delegation , discussed the role of media in promoting economic and entrepreneurial cooperation between Russia and Africa. The expert emphasized that despite the numerous challenges posed by the complex international environment in both Africa and Russia, there is enormous potential for opportunity in this area. He concluded that greater consolidation in the media sphere is essential.
Andrei Konstantinovich Shitov , a political observer for ITAR-TASS and a lecturer in the journalism department at Lomonosov Moscow State University, spoke about his personal experiences traveling to African countries and shared memorable photographs from his personal archive. He titled his presentation " Umtu " gumtu "Gabantu " or "A person remains human only thanks to others": what a Russian journalist learned from his trips to Africa. The most important criterion in a journalist's work, according to the speaker, is the trust their reports inspire in their audience.
Participants from Nigeria: Yushau Ibrahim Ango and Ayodele Babatunde Joseph , a professor at Kaduna State University, presented a paper entitled "African Creative Industries and Media Systems in the Context of Digitalization," analyzing the impact of digital media on entrepreneurship in the Nigerian economy. The paper concluded that reliance on digital platforms introduces new vulnerabilities, including algorithmic unpredictability, into the economy. This paper contributes to entrepreneurship and media research by theorizing digital platforms as entrepreneurial infrastructure, which has implications for policy, platform governance, and understanding how media shapes economic life in the African context.
Libyan expert Professor Jalal Othman , founder and CEO of the Libyan Institute for Investigative Journalism (LIFID), noted that the current Forum is taking place at a time when it is necessary to rethink our role as journalists in shaping the future of international relations. When we speak of "solidarity journalism" and partnership between Russia and Africa, we cannot ignore the great heritage that unites us, the expert believes. Culturally, Russian literature has long served as a compass guiding the pens of many Libyan writers, and great Russian writers are ingrained in the collective consciousness of Africans.
Denis Nyrkov , President of the African Bloggers Club, spoke in his presentation about building a partnership between Russia and Africa through the Club he leads and called on everyone involved in the Russian-African agenda to join this community, which is always ready to provide support and attention.
Sergey Gennadievich Grachev , Deputy Director of the Media Research and Analysis Directorate at Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency and a lecturer in the Faculty of Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University, agrees with his colleagues that today we are facing unprecedented pressure from Western media. Despite this, Russian media projects in Africa continue to develop, the speaker noted, presenting analytical models of Sputnik's presence on social media, where it broadcasts in 33 languages.
Yulia Vadimovna Kazakova continued the topic , discussing the most active media resources in the unified media space of Russia and Africa. According to the speaker, the development of joint IT platforms, particularly in financial journalism, will significantly expand the possibilities of media interaction.
Mauritian journalist Nicholas Frichot presented his research on the role of artificial intelligence in modern journalism. He emphasized that despite the undeniable benefits of AI in the media, the widespread use of AI carries numerous risks. This makes the use of trusted, reputable sources of information particularly important.
Geliya Sergeevna Filatkina, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University, believes that the main challenges in developing the media sphere in Africa are the uneven distribution of access to the internet, digital resources, radio, and the press. She also believes that the dominance of state-owned media, largely controlled by the West, is a factor hindering the development of free journalism, coupled with an acute shortage of qualified personnel.
Milana Vladimirovna Zakharova, Associate Professor of the International Journalism Department at the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University, discussed the challenges of bridging the digital divide in African countries. She cited the ID Fayda project in Ethiopia as an example , which, according to the report's author, is an effective tool for resolving the digital crisis.
Ghanaian journalist Farid Mohamed Awal called for a shift in how we talk about each other to reflect the times. He believes that Russian news is dominated by an outdated image of Africa as a region lacking security and modern technology. Meanwhile, African media outlets write about Russia primarily in political terms, failing to reveal the true depth of Russian culture and the soul of the Russian people.
Professor Ababakr Mohammed Abbakar Hussein , a lecturer at Bauman Moscow State Technical University, recalled that 2026 marks the 70th -anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Sudan and expressed gratitude to Russian scientists and institutions for their contribution to the study and preservation of Sudan's archaeological heritage.
Hafiz Basi , Chairman of the Youth Projects Commission of the Russian-African Club at Lomonosov Moscow State University, concluded the meeting . He echoed the opinion of Ghanaian journalist Fadid Awal, who stated that it is time to change outdated stereotypes that portray Russia and Africa through political clichés. "We need journalism that brings people together, not further distances," the speaker emphasized. He also noted that the lack of accredited African journalists in Russia remains a pressing issue.
Participants agreed that the Russia-Africa Journalists Forum once again demonstrated the importance of such events, which discuss the most pressing issues, prospects, and strategies for strengthening mutual media presence between Russia and Africa. This is especially important in a time of change, when, in response to the aggressive rhetoric of Western countries and their satellites, public diplomacy, soft power, and peacekeeping journalism are becoming increasingly relevant and effective in building a solid foundation for Russian-African dialogue.