SCIENTIFIC LIFE. CONGRESSES, CONFERENCES, AND SYMPOSIA

On May 21-23, 2002, the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the IX Conference of Africanists "Africa in the Context of North-South Relations". The forum was organized by the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Africa and the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The conference was attended by more than 150 Russian and 30 foreign specialists. In addition to academic and university research centers in Moscow, Russian African studies was also represented by centers in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Saratov, and Chelyabinsk. The conference was attended by researchers from Uzbekistan, Ukraine, England, Germany, India, Norway, Portugal, USA, France, Sweden, Angola, Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Swaziland, Chad, South Africa, Ethiopia.

The opening of the conference was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Board. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation A. V., Saltanov, Doyen of the African Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of the Republic of Gabon to the Russian Federation B. Leyongo-Ndumba, WHO UN Adviser on Desertification Rogatien Biau (Benin), ambassadors of African states accredited in the Russian Federation, employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, media representatives.

The participants paid tribute to the memory of African scientists who died after the VIII Conference.

Opening the conference, Director of the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member. RAS A. M. Vasiliev emphasized that the African continent is an integral part of the modern interconnected and interdependent world. An in-depth study of African issues, a frank and interested exchange of views between representatives of academic circles on the situation in Africa, ways to solve the most acute problems of this region, and the development of relevant scientifically verified recommendations are becoming increasingly relevant.

Deputy. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation A.V. Saltanov read out a welcome message from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation I. S. Ivanov to the conference participants. It emphasized the role and importance of academic contacts on African issues. B. Legnongo-Ndumba noted that Russia is attentive and interested in the problems of Africa, welcomes the consistent progress of the states of the region on the path of economic and political transformation, strengthening regional and sub-regional integration.

Presentations were made at the plenary session by A. M. Vasiliev and E. Maloka, Executive Director of the Institute of Africa of South Africa. Mikhail Vasiliev, in his report "Africa and the Challenges of the XXI century", stated that Russian-African relations are not yet particularly dynamic, their level lags behind the level of Russia's global interests and existing opportunities for cooperation. Having analyzed the concept of the" new partnership with Africa", outlined in the document "New Partnership for Africa's Development" (NEPAD), he stressed that this concept is consistent with the Russian strategy of responding to the challenges of the XXI century and is in line with the strategy of building a multipolar model of international relations. with the dynamics of foreign direct investment in the African economy, the expansion of sources of financing, and the effectiveness of foreign financial contributions to the economic development of African countries. Considering the overall situation in Africa as tragic (poverty, debt problems, armed conflicts and wars, corruption and the AIDS pandemic), A. M. Vasiliev considered the arguments of both "catastrophists" and their opponents in their assessment of African problems in a new way. Breaking the vicious circle of poverty and backwardness of African states, he believes, is very difficult for both objective and subjective reasons. A.M. Vasiliev listed a number of necessary conditions that will make the planned African development programs effective.

E. Maloka's report "Towards an African Renaissance: The African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development" detailed the history of the concept of "Africa's Rebirth", the challenges of the African Union (AU) and NEPAD, as well as the role of the international community as an important factor in supporting Africa's recovery efforts. It is indicated that the concept of the "African renaissance" emerged as a reaction of Africa to the problems of the XXI century.

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in particular, responding to the challenges of globalization. Achieving the goals of the African renaissance will require, among other things, the political will of the continent's leaders and the mobilization of African civil society. This is exactly what the African Union and NEPAD are striving for. E. Maloka paid special attention to the role of the UN's efforts to focus the international community's attention on the plight of Africa, while pointing out a number of shortcomings in the organization's activities.

The conference was divided into ten sections and ended with a round table discussion on the Information Society and Africa.

The section "International Relations, Russian - African relations" discussed the current state and prospects of Russian-African relations. T. L. Deitch (Institute of Africa) noted that the beginning of the millennium was marked by the presence of new factors in Russia's relations with African countries, including the strengthening of the latter's economic component, as well as the revival and diversification of political contacts. The interests of Russia and African countries dictate the need to increase the dynamics of their development. Today, more than ever, there is a need for the Russian state to take a set of measures aimed at supporting the activities of domestic entrepreneurs. E. N. Korendyasov (Institute of Africa) supported the development of a federal program to support Russian entrepreneurs working in Africa and developing countries.

Corresponding member A. Gromyko, Russian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Africa) in his report focused on the need in modern conditions to expand all-round cooperation between the Russian Federation and African states in order to preserve and strengthen the UN and its Charter, which is a sine qua non condition for maintaining international security, preventing the hegemonic aspirations of one state or group of States in the international arena, formation of a democratic world order that meets the interests of all countries of the world community.

Much attention was paid to the discussion of security issues, conflict prevention and resolution. The head of the Center for African Studies at the University of Mumbai, Professor A. Biswas (India), Professor V. Sheth (India), P.-A. Bischof (South Africa) and D. V. Polikanov (Institute of Africa) noted that in the context of the end of the Cold War, the emergence of new challenges, and increasing instability in the world, the problems of African security have become more acute. Sub-regional African organizations and structures should be more actively engaged in conflict resolution. It is also important to increase the participation of African countries in the political management of conflict resolution operations conducted by the UN. V. Shet also stressed that the current situation of monopolarity in the world not only did not reduce the conflict potential in Africa, but, on the contrary, worsened the situation: Africans were left to fend for themselves, the international community almost ceased to be interested in their fate. N. B. Lebedeva (IV RAS), considering the problems of the countries of the Indian Ocean basin, pointed out that India is deliberately "channeled" by the ASEAN countries and Australia from the East Asian and Pacific regions to the poor South Asian-African zone. In general, she was quite pessimistic about the prospects for establishing cooperation in this region in the current conditions.

J. Obiozor (Nigeria) analyzed the development of integration processes related, in particular, to the transformation of the OAU into the African Union. The speaker was optimistic about the prospects for the integration of African countries. At the same time, the goal itself - real integration, in his opinion, is very remote. A similar assessment was made in the speech of C. L. Petcu (South Africa), who noted that the processes of differentiation of both African states themselves and social differentiation within them can become a serious obstacle to integration. At the same time, it was recognized that integration is the main way to solve the main political and economic problems of Africa.

The presentations of the section's participants included contradictory assessments of the NEPAD programme. I. V. Cherkasova (Institute of Africa) described NEPAD as a real program for accelerating Africa's economic development. T. Kofi (USA), on the contrary, did not hide his rather skeptical attitude towards this program. Almost all speakers noted that the implementation of NEPAD as conceived would require great effort, courage and perseverance on the part of African leaders.

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The reports of the section "African Economy in the context of globalization" covered a wide range of problems related to internal and external factors of socio-economic development of individual countries and the African continent as a whole, as well as their economic relations with Western countries and with Russia.

Issues such as the impact of globalization on various aspects of economic development in Africa, the role of NEPAD as a development strategy, problems of national economy and integration in the North-South context, opportunities for modeling economic development in African countries, ways to overcome poverty, the role of financial stabilization and external debt management were discussed. Various aspects and new trends in the economic development of the continent's countries and its individual sectors and spheres (agriculture, industry, transport, services and trade) were considered. Special attention is paid to the role of the informal sector in the system of economic relations and in the formation of GDP. The reports touched upon the impact of the environmental factor on the economy and the possibilities of cooperation in this area between Russia and African countries.

The article examines the factors of instability in global economic development since the early 1990s and shows how they affected the situation in Africa, its economic growth rate, and its role in the international division of labor. V. P. Morozov (Institute of Africa) drew attention to the emergence on the continent of three regions with emerging markets that ensure relatively stable development of the economy of countries (South Africa and other states of Southern Africa, North Africa and the monetary and economic unions of West and Central Africa), as evidenced by the expansion of stock markets operating in the regions and the influx of foreign direct investment.

The impact of globalization on the African economy is reflected in the opportunities for improving Africa's terms of trade with Western partners, which depends, in particular, on the competitiveness of local exports, the position of African exporting countries in the world market of raw materials, the dynamics of price conditions in the European oil market and its impact on the continent's oil - exporting countries, on the international oil market as an independent exporter. The authors note the uneven dynamics and distribution of external resource inflows to Africa, as well as the diversity of channels and forms of capital inflow and application against the background of growing competition between recipient countries. The participants ' special attention was drawn to the problem of external debt. In the modern era, there is a growing need to improve debt relations and review the international legal framework.

E. V. Morozenskaya (Institute of Africa), using the modeling method, proved the need for a differentiated approach to the study of various sectors of the so-called real and shadow economy (including the informal sector) in terms of economic content and significance. The problem of the consequences of the expansion of the informal sector of the economy was touched upon (ELENA Bragina-IMEMO RAS).

The issue of intensifying inter-African cooperation in various forms of international joint actions, primarily within the framework of the NEPAD program, which was polemically presented in T. Kofi's report, also provoked discussion. His critical analysis of the program is based on the fact that it reflects the interests primarily of several major countries on the continent that are striving to lead the process of African revival. In his opinion, NEPAD is not an "African initiative" and is unlikely to be effective, since it does not solve the main problems, but only instill capitalist relations in Africa, which will not lead to accelerated economic growth. T. Kofi suggests an alternative strategy that takes into account the agrarian nature of the continent's countries and highlights the human factor.

The speaker's opponents on this topic were the Ambassador of Nigeria to the Russian Federation A. S. Muktar, as well as Professor P.-A. Bischof of Rhodes University (South Africa) and an employee of the Institute of Africa Yu.V. Korablev. They noted that NEPAD is needed to cooperate with developed countries in the technological sphere, implement specific social development programs, including reducing unemployment, reducing migration flows from poor countries by solving the social and economic problems of these countries. The necessity of combining programs that address problems at the macroeconomic level with the solution of specific tasks of economic activity was emphasized.

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The section "Problems of Political modernization and Evolution of social structures" focused on the problems of power and power relations, civil society and democratic transformation in Africa.

N. D. Kosukhin (Institute of Africa) emphasized that power in African countries is not so socially conditioned and is determined to a large extent by traditional, ethno-class and religious relations. The political changes that began in the 1990s are accompanied not so much by the expansion of the social base of power, but by the strengthening of patronage-client relations, the growth of ethno-regional movements, and the emergence of "ethnic democracy".

The problem of the formation of civil society in Africa was widely debated (V. I. Komar-Institute of Africa, Yu. G. Sumbatyan-RUDN University). The concept of civil society based on Western values cannot be mechanically transferred to the African soil. The political space in Africa is multi-faceted and multi-variable, and its specifics affect not only the processes of democratization, but also civic consciousness and behavior. The ten-year period since the beginning of democratic processes in Africa has created more problems than positive results, and civic culture is still poorly established in African society. N. E. Fakhrutdinova (Institute of Africa) expressed doubts about the possibility of forming a civil society in a Muslim state due to the obvious contradiction between the fundamental principles and criteria of civil society and the dogmas of Islam.

It was noted that the current political and state-legal practice in African countries, the very structure of state bodies, the form of their interaction with each other do not allow the legislative power to take leading positions and determine the direction of state policy (L. M. Sadovskaya - Institute of Africa). mm. Jibrin (Chad) described the work of public authorities in ensuring effective development, emphasizing that the authorities should guarantee increased political participation of the poor. It is with great caution that the role of representative institutions in Africa is growing. The Parliament is becoming a real political pillar of the President in most African countries.

L. V. Geveling (ISAA at Moscow State University) believes that it is advisable to leave the methods, tools and even individual principles of combating planetary forms of corruption and organized crime in the past century, starting to develop a new international system of countering the global criminal society.

N. I. Vysotskaya (Institute of Africa), considering the evolution of nationalism in Tropical Africa, noted that ethnic problems have become more acute in the context of de-etatization, which resulted from the implementation of programs of structural adjustment of the economy and political reforms that led to the emergence of party pluralism. In the struggle for power and resources, the elites began to actively play the "ethnic" card, as a result of which ethnic clashes became more frequent. Ethno-nationalism has become a major factor in dividing Africa and hindering the implementation of the goals set by the supporters of the creation of the African Union.

A special place in the work of the section was occupied by the issues of the spread of AIDS. In particular, S. Marshall (South Africa) presented the cultural aspects (taboos, stereotypes and myths) of displaying the disease in fiction and the media.

The work of the section showed that political changes in African countries do not always lead to positive results. Democratic change, in particular the emergence of civil society, is a very remote prospect for Africa. In this regard, the need to expand political science research within the framework of African studies was emphasized.

The main attention of the participants of the History section was focused on pan-African (M. Yu. Frenkel, V. V. Gribanova, both from the Institute of Africa) and regional (E. S. Lvova - ISAA, V. L. Kerov-RUDN University) historical subjects, as well as on the history of colonialism (V. A. Subbotin, G. M. Sidorova, both - Institute of Africa, M. D. Nikitin-Saratov State University, V. A. Arsenyev-MAE RAS) and Russian-African historical relations, starting from the XVIII century.

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The results of the analysis of the historical local plot (a soldier's riot in Senegal, 1944) by A. Winchank (South Africa), who studied the materials of feature films, aroused interest. A researcher from the United States, M. Matusevich, tried to trace the extent of Africa's involvement in the vicissitudes of the Cold War on the example of postcolonial Nigeria. The object of his analysis was the war in Biafra (1967-1970)and the purely pragmatic Soviet-Nigerian alliance of those years. D. M. Bondarenko (ICRI RAS) interested the audience with a non-standard statement of the question about the criteria of early statehood among the peoples of West Africa (on the example of Benin of the XIII-XIX centuries).

Ye. A. Glushchenko (Institute of African Studies) drew attention to the huge length of time of the process of decolonization, which is often presented too simplistically. The issue of colonialism, as well as postcolonial reality, is considered in a non-trivial way in the report of M. Makandwola (Nigeria), which touched upon the tender aspects of colonialism and anti-colonialism. A. M. Khazanov (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) reinterpreted some pages of the history of Portuguese expansion in Africa, based on the documents of the National Archives of Portugal. A. A. Zhukov (St. Petersburg) presented the diary of the expedition to Kenya and Uganda in 1914 by the famous St. Petersburg zoologist I. I. Sokolov - one of the most important monuments in the history of research by Russian scientists in East Africa.

Much attention was paid to the topic "Russia and Africa", which was organically supplemented by the study of the African area of the Russian diaspora (N. A. Zherlitsyna, V. P. Khokhlova, Yu. M.Ilyin, T. S. Maksimova, A. B. Summer - all - In-t Africa). During the discussion, it was emphasized that the study of the Russian diaspora in Africa was among the priority areas of research for African historians. The same cannot yet be said about studying the topic "Africans in Russia". From the report of L. V. Ivanova (ISAA), the only one on this issue, it follows that this story, in fact, is now monopolized by the media. However, this issue, due to its extreme urgency, should finally attract the attention of academic science, if only because it is directly related to the real possibility of preventing racially motivated conflicts.

The participants of the section "North Africa and the Horn of Africa" were attracted by the analysis of the content and results of the process of socio-cultural, political and economic modernization, the course of economic liberalization and political reforms carried out in most countries of the region in recent decades, the transformation of the content, forms and scale of integration processes, especially with the European Union, civil wars, a complex of processes - ethno-social, ethno-political, and confessional-largely determine the future of the region.

The panelists noted that, despite significant differences in civilizational appearance between the countries of the region and the industrialized Western democracies at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries, a common vector in their development is being formed - in the "South" there is an increasing trend towards greater integration into the world economy and strengthening the foundations of a liberal economy, elements and institutions of civil society. At the same time, a slow type of evolution of "southern" societies was noted, determined by the peculiarities of Islamic and African civilizations, their high "resistance" to the processes of socio-cultural and economic modernization, especially at its initial stage, and other factors.

An analysis of the causes of civil wars in a number of countries in North Africa and the Horn of Africa points to their close connection with the peculiarities of the formation of statehood, the nature and role of the state bureaucracy, which developed during the second half of the XX century.rigid authoritarian system of government and a statistic model of the economy, which led at different stages of their historical development to a systemic crisis. The cessation of civil wars, overcoming the crisis of statehood, and ethnic and confessional tensions that were acutely manifested at the end of the twentieth century directly depend on the course of reforms, social modernization, and renewal of the entire course of development support provided by industrially developed countries, as well as on overcoming the resistance provided by the most organized, cohesive, and corrupt military-bureaucratic stratum.

The South Africa section focuses on historical, socio-political and economic issues, as well as internal and external development issues in Southern Africa.

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The presentations by I. V. Gerasimchuk (Institute of Africa) on "The significance of the concept of sustainable development for Southern Africa" and H. Ndlovu (Swaziland) on "The need for traditional political institutions in modern African political systems: an example of the "holy monarchy of the Swazis"provoked a lively discussion.

The discussion revolved around a set of issues related to the former Portuguese colonies in Africa. For the first time, foreign policy issues in the history of military-political cooperation of the USSR/Russia's relations with the former Portuguese colonies in Africa (1960s-early 2000s) were discussed by Russian researchers together with Portuguese scientists.

During the work of the section, a number of preliminary conclusions were drawn: initiatives in the socio-economic sphere of the countries of the region, primarily in South Africa, are related to solving problems of sustainable development and control over resources in the context of establishing democratic norms; new historical facts obtained in the course of research require rethinking events, which opens up new directions of scientific research, especially in terms of the history of the armed struggle; foreign policy processes, including in the "Russia-South Africa" link, are associated not only with the development of trade and economic relations, but also with a rethinking of geopolitical realities, in particular those developing in the Indian Ocean basin.

In recent decades, there has been an increase in the economic, social and political activity of women, not only in the States of Tropical and Southern Africa, but also in its northern, Muslim regions. One of the central topics discussed by the participants of the section "Tender problems of a transitional Society" was the topic "Women and men in the political structures of transitional societies" (N. A. Ksenofontova, N. V. Grishina-Institute of Africa, N. G. Romanova-IB RAS, V. A. Popov-MAE RAS, D. Piri - Zambia, Moji Makanjuola-Nigeria, Santari Aminata Traore-Mali, Ekeoma River-Nigeria). The problems of changing the value systems and status-role functions of men and women in societies that are at critical stages in their history and are affected by globalization were discussed. The participants of the section noted that the tender approach in scientific research and in the activities of state bodies allows us to take a fresh look at important problems in the life of societies. Constructivist understanding of gender problems, which is based not on biological and physiological differences between men and women, but on their socio-cultural characteristics, implies the elimination of stereotypes of hierarchy, discrimination and means a fundamentally new, modern approach to the interpretation of social and personal problems.

The section "Global World order and cultural and civilizational identity" was devoted to the interaction of global and socio-cultural factors in the development of African countries, the features of modern world development and the specifics of African regions as certain cultural and historical types. Different points of view were expressed on the content of the modern civilizational context of world development and the place of Africa in this context. A. I. Neklessa (Institute of Africa) defined this context as a transition to a"post-modern civilization". It is interpreted as a special state of society that is replacing the previous stages of development (savagery-barbarism-civilization) and Christian civilization (culture of Great Art Nouveau). as the most complete embodiment of the modern cultural and historical type. The range of opportunities in this New World is determined primarily by financial resources and financial success, and the global collective structure of earthly hierarchies is the model of the politically correct North (world city) framed by the cursed countries of the world South (world village) with their not quite legitimate power. In Africa, such a model promises rather a new round and new forms of conflict, the imposition of international power control, and further growth of restrictions on internal development.

A. N. Moseyko (Central Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences) believes that the situation of global transformation has its own cultural component: the formation of a culture of transition, frontier, and borderland on a global scale. Isomorphic to this culture is the "borderland mentality", which is characteristic of the whole world, but has its own epicenters (one of them is Russia). According to V. K. Wiegand (Institute of Africa), the model of the world order based on the "East - West" coordinate system is still relevant. He emphasized the need to divide human society into "eastern", based on the distribution of national income by hierarchical power (despotism), and "Western", based on the exchange of the equivalent of a social product (democracy), as well as

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the need to apply different characteristics to the study of Islamic and Western states. Africa as a whole is still between East and West, and its place will be determined by progressive Westernization or retarding orientalization.

In the interpretation of I. V. Sledzevsky, Director of the Central Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the context of civilizational development is still determined by two fundamental aspects (or trends) of the world order of the Modern era: on the one hand, the continuing diversity of traditional civilizations, each of which tends to a specific cultural region, and on the other-the development of the so-called world culture- a historical type that strives for unlimited expansion in time and space and directly addresses the human world. World-culture is both a specific product of the New European civilization and a more general type of modern intercivilizational interaction, which includes both centralization, unification, and globalization of the world cultural space, as well as the isolation of its main parts (North-South) or their complementarity (East-West). Africa is an integral and at the same time specific part of the world-culture, which does not fit completely into either the system of East-West relations or the North-South system.

The problem of correlation of different levels and components of socio-cultural identity (ethnic, national, sub-regional and civilizational) and their role in Africa's response to the challenges of globalization was acute. According to E. E. Lebedeva (IMEMO RAS), it is of great interest for African intellectuals and politicians to search for a model of the state applicable to multiethnic societies, primarily projects for the formation of federal and confederate states based on the principles of national and territorial self-determination (Ethiopia, South Africa), as well as the search for civilizational identity as a factor in overcoming the systemic crisis of African societies in the context of globalization.

I. T. Katagoshchina (CCRI RAS) noted the contradictions and incompleteness of the formation of African identity. On the one hand, from the very beginning of the colonization of Africa by European powers, the reaction of Africans, represented by its European-educated representatives, to the position of Europeans and their policies was in the nature of a civilizational discourse, it was reduced to determining the place of Africa in the civilizational conflict and in the world as a whole. On the other hand, the same problem is faced now, because it does not find an adequate solution, finding itself in a dilemma: how to reconcile the cultural "identity" of Africa with the inevitability of external influences, given the need for social and cultural development of the continent. The phenomenon of dual identity of young immigrants from the Maghrebian immigrant environment was noted by E. B. Demintseva (Center for Cultural Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences). In this environment, a special subculture is formed, which is a synthesis of the traditions of the East, the laws of the "true" Muslim family, which penetrates from outside the French culture.

Special attention of the participants of the section was drawn to the phenomenon of rapid spread of Islam in Tropical Africa. Various assessments of this process were given in the reports of A.D. Savateev-Central Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yu. M. Kobishchanov and V. K. Wiegand-Institute of Africa. A.D. Savateev believes that, despite decades of Christian colonial rule, Islam in Tropical Africa is the most popular civilizational project: it contributes to the establishment of a large part of the world on African soil. religious ideas. At the same time, the growing civilizational unity with the Islamic world encourages many African Muslims to maintain ties with religious fundamentalists. Yu. M. Kobishchanov notes the growing rivalry between Muslims and Christians after the transformation of colonies into independent states: while North Africa is becoming more homogeneous in ethno-confessional terms, a number of Tropical African states have turned into a zone of permanent (or latent) ethno-confessional conflict V. K. Wiegand considers the expansion of Islam to be a factor undermining ethno-confessional stability in a number of countries in the sub-region.

The Literary Studies section focused on the topic "New African Culture: Formation and significance in North-South Relations". As I. D. Nikiforova (IMLI RAS) emphasized in her report, the majority of representatives of the African literary intelligentsia, feeling themselves and the African peoples as a natural part of the world community, do not share the opinion about the irreconcilable confrontation between the countries of Africa and the so-called countries of the North. Most contemporary African authors tend to view political issues exclusively as an integral part of global missile defense systems-

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The problem is the threat of terrorism, the struggle for the establishment of democratic values that are universal for the political reality of the beginning of the third millennium. Several reports examined the integration of local and Western literary traditions as a major factor in the development of modern African literatures.

During the discussion, the section participants agreed that the main component of the development of African literature in the last decades of the XX century and the beginning of the new millennium is its increasing importance as an integral part of world literature, which indicates the desire of African writers to bring the cultures of the "South and North" closer to each other in every possible way, to promote their mutual understanding and interpenetration.

The scientific problems of the section "Linguistics" combined (according to the already established tradition) research of a broad socio-linguistic and cultural plan and research focused on the structural description of these African languages. The subjects of the reports of the first direction were diverse: on the one hand, issues related to the analysis and maintenance of classical, traditionally formed cultural verbal formations (kinship term systems, folklore, in particular-paremias, fairy - tale genre, etc.) were considered, and on the other hand, the reports reflected the processes characteristic of many language environments for the development of linguistic structures. updating and enriching the vocabulary of local languages. We used data from the largest and most well-known languages (Swahili, Somalia, Hausa, Bamana, etc.), as well as languages that were less studied and even rediscovered in field surveys.

A distinctive feature of the IX Conference should be recognized for the first time so thoroughly implemented discussion of African language data in a general typological context. Among the speakers of the typological echelon were both Africanists and linguists-typologists interested in attracting African language evidence. This made it possible to develop a fruitful scientific discussion, which was attended by already experienced researchers-Africanists and representatives of the younger generation, just starting their scientific activities. A special session of the section was devoted to problem reports, in each of which a new descriptive task was set and solved on the basis of one of the African languages (Lingala, Laadi, Yoruba, Kirfi, etc.). Grammatical problems dominated in the messages, while morphosyntaxis, vocabulary, and phonetics were more modestly represented in the aggregate.

Today, when the concepts of the post-industrial world and the information society are taking shape, it is very important to analyze the results that the rapid and sometimes uncontrolled progress of information technologies brings with it. These issues were discussed separately for the first time at the Conference of Africanists in the framework of the" Information Society and Africa "round table. The six reports presented were related both to the conceptual problems of Internet development in Africa (B. B. Runov-Institute of Africa, I. Y. Nechaeva-Moscow State University) and to the specific experience of using information technologies in Egypt (I. O. Abramova-Institute of Africa, B. G. Fatkulin-Chelyabinsk State University). with the advantages of telemedicine for the needs of the African population (S. Winchank-South Africa), as well as with the analysis of political websites in Africa, Russia and the United Kingdom (D. V. Pelikanov-Institute of Africa).

The question of the need to develop Internet technologies or abandon them becomes especially important for countries located on the periphery of the world economy, experiencing socio-economic shocks and forced to very strictly determine the priorities in their development strategy. This also applies to the African continent, whose experience in this area can be used in other transitional societies, including Russia.

The United Nations Development Program for Connecting African Countries to the Internet (UNDP), the Regional African Satellite Communications System (RASCOM) project, and the creation of the Africa One network, an underwater fiber - optic cable that will connect African countries to each other and to the rest of the world, can greatly help Africa develop the information space.

African States need to take parallel actions to engage in cyberspace not only as data recipients, but also as thought generators. Only in this case, mutually beneficial e-business, a significant increase in the educational level and adequate cultural development of the African continent are possible.-

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nenta. Otherwise, we will be talking about a new form of dependence and a kind of" information neo-colonialism", when Internet technologies will only aggravate the peripheral position of the region.

The conference also included round tables on "Problems and Prospects of Russian Entrepreneurship in Africa", "Africa's Economy in the Context of an Economic Downturn", "Socio-political problems of Nigeria in the context of transition to civil governance", "Prospects for Cooperation in the Indian Ocean basin" and "Mixed marriages as an experience of inter-civilizational relations". relationships".

A meeting of Russian Africanists was held as part of the conference. A report was made by a corresponding member. RAS G. B. Starushenko. He outlined the main activities of the Association of Soviet Africanists, which ceased to exist in the early 1990s. Director of the Institute of Africa, Chairman of the RAS Scientific Council on Africa, Corresponding member. A. M. Vasiliev reported on the results of the work carried out by the Scientific Council and the Institute in recent years to bring together a wide range of African studies specialists from Russian institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and universities, as well as Russian diplomats, journalists and entrepreneurs. The need to integrate scientists and specialists working on African issues is obvious. The speakers supported the idea of re-establishing the Association of Russian Africanists.

A. B. Davidson, Director of the Center for the History of Africa of the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that the association should define its areas of activity and not duplicate what the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences is already doing. One of these areas: traditions and trends in the development of domestic African studies. Unlike Oriental studies, African studies, alas, has hardly been concerned with the history of its department until now. Now the study of this past, its successes, achievements, mistakes and miscalculations, is especially relevant because three anniversaries are approaching: the centenary of the birth of A. Z. Zusmanovich, D. A. Olderogge and I. I. Potekhin. As a second direction, A. B. Davidson, as well as A. M. Vasiliev, considers it necessary to intensify the study of trends in the development of the racial problem in history and modern times - in terms of Africa and the African diaspora around the world, including in Russia. The participants of the meeting elected the organizing committee for the preparation of the founding conference of the future Association of Russian Africanists, headed by a corresponding member. RAS by V. G. Solodovnikov. It is scheduled to be held in October-November 2002.

Summing up the results of the IX Conference of African Studies, A. M. Vasiliev stressed that the study of Africa has a long and deep tradition in our country. Regularly held in Moscow at the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the conference of Africanists is rightfully recognized by the Russian and world scientific community as one of the most authoritative international forums. The current scientific discussion was held in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, was constructive and useful. The active participation of young scientists contributed to the very fruitful work of the scientific forum. The looseness of their thinking, the desire to work in a new way (without overthrowing their scientific predecessors!), the ability to attract almost inexhaustible information resources - all this was clearly reflected in the course of the next meeting of African scientists.

According to the participants, the ixth Conference was a significant step towards in-depth study of Africa in our country and further development of Russian-African cooperation.

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