On May 27-30, 2014, the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the XIII International Conference of Africanists "Society and Politics in Africa: Unchanging, Changing, New". Traditionally, this conference brings together Africanists from all over the world every three years to discuss a wide range of contemporary issues on the continent and try to make predictions for the future. Being the main forum for scientists of this scientific field in Russia, the conference provides an opportunity to get acquainted with current problematic, regional and strategic studies, and discuss the latest approaches in African studies.

Thanks to the support of the RGNF sponsors (grant 14-07-14001), LUKOIL Overseas and GPB Global Resources B. V., the current conference has become one of the largest, bringing together more than 370 participants from 50 countries of the world. Participants represented scientific and educational institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Kirov, Kazan, Krasnodar, Voronezh, Tambov, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Almaty and Donetsk. The conference was attended by 152 foreign participants from different continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia.

The opening ceremony of the conference was attended by the heads of African diplomatic missions in Moscow, representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Rossotrudnichestvo, and institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The forum was opened by the Director of the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAfr RAS), Academician A.M. Vasiliev. Then there were greetings from Sergey Kryukov, Director of the Africa Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, E. A. M. Duva, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Madagascar, and B. M. Benjamin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of South Sudan.

The high bar of the scientific discussion was set by the plenary report "The new role of Africa in the world economy of the XXI century" by the Deputy Director of the IAfr RAS I. O. Abramova. She noted that the current stage of development of the world economy and international relations is characterized by the transition from a monocentric to a polycentric model of the world and the rise of large developing countries. In the coming decades, the world's largest economies may no longer be the richest at the same time, and therefore global businesses will have to adapt to the needs of less affluent but more numerous customers. At the same time, social and political instability in the world will be constant

increase. The African continent is also one of the new poles of global development, as evidenced by the growing competition around Africa, which involves both traditional players-the US and the EU, and new ones - China and other BRICS countries. Even today, the West is losing its position as the main importer of African resources and the main supplier of finished products to African countries. The countries of the African continent have an alternative in the face of China, India, Brazil and other rapidly developing economies. In these circumstances, Russian-African cooperation in the raw materials and fuel sectors is becoming particularly relevant. Irina Abramova concluded that Africa will play a special role in global development in the foreseeable future due to two factors: the resource base and demographic potential of the continent. Africa ranks first in the world in terms of reserves of manganese, chromite, bauxite, gold, platinum, cobalt, and diamonds. In the twenty-first century, the continent's mineral resource potential in terms of reserves of various types of raw materials, its quality and production costs claims to be one of the leading roles in the world economy. The demographic potential of Africa is at the stage of its accumulation. The continent shows the highest population growth rates in the world - about 2.5% - and positive dynamics of socio-demographic and structural indicators. While the continent is unable to take advantage of these benefits, it faces numerous challenges: unemployment, migration, low living standards, and disease. According to the speaker, the acceleration of economic development and the possible economic rise of the continent will be possible in a few decades, in the 2040s and 2050s, if Africa manages to act as an active subject of economic relations in the emerging new model.

The conference was continued in eight thematic blocks: "Economy, politics and society", "Environment", "History and Ethnology", "International Relations", "Language and society in Africa", "Mass media", "Regional and country problems", "Religion and Culture". In addition, meetings of three free sections were held.

The block of sections "Economy, politics and society" became one of the most intense, it included 12 sections, four of which discussed pressing problems of economic development in Africa: the changing role of the continent in global demographic processes (section "Population of Africa in the new economic model of the world", head I. O. Abramova); the success of the African economic system in the development of the African Integration (section "The African Union, Democratic Governance and Economic Integration: Achievements, challenges and prospects", head A.m. B. Mangu, South Africa); resource potential of African countries (section "Hot minerals in African hot spots: transformation of African societies in mineral-rich regions", head Ch. Ezeagwu, Spain). During the work of the section "Economic Policy in Africa", headed by E. V. Morozenskaya (IAfr RAS), more than 20 reports were heard. Economists from the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Angola, and Nigeria focused on the fight against poverty, foreign trade, investment and labor policies, and the development of the transport system and agriculture in the continent's countries. The participants of the section agreed that the development priorities in most African countries are to achieve sustainable economic growth, structural changes in the economy and its modernization, strengthen technological and human resources, increase the competitiveness of exports in world markets and create broad employment opportunities, protect and preserve the environment for future generations. Foreign direct investment (FDI) and the international production of multinational corporations (TNCs) can play an important role in complementing the efforts of national companies to achieve these goals.

Most of the sections in the first block dealt with various aspects of Africa's political development. Thus, at the meeting of the section "Challenges of democratization and new relations between civilians and military in Africa", the head of M. R. Rupiah (South Africa), questions were raised about the expediency of foreign military intervention in African conflicts and the impact of the "Arab Spring" on the situation in sub-Saharan Africa. Changes in the nature of risks and the destabilizing effect of the political situation in the Arab countries of Africa were also noted by the participants of the section "Monitoring the risks of socio-political destabilization in Africa", head A.V. Korotaev (IAfr RAS).

Africa's place and role in global governance in the twenty-first century They were the subject of research in the section "Legality and Development in modern Africa", head L. L. Fituni (IAfr RAS). The reports covered the legal regulation of social responsibility

transnational corporations in developing countries and the role of ethnic diasporas and migrants in shaping the conditions for financing international terrorism.

Participants of the section "Governance and Nation-building in Africa in transition", led by P. Abedayo (Nigeria), reviewed topical issues of State-building, discussing both common problems for all African countries, such as the impact of leadership on political development, and the situation in individual countries. The report by M. Gigias (South Africa) focused on the recent elections in Zimbabwe, and E. J. Anderson (Great Britain) analyzed the situation in Angola and Mozambique.

Two sections of the "Environment" block (headed by V. I. Gusarov (IAfr RAS) and M. Thomson (USA)) We discussed a wide range of issues related to the aggravation of the socio-ecological crisis on the continent. It was noted that the majority of African States are not able to direct the necessary financial resources to these areas and are forced to seek help and assistance from neighboring countries, developed Western Powers, and international and inter-African organizations. Speakers highlighted areas of concern for Africa such as health, ecology, forest conservation and reproduction, and water scarcity.

The "History and Ethnology" section was set by the "History of Africa: Old and New Approaches" section, headed by Academician A. B. Davidson (Higher School of Economics), where more than 30 reports were heard. Speakers spoke about the latest approaches to studying the problems of African history, methodology and new trends in African studies. Speakers from Russia, the United States, France, South Africa, Italy, Brazil and other countries paid special attention to analyzing the ideas of Africans themselves about the past of their peoples and countries, and discussed the problems of the history of relations between Russia and African countries. The report of S. V. Mazov (IVI RAS) investigated the role of the USSR in the Congolese crisis of 1960-1964, and D. V. Popov (St. Petersburg, Russia).GU) paid attention to the history of the formation of relations between our country and the Republic of Guinea, S. A. Agureev (MSPU) spoke about the genesis of Soviet-Ethiopian relations. The current problem of immigration was considered by L. V. Ivanova (IVI RAS). She noted that the immigrant community significantly changes the image and status of the host country. These changes are not always positive, especially when it comes to refugees from disadvantaged countries who do not have an education and sometimes even the skills to live in urban environments. Immigrants who have become citizens of European countries, the United States, Canada, and Russia strive not only to enjoy their rights in full, but also to succeed by infringing on the rights of the indigenous population.

The section "African students who studied in the USSR and Russia: fates, experiences, worldviews and influences on the development of Russian African studies", headed by N. A. Dobronraviya (St. Petersburg State University) and T. A. Smirnova (France), set a double task: an attempt to analyze the role of what African students acquired in the USSR and Russia experience, as well as follow the development of Russian African studies through its interaction with African students. For example, in Report X. Weaver (USA) spoke about the role of Soviet university graduates in the 1960s in the decolonization of Africa, and S. Ginsburg (Netherlands) devoted her speech to the fate of Moroccans who studied in the USSR. A speaker from Mali, B. Kansaye, spoke about the difficulties faced by Malians after graduating from Russian universities. To meet the requirements of the Malian bureaucratic system, "Russian" knowledge and skills need to be processed and adapted. The need to transfer knowledge and skills acquired in one cultural environment to a qualitatively different space is always an objective challenge. Despite the undoubted advantages of the Russian education system, holders of a Russian diploma have to constantly prove its competitiveness.

The meeting of the section "After the Bandung Conference: The Wind of Change on the African Continent (1955-1965)", headed by H. K. Wibisono and T. P. Sakti (Indonesia), was designed to highlight the special significance of the Bandung Conference in the history of African countries in 1955. The section "Shadows of Empire: Bigmen, gender violence and the formation of colonial and post-colonial African States", led by K. A. Hopp (USA), was also devoted to the issues of overcoming the legacy of the colonial past by African countries.

At the meeting of the section "New Ethnogenesis: Ethnic processes and the construction of ethnicity in colonial and Postcolonial Africa", headed by V. A. Popov (Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences), it was noted that ethnogenetic issues are of exceptional importance for the development of a modern dialogue between civilizations and ethnic cultures.-

a global tour. So, the speaker from Portugal, K. Saraiva reviewed the experience of adaptation of African migrants in her homeland, and E. S. Vlasenkova (St. Petersburg State University) analyzed the role of myths in shaping the ethnicity of the Yoruba people. The contradictions and integrity of the self-consciousness of the natives of the Zanzibar archipelago in the United Tanzania became the object of research by A. Yu. Siim (Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Zanzibari communities live in South Africa, India, and Arab countries and adhere to the geographical self-designation (Zanzibaris, Jangbario). People from Zanzibar tend to define themselves as "Zanzibari" rather than "Tanzanian"when they are abroad. Separatist tendencies are also characteristic of the islands adjacent to the central island of Unguja (Zanzibar).

Eight sections of the "International Relations" block covered various aspects of foreign relations of African countries: bilateral, block and international organizations. The participants of the section "Africa and the EU: Past, Present, and Future", headed by O. S. Kultova (IAfr RAS), focused on the political and economic relations between the African continent and the European Union. Speakers from Russia, San Marino, Poland, Germany, France and the United Kingdom addressed such important topics as the EU's contribution to health development in Africa, migrant adaptation and overcoming racism. Speakers noted that for most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the EU is the most important international partner and will remain so at least in the short and medium term. The EU accounts for about 85% of these countries ' agricultural exports and about 75% of their total trade. In the context of globalization and the development of new types of socio-political interaction, the EU - Africa cooperation format is undergoing revision and updating, which raises many new problems and creates alternative prospects.

The increased impact of international law on foreign and domestic political processes taking place in Africa was also reflected in the work of the XIII Conference of Africanists: for the first time, the section "Africa in the Context of Modern International Law" was held here, headed by A. B. Mezyaev (Kazan) and X. A. Shishkin (Kazan). Strydom (South Africa). Scientists and legal practitioners from Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Nigeria, Niger, Sudan, Tanzania and Iran agreed that the African continent plays a special role in shaping the norms of modern international law. The discussion focused on a number of international courts established specifically to deal with situations in Africa: the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the International Tribunal for Rwanda, and the International Criminal Court, which deals entirely with situations in Africa. In addition, speakers discussed topics such as the legal aspects of economic activity in Africa, the specifics of human rights protection on the continent, and the protection of natural resources.

The conference participants paid great attention to cooperation between the African continent and BRICS countries. At the meetings of the sections "Rising Powers in Africa: A New Round of relations? "and" Russia and Africa in the context of North-South Relations and within the framework of BRICS", heads E. N. Korendyasov and T. L. Deitch (IAfr RAS), it was noted that interaction with BRICS opens up the possibility for African countries to gain access to the following topics: access to new sources of financial and investment resources, to the latest technologies, gives impetus to the transition to a new world order based on the principles of polycentrism, balanced and sustainable development. The reports of E. Liberato (Portugal), S. Rebiai and M. Hamshi (Algeria) discussed the prospects of cooperation between Russia and the countries of the continent. Speakers noted that the spheres of Russian-African economic partnership are expanding. Russia considers the development of relations with Africa as one of the priorities of its foreign policy strategy, it has long-term interests on the continent and intends to develop multifaceted relations with Africa.

Of the BRICS member countries, China is the most active in Africa. Its special and ambiguous role was discussed at the conference in the following sub-sections: "Sino-African Rhetoric and Discourses: the State, Mass Media, and African Society", directed by D. Shinn (USA); "Chinese and Africans in Sub-Saharan Africa: Motivations and Interactions", directed by Y. D. Park (USA); "China's Influence on the World of Politics". economy of African countries", directed by W. Robertson (USA). The role of China-Africa economic cooperation in the development of Africa was discussed in the report of I. G. Bolshov (Plekhanov Russian University of Economics). Africa has come to understand that cooperation with China provides one of the ways out of the permanent economic crisis that African countries are experiencing. At the present stage, China has established itself as one of the most conscientious countries in the world.

Africa's economic cooperation partners. But there are also serious problems: the growing competition between the local population and representatives of the rapidly growing Chinese diaspora for jobs in small businesses and other types of entrepreneurial and other activities, including criminal ones, often leads to anti-Chinese protests, as was the case, for example, in Zambia in 2011.

The interaction of African countries with international and regional organizations was the subject of research in two more sections of the international block: "Military and political cooperation of Africa with world Powers and international organizations", head of the Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IArf RAS) and "The UN Security Council's" Peace and Security Architecture "Plan and Military Interventions in Africa", head of the Mathews (Ethiopia) and R. R. P. de Souza (Portugal). M. Omilusi, a scientist from Nigeria, drew the audience's attention to the activities of the NATO bloc on the African continent, and A. Shipilov (HSE) analyzed the rapprochement between ECOWAS and France.

By tradition, many participants - about forty - were brought together by the block "Language and Society in Africa", the leaders of the corresponding members. V. A. Vinogradov and V. Ya. Porkhomovsky (Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences). The core of the block was made up of specialists from two major Russian schools of linguistics, Moscow and St. Petersburg, joined by colleagues from Germany, France, Italy, the USA, Nigeria and Uganda. A wide range of issues of African linguistics was considered, including both phonetics, vocabulary and grammar, as well as sociolinguistic problems of African languages. For example, G. L. Kapchits (Voice of Russia) considered the sociolinguistic situation in southern Somalia, which underwent profound changes as a result of the upheavals caused by the long-term civil war that broke out in 1991.Mass migration of tribes led to a complex interaction of dialects, some of which previously did not touch each other. Today, linguists studying the Somali language are facing a new dialect reality. Ugandan speaker Noosim Naimasia addressed such a controversial topic as the status of English in post-colonial Africa. During the colonial period, the English language was introduced, the legislative suppression of African languages took place, and the destructive effect of these processes affected the history and epistemology of languages. But even after the continent's independence, the language situation was difficult: the large number of African languages was an obstacle to creating a homogeneous language situation in the continent's countries. A. S. Valli (Italy) compared the role that linguistics plays in the formation of cultural identity in African countries on the example of the theory of Sheikh Ant Diop and his "Dakar School". Z. E. Fomina (Voronezh University of Architecture and Civil Engineering) addressed the topic of reflecting the mutual influence and interaction of Africa and Russia in Russian and African fiction and poetry, paying special attention to African toponymy, anthroponymy, phytonymy and zoonymy as a means of forming an idea of the African worldview.

The section" Mass media in modern Africa: new opportunities, old limitations and development prospects "of the Media block (head - V. V. Usacheva, IAfr RAS) was devoted to the development of media systems in African countries, the role of African media (traditional and new) in the economic, political and cultural development of the continent. The participants discussed both the history of the formation of African media (report of M. Osborne (USA) "The origin of modern media in Africa: Mau Mau and Kenya"), and their current state and prospects (report of B. Pongo (Great Britain) "Electronic media and democracy in Africa").

A large block of sections on regional and country issues was dominated by interest in Southern Africa. Three sections were devoted to them. The section "The Struggle for the Liberation of Southern Africa: Rethinking old Sources and analyzing new ones" under the leadership of V. G. Shubin (IAfr RAS) and S. Ndlovu (South Africa) had a historical focus. The work of the section "Social changes in Southern Africa", led by R. Boswell (South Africa), focused on such topical issues of the region as the state of education and medicine, overcoming poverty, and the situation of disabled people. Speaking about the most acute problems of South Africa's socio-economic development, Yu. S. Skubko (IAfr RAS) noted some serious negative phenomena: corruption and the associated decline in the quality of the state administration apparatus, the forced large-scale strengthening of black economic power, "apartheid on the contrary", the persistence of a high crime rate and the AIDS pandemic. Russian business in Southern Africa was the subject of research in the report of V. A. Sidorov and E. R. Salakhetdinov (IAfr RAS). Russian companies have been entering the South African market since the beginning of the year.

2000s. Thus, in 2005, Renova Group, together with its South African partners, founded the Kalahari United Manganese Company for the exploration, production and processing of manganese ores in the Kalahari basin, and in 2007 Norilsk Nickel acquired 50% of JV Nkomati (the only nickel mine in South Africa). Major projects include Ruschrom, which is developing the world's largest platinum deposit in Darvendale. Another Russian company operates in Zimbabwe, and its activities range from gold mining to coffee production.

Political upheavals in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East in recent years have led to increased attention of scientists to the countries of this region. The section "North Africa and the Middle East: Political processes in the interior of dynamic relativity of civilizational development", headed by A. A. Tkachenko (IArf RAS), brought together about 20 participants from Russia, Iran, Turkey, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Experts discussed the current situation and prospects of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, and several speeches were devoted to the genesis of political Islam and radical movements in the region. The report of B. V. Dolgov (IB RAS) noted that the movements of political Islam joined the protests of the population of Arab countries at the subsequent stage. Nevertheless, after the overthrow of dictatorial regimes, it was the parties professing political Islam that came to the political forefront. The support of Islamists by a significant part of the population was due, firstly, to the fact that they were seen as a force that really fought against dictatorial regimes and suffered from their repression. Secondly, the Islamists proposed a path of development based on traditional Islamic values professed by the majority of the population and, as those who voted for them expected, an alternative to the one pursued by bankrupt and corrupt regimes. However, the leaders of political Islam movements tend to monopolize power and realize their particularist goals of implementing the "Islamic project". The defeat of political Islam movements in Egypt and the active opposition to them in Tunisia and Libya mark a new stage in the Arab awakening.

The scientific discussion at the section "The Horn of Africa: Ethnicity between archaic and modernity", led by R. A. Ismagilova (IAfr RAS), focused on the destabilizing impact of Eritrea on the political situation in the Horn of Africa (report by R. Klosowicz, Poland), trends towards federalism and decentralization in Ethiopia and Kenya (report by O. Kaunyi, Switzerland) and features of the use of foreign military force in the region (presentation by S. V. Mezentsev, IAfr RAS).

Socio-economic and political problems of the countries of Tropical Africa were the focus of attention of the participants of the section "Tropical Africa: specifics of regional development", head T. S. Denisova (IAfr RAS). The participants discussed the impact of the international financial and economic crisis on the development of the region's states, factors that destabilize the political situation, causes, prerequisites and methods for resolving political conflicts, and the specifics of holding presidential and parliamentary elections. E. Lebedeva (IMEMO RAS) believes that strengthening regional integration is the most promising way to comprehensively address problems related to the development of Tropical African countries. A new generation of African leaders sees regionalism as a key element in addressing the challenges of security (political, food, environmental) and economic development (primarily the creation of transport, energy, and communication infrastructure), as well as migration and demography. The development of trade and economic relations between the East African Community( EAC), the Community of Eastern and Southern African Common Market Countries (COMESA), and the South African Development Community (SADC) in various formats with non-regional traditional and new forces has also had a positive impact on the expansion of intraregional trade.

A very unusual aspect for analyzing the situation in Angola was proposed by the head of the section "Naming the Other: art, traditions and war in Angola and beyond", Brazilian B. B. Sotto Major. Participants from five countries studied the reflection of political and social realities in contemporary Angolan art.

A comprehensive analysis of the post-partition situation in South Sudan was conducted by participants of the section" Socio-political dynamics in Sudan before and after the 2011 partition: Conflict, Activism, and Diaspora", led by S. Hale (USA) and G. Kadoda (Sudan). Speakers noted such negative trends as the economic decline and

growing political instability, the possibility of spreading the phenomenon of the "Arab Spring" in the republic.

Speakers who took part in the section " Sub-Saharan Africa in the era of globalization: the problem of preserving cultural identity "(section "Religion and culture"), headed by K. A. Panzerev (St. Petersburg State University), noted the contradictory impact that globalization processes have on African society in various fields: education, information sphere, etc. art. It is difficult for African countries to count on equal integration into the global information space and defend their cultural identity in the information age.GU) considered the situation in North and Central Africa, which have become a meeting place of West and East, Francophonie and Islam. Such a meeting is also taking place in the metropolis itself, where immigrants from African Muslim countries and their descendants are playing an increasingly important role and are becoming more numerous.

The section "Politics of Religious Identity in Africa: New perspectives", led by N. P. Devere (USA), included seven presentations. Scientists from France, D. Aurelien and V. Ertrish shared the results of a field study in Mali, which aimed to establish the religious identity of rural residents. The reasons for the growth of inter-religious tensions in Kenya were the subject of a report by S. A. Ragozina (Higher School of Economics). T. A. Adem (USA) devoted his speech to the problems of the Muslim community of Ethiopia.

African cinema as one of the new world film schools became the subject of research at the section headed by A. A. Arkhangelskaya and D. A. Zelenova (IAfr RAS). The participants of the section "Understanding social and political changes through the lens of changes in popular music", led by D. K. Martin (France), touched upon political and social criticism in contemporary music in Ivory Coast, Uganda and Nigeria, Islamic pop music in Mali, Afro-Cuban music and negritude in Senegal.

More than 30 presentations of the participants of the "free sections", led by T. M. Gavristova (Yaroslavl) and A. E. Akenadze (Qatar), reflected the diversity of scientific research in modern African studies: historians, anthropologists, sociologists and economists took part in the work of the section. The comparison of various scientific approaches has made it possible to enrich the analysis of the stated problems.

The results of the conference were summed up by the Chairman of the ACAD Organizing Committee. RAS A.M. Vasiliev. We noted the high level of N. M. H. Khalafallah's conference (Sudan), J. A. Yamonshe (Benin), S. Mcgetlaneng (South Africa), R. Urselli (Italy) and K. Gottschalk (South Africa). The conference once again confirmed its status as one of the main forums of Russian and foreign Africanists for a comprehensive discussion of African issues and demonstrated the growing interest in Africa in Russia and the world.

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