At the end of 2010, a two-volume encyclopedia "Africa" was published (Moscow, Publishing House "Encyclopedia", Publishing House "INFRA-M". Vol. 1 A-K; Vol. 2 K-I / Ed.: A.M. Vasiliev et al.) - two thousand pages, beautifully published, with many maps, tables, color illustrations.

What is the significance of this publication? Even before you open it, before you start reading it, you realize that the publication of such an encyclopedia is already extremely important in itself. After all, it is dedicated to a continent that we know less about than others. How can we compare the level of knowledge about Africa, especially Tropical Africa, with what we know about Europe, North America, and most of Asia and Latin America?

If one or two people were killed in terrorist attacks in Europe, TV, radio and newspapers - both here and around the world-talk about it. If armed clashes in Asian countries lead to dozens of victims, this, of course, does not pass by attention. And in the war that was waged in and around the Congo, millions died and died of hunger and disease. In Africa itself, this is called the "Third World War". But how much has been said and written about this in the rest of the world, and in our country? But this was not happening in the nineteenth century, not during the colonial division of Africa-no, it was only a decade and a half ago. At the same time, more than 800 thousand people were killed in the small state of Rwanda. And it also attracted much less attention than the death of, for example, the English Princess Diana.

How little the world and, alas, our country know about this continent yet! But its population is more than a billion, and every year the share of Africa in the world's population balance is growing. Nigeria has recently overtaken and surpassed Russia - there are already more than one and a half million Nigerians.

Of course, we know Africa immeasurably more and better than we did five or six decades ago, when very few people in our country saw it with their own eyes. But even now-how insufficient it is! But today's world is like a large communal apartment, where everyone depends on their neighbors, even the most distant ones. And what is happening in Africa reverberates on all continents, even if it is not always sufficiently understood by politicians and the media.

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The Encyclopedia "Africa" is a renewal of the tradition of the Institute of Africa to prepare and produce such publications. In 1963, a two - volume Encyclopedic reference book "Africa" was published, in 1986-1987 - a new two - volume book "Africa", in 2002-a reference publication "Countries of Africa 2002" (150 pp., 704 pages with maps, 600 copies). They, of course, contain a lot of information that was useful for the current encyclopedia "Africa".

But still, to collect and summarize the knowledge that has accumulated since the mid-1980s, to highlight the problems that are important now, to check everything that was considered true then, and to understand whether it has stood the test of time-these are, of course, huge tasks.

The encyclopedia contains, studies and summarizes such rich information about Africa, which was not yet available in any domestic publication. Four thousand articles here provide up-to-date information about each of the African countries and all the main aspects of their life. About the three hundred largest peoples inhabiting Africa, their culture, customs, traditions, and the changes that are taking place in their current lives. Articles about prominent personalities: cultural and scientific figures, politicians. On regional unions and the participation of African States in international organizations.

In the "General Overview", co-

It covers 350 pages and contains the most important information about regional geography, population, languages, African civilizations, philosophy, literature, folklore, theater, cinema, architecture, fine and decorative arts. The sections on traditional law and modern constitutional structure cannot fail to attract the reader. On the role of Africa in the system of international relations. And, of course, about Russian-African relations.

In general ,the "General overview" is well thought out. Country studies articles are large and detailed, providing information about each of the African countries, about the past and the most recent events, about their current state. The reader gets a concrete idea of the difficulties that the formation of African states is going through, most of which arose in artificial borders mapped by the colonial powers at the time of the "division of Africa", without taking into account natural borders. The new states got a colorful ethnic map. And it cannot be broken, because an attempt to change any borders can lead to a domino effect - and to the collapse of many other borders, and therefore to almost inevitable bloody military clashes. This forced the Organization of African Unity, established in 1963, to decide that the current borders, no matter how unfair, should not be inviolable. The African Union, the successor to the OAU, which was established in 2002, follows the same policy.

Articles about cities can surprise the reader with statistics - how rapidly the urban population is growing, how quickly the number of cities with many millions of inhabitants is growing in Africa.

Articles about political, national-political, and regional-political movements demonstrate how fast political activity is growing and how diverse it is becoming.

Articles about various realities of African life, historical events, and prominent figures of the past and present-all this provides the reader with such fresh, multifaceted and generalizing information that he cannot find in any of the domestic publications.

The media, both foreign and domestic, often focus on conflict situations, tragedies in Africa, low living standards, and failures on the path to democratization. But the encyclopedia also gives an idea of the achievements, successes, and a clear increase in gross product in recent years. That parliaments, at least in a number of countries, are becoming more capable. Yes, you can criticize them, and there is something to do, but a few decades ago there were no parliaments at all. The same can be said about the electoral system, but the electoral system itself was born literally before the eyes of current generations.

So, in general, the information collected in the encyclopedia leads us away from the Afropessimism that has spread in the mass literature, and shows positive trends in African reality.

Of course, the articles are unequal. A. M. Vasiliev, Director of the Institute of African Studies and editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia, wrote in his introductory article, probably not without bitterness: "Unfortunately, Russia lacks many specialists in various aspects of African reality" (vol. I, p. 6). One cannot disagree with this. African studies in our country originated later than Oriental studies, not to mention the study of Europe. And so far, Africa has received little attention in the fields of both science and education.

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Of course, about any encyclopedia, even if it is prepared by highly qualified specialists, it is easy to say: - But you forgot this. But this is missed. But it would be better to present this so-and-so.

Without stooping to quibble, to purely corrosive, we must admit that the publication was made soundly, professionally. It is undoubtedly very useful for anyone who wants to imagine the countries and peoples of this vast continent.

But still - what suggestions would you like to express?

The section "Africa in international Relations" is very concise. Readers, of course, will want to learn more about the relations of various African countries with Europe, with former metropolises, with the United States

For example, about the rapidly developing relations with China and the outside Muslim world. All these relationships are very significant, undergoing major changes, and it would be good to get a more expanded, more complete picture of their current state. However, the bibliography for this article also consists of more than half of the works published in the last century.

The "Education" section is also very concise (five pages). Statistics are collected quite well. But the reader will want to understand more clearly how traditional, long - established knowledge is combined with modern, imported from Europe- both in terms of the content of the educational process and in terms of teaching methods.

The "Literature" section is extensive and provides an overview of literature in many African countries, including in African languages (although it is not very clear why Berber, Amharic, and Hausa and Lingala literature are distinguished). But shouldn't we also give an overview and a description of the rich literature created by African writers living outside the continent? Moreover, there are good studies about the rapidly growing African diaspora.

And in general, the issue of migration flows from Africa to other continents, primarily to Europe, is very important now. This issue is becoming more important every year. Which countries in Africa do these flows originate from, and to which countries? How does this transfer work? What kind of reception does it receive in various European countries? How do immigrants behave in the new environment, how do they relate to their country of origin, to their homeland? And more than that, how it all changes. After all, if we count the 1960s as the beginning of widespread emigration, then there are already three, if not four generations of Africans living in Europe. How does the role of these different generations change, how does their attitude towards Europe and Africa change? These issues attract worldwide attention and are hotly debated.

But the general outline of the encyclopedia is brief: "On the verge of the 20th and 21st centuries in Zap. There were approximately 3.3 million African immigrants in Europe. It is estimated that Africans make up almost a third (approx. 50 million) of the total number of international migrants living outside the country of origin " (vol. I, p. 150). Some information is provided in articles about individual countries. But, of course, a generalizing assessment of this huge problem would adorn the encyclopedia.

Of course, as in every encyclopedia, some inaccuracies are inevitable. For example, an article about the French traveler Pierre Brazza says that he "went to Stanley Pool before H. M. Stanley" (vol. 2, p. 582). This is incorrect.

But I will not dwell on such details. Something else is more important.

The Encyclopedic reference book "Africa" (1986-1987) contains an annotated index of African studies authors and employees of the Institute of Africa of the USSR Academy of Sciences, who participated in its preparation - information about each of the authors, the main directions of their research, and a list of the most important works. The 1986-1987 edition also includes an Index of Ethnonyms, a Name Index, and a Subject Index. This helps the reader a lot. Unfortunately, all this is not included in the current encyclopedia.

A number of articles are signed by scientists who passed away or retired from scientific activities before the work on the encyclopedia was launched (G. I. Potekhina-she passed away in 1979, B. V. Andrianov, S. I. Bruk, V. N. Vavilov, G. G. Diligensky, Yu. N. Zotova, N. V. Zotova). A. Ivanov, S. P. Kartuzov, V. Ya. Katsman, L. E. Kubbel, S. F. Kulik, Yu. V. Lukonin, N. S. Lutskaya, V. B. Mirimanov, S. A. Mironov, G. A. Nersesov, I. A. Nikitina, A. S. Orlova, N. V. Okhotina and many others). These are reprints from previous editions of the encyclopedia. Perhaps this should be specified in some way, so that it does not give the impression that these are articles specially prepared for this publication. With such a mention, the editorial board would also pay tribute to the scientists whose articles were written so conscientiously and professionally that they were not outdated for many years and could be included in this publication. The same applies, for example, to the long article by L. O. Golden on W. Dubois.

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In each area of knowledge, success largely depends on how much attention is paid to ways to accumulate this knowledge. What difficulties we had to overcome - and whether these difficulties have disappeared or are still threatening. How progress was made - and whether the methods tested yesterday are suitable for applying them today. In other words, the analysis of the path already traveled highlights its continuation in today and tomorrow.

This was certainly taken into account in both the first and second editions of the handbook. In the 1963 edition, the article "African Studies" was written by the first director of the Institute of Africa I. I. Potekhin, and the article "Arab Studies" was written by major Arabists E. A. Belyaev and Yu. N.Zavadovsky. The 1986-1987 edition also includes large articles on "African Studies" and"Arabic Studies". The first one was written by A. A. Gromyko, then director of the Institute of Africa, and the famous Africanist V. A. Subbotin. The second one is V. V. Naumkin (now director of the Institute of Oriental Studies) and the famous Arabists R. G. Landa and G. Sh. Sharbatov.

But in the current edition, alas, there is neither an article on "African Studies" nor an article on "Arabic Studies". And how good it would be to give the reader an idea of the path that these areas of Russian science have taken over the past quarter of a century - after all, the path was very difficult, Africa and the whole world have changed so much during this time! Yes, and the path that we analyzed-

It was published in the first two editions of the encyclopedia, but it was also reinterpreted in many ways. New approaches to its study have been developed. How nice it would be to say this, even briefly!

But the encyclopedia doesn't even include an article about Asia and Africa Today. Doesn't this magazine deserve attention? This magazine has been giving our country an idea of Africa and what is happening there for 54 years. From the history of this magazine, one can judge the formation of domestic views on what is happening in Africa, about the changes in these views, with all the difficulties of these changes.

The encyclopedia published in 1986-1987 has an article about the journal, but the current one does not.

Of course, we are especially close to the fate of our national science, our native workshop of African studies. But even the article about I. I. Potekhin, the founder and first director of the Institute of Africa, is too short. The article about Potekhin's successor, V. G. Solodovnikov, says that he became director in 1969 (vol. I, p. 915), i.e. five years later than it actually happened.

The encyclopedia does not even mention G. E. Gerngros (1892-1937), a man who can be called not only one of the first Russian Africanists, but, perhaps, even the very first. About another pioneer of Russian African studies - E. Schick-my article from the Encyclopedic Reference Book of 1986-1987 is reprinted. But for some reason it says "Hungarian Afrikanist". After all, he made a contribution to the world of African studies with his works, which he wrote in Moscow in Russian, like Andrey Alexandrovich Shik, in collaboration with Russian scientists. In 1929, he wrote the first program for the development of Soviet African studies.

Unfortunately, the lack of attention to one's past, to the history of accumulating knowledge and to the people who accumulated it, is generally noticeable in our current African studies. As you know, Orientalists piously honor the memory of their workshop, publish numerous books and articles about its formation, about those who created it. Even biographies of orientalists who were repressed in 1917-1991 have been published.*

Domestic Africanists, given their small number, were dealt a more crushing blow. G. E. Gerngros, G. K. Danilov, N. M. Nasonov, I. L. Snegirev, and L. Bach, I. K. Richter, and M. K. Richter, who came from South Africa, were shot or died in the GULAG. F. S. Gaivoronsky, A. Z. Zusmanovich, K. N. Luknitsky, M. B. Rabinovich, N. M. Fedorovsky, and E. Shik were repressed. In fact, the entire initial stage of the formation of Russian Afrikaner art was crossed out, almost the entire first generation - and even the memory of it-was swept away.

I. I. Potekhin and D. A. Olderogge were not arrested, but they experienced many humiliating restrictions even in their professional activities.

Maybe it's not necessary to mention it in the encyclopedia? Won't it be said that I am writing about this because I am the only one who has met E. Schick and knew those who survived the dashing years intimately? I hope I don't get such a reproach. After all, the reader has the right to know how, at what cost, the collection of knowledge about Africa was obtained. And the authors of the encyclopedia, and indeed all today's Africanists, are indebted to our predecessors. We are today's successors of their work. Not enough attention is paid to their works and their fate. In the encyclopedia, a tribute to their memory could take a bigger, more worthy place.

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Of course, this encyclopedia, like any large publication covering a huge range of topics, can cause a lot of questions and confusion. And some of them seem very justified.

But it is the general lack of knowledge about Africa that makes this encyclopedia particularly significant. A large team of authors and editors has put a lot of work into it. It provides an overview of the most important aspects of the life of the countries of a huge continent.

Reading the encyclopedia, you regret that its circulation is so small: only 800 copies-vol. 1 and 500 copies-vol. 2. For comparison, the two-volume encyclopedic reference book "Africa", published in 1963, has a circulation of 30 thousand copies, while the edition of 1986-1987 has 57 thousand copies. Well, it turns out that Africa is now ten times less interesting to us than half a century ago and a quarter of a century ago? Of course, there are various online reference publications that quickly answer questions. But how many new institutions, periodicals and government agencies, TV and radio editors have appeared in recent years (not to mention students and schoolchildren), who are often not content with impersonal and unverified information from the Internet, precisely because there is no convenient and accessible reference publication, especially with the stamp of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Is it possible to find the possibility of re-publishing in the form of, as it is called in English-speaking countries, paper-back: bulynim circulation? And, besides, at a more affordable price (the current one is so high that you don't dare call it). In such a reissue, it would be possible to take into account possible criticism from readers. However, I don't think there will be so much critical criticism.

Apollo Davidson, Doctor of Historical Sciences

* People and destinies. Bibliographic dictionary of Orientalists-victims of political terror in the Soviet period. 1917-1991. St. Petersburg, 2003.

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