By Emmanuel Ukaobasi
Going back to the days of the cold war, thousands of Africans studied in the Soviet Union and later Russia. They’re now among Russia’s biggest boosters decades later. Those former students, many of whom from West Africa became medical doctors, engineers and business people have become key influencers for Russia as it vies with the West for sway in the increasingly turbulent sub-region.
In Burkina Faso, which has become a focus of Russian outreach, former students reportedly said they are fostering economic, educational and diplomatic ties as they help their country move away from generations of working with the West and towards partnership with Russia. ‘’We studied there and know the potential,’’ said Christian Ouedraogo, who arrived in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and leads a Russian-Burkinabe business club. ‘’We want to play our part – to sit down at the negotiating table and accompany authorities so that this partnership is a win-win and enables real growth for our nations.’’
The former United States President Biden administration had been frustrated as military officials in Burkina Faso and its neighbors embraced warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Interviews with former students in Burkina Faso reportedly underscored the breadth of ties with Russia, which extend beyond the security cooperation that is often the focus of Western officials.
During the cold war, the Soviet Union had far less than the West to offer in development aid. So, one of the main ways the Soviets gained influence was the grant of scholarships for students, said Ulf Laessing, the Mali-based head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Across West Africa including in Mali, former students have acted as ‘’mediators’’ between Russia and their nations, Laessing said. And Russia’s military capabilities dealt a blow by the toppling of Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, Laessing added, its soft-power efforts, including ramping back up scholarships and language programs, could become even more important to Putin as he pursues global influence,
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of foreign students studying in Russia dwindled, and Russia closed its embassy in Burkina Faso, largely turning inwards. However changing times are here In Burkina Faso. Today, Russian flags reportedly fly at traffic circles in Ouagadugou, the state capital, and graffiti depicting Putin common is place.
Groups of young Burkinabes, reports say, study the Russian language online, all hoping to apply for scholarships in Russia, some already had. ‘’Russia is giving opportunities. It is the only country I know that is doing so,’’ said Nikiema Moise, one of the students.
Evgeniya Tikhonova, the head of the Russian House, compares the organization to China’s Confucius Institute, saying the idea is to spread language and culture, pointing out that the Centre is privately run and the classes are intended to remake the ‘’deep connections with Africa’’ that had been fostered under the Soviet Union.
Sangare who studied in Russia for nine years starting from 1974, reportedly said that he faced less racism there than in France, Burkina Faso’s former colonial ruler, and that he thought Russians unlike the French, were able to see Burkinabes as equal partners.
The World War 11 (1939-1945) was a major turning point in the decolonization of Africa. The war devastated the economies of Britain, France, and Belgium, the European colonial powers, making it increasingly difficult for them to maintain control over their colonies It also weakened them politically while inspiring African nationalist movements.
Britain and France, the primary colonial rulers in Africa were forced to act in their self- interest. While Britain adopted a relatively pragmatic approach to decolonization, granting independence to Ghana (1957) and Nigeria (1960) in a relatively peaceful manner, France initially resisted but later implemented policies like the Francafrique system to maintain influence over its former colonies. The bottom line is that African nations, though independent, remained structurally dependent on Western economies as the colonial powers-maintained control over key industries and trade networks, ensuring African economies continued to serve the interest of their former colonizers.
The U.S. support for decolonization was tempered by its desire to maintain access to African resources and prevent the spread of communism as the Soviet Union at the time was promoting socialism as an alternative to Western capitalism. So the US sometimes supported authoritarian regimes in Africa if they aligned with its geopolitical interests during the cold war.
While Western powers, including the US and European nations used foreign aid and development programs to maintain influence over newly independent African states, the Soviet Union supported African independence movements as part of its broader strategy to expand its influence during the cold war. It also provided financial, military, and ideological support to liberation movements in countries like Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa. This support was often framed as part of the global struggle against imperialism and capitalism.
In recent years, Russia has sought to re-establish its influence on the continent by leveraging its Soviet-era legacy and adopting new strategies which entails emphasizing its historical support for African independence to build goodwill; positioning itself as partner in Africa’s fight against neocolonialism; and contrasting its approach with that of Western powers. Other strategies are supporting African states in international forums; advocating for a multipolar order; backing the principle of ‘’African solutions for African problems;’’ continuing to host African students in its universities; highlighting the contributions of Soviet-trained African leaders to their countries’ development; and supporting African calls for reforming the United Nations Security Council to include permanent representation for African nations.
In recent decades, despite the challenges of the legacies of colonialism and neocolonialism, former Soviet students are helping African governments to diversify their trade and investment partnerships with non-Western powers, such as China, Russia, and India, and fostering regional integration to assert control over their resources while the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA) aim to promote intra-African trade and reduce dependency on Western markets.
Ukaobasi writes from Umuahia.
