Statements that the old world order has collapsed and the new one is only just emerging have become a truism. At the same time, Africa shows us how this world order is emerging right before our eyes, at least in one part of the world. However, it is very closely connected with the rest of the world arena.
So, we can assume that modern African politicians clearly demonstrate to us how this new world order, mainly within the African continent, can happen. If you like, they’re providing us with a kind of classroom, in which we have something to see and something to learn.
However, I am not sure that everyone will benefit from the lesson. Donald Trump clearly did not intend to learn anything from South African President Cyril Ramophosa. On the contrary, he himself taught him, and even showed how to perceive justice in the American way. In the understanding of the “leader of the free world,” as some call the US president, it boiled down to a demand for the immediate arrest of a well-known opposition figure, Julius Malema, for allegedly calling for reprisals against white farmers and the expropriation of their land. The attempts of the South African leader to somehow express his understanding of freedom of speech, apparently, were unsuccessful.
What conclusions Ramophosa made from his conversation with his US colleague is not exactly known, but it seems that the aforementioned Malema, to Trump's disappointment, was not arrested, and he continues to adhere to his political line, which, by the way, is considered somewhat radical in South Africa and which, incidentally, the majority of the country does not adhere to.
They suggest that we all take a couple of lessons from African practitioners on how to do politics. I do not want to idealize the situation either in South Africa itself or in the rest of Africa. The continent is large, very large, in fact. There are many countries, cultures, as well as many conflicts. The point is that, in my opinion, we have the opportunity to observe with our own eyes the process of these countries gaining real, decisive independence. In a sense, the process is similar to what is observed in the former Soviet republics, which have come a long way in mastering their own independence.
African countries gained independence much earlier. It is also clear that the fates of the countries differed. It is impossible to directly compare, for example, the history of South Africa and Algeria, or Egypt and Senegal. Africa is too diverse and too large. At the same time, we see that in the years following the Second World War, a wave of what - in a broad sense - can be called decolonisation swept across the world. And emancipation. And in general, an incredible rise in the spirit of freedom in general. We can talk for a long time about the reasons for such a development of global public sentiment - there are many of them. But what is more important for us is that 65 years ago, what was later called the “Year of Africa” happened. In 1960, many African countries gained independence. Gabon, Cameroon, Senegal, Chad and many others became free that year. Of course, some did it before that year, and some after. I just wanted to generally indicate the time distance. I repeat, there is a huge time interval between the proclamation of independence and its actual acquisition. We need not only generations of people who grew up in conditions of freedom, but also mature elites for whom responsibility for their countries is a usual thing. For whom the main thing is not to overcome the remnants of the past, get rid of the colonial legacy or to part ways with former exploiters. No. For them, the main thing is to build the future, to create it, to invent it, to inspire citizens and themselves with tempting prospects of a possible tomorrow. These prospects, I emphasise, should be primarily beneficial to their countries.
But what is important here is that the majority in Africa has realized that they can only seriously rely on themselves. Of course, the leadership of the countries is looking for and counting on external assistance, but at the same time they understand its fundamental limitations.
The problem of understanding Africa is connected, alas, not only with the scale and objective complexity of what is happening. It is also connected with the fact that, unwittingly, and even more often very freely, Western media – the main supplier of news from the region to the rest of the world - are biased. By the way, it is also important that these media provide information about the rest of the world to Africa itself. They supply the same biased, often deliberately distorted information. Alas, the intolerance regarding freedom of thought, arrogance and poorly disguised colonial sentiments cultivated in Western Europe affect the editorial practices of Western media. That is why they are a poor source of reliable information.
This information is needed both by those who want to cooperate with Africa and by Africa itself.
Above, I have already mentioned the numerous problems of the continent, various conflicts, the general need for accelerated development and the achievement of social harmony necessary for this. Indeed, Africa is looking for support from outside. But in many cases, Western countries, former colonial powers, have turned out to be ineffective partners. For example,there’s France, which in many ways claimed the status of a kind of patron of West Africa, but, as many observers say, failed to cope with the challenges. Troops had to be evacuated.
Of course, African countries are open to all kinds of cooperation, including with the same Western countries.
South Africa will host the 20th G20 summit this year, in November. This format is also interesting not only for the African members of the G20 (there are two of them – South Africa and the African Union), but also for many African countries in general that are looking for their self-determination in a changing and growing world. In this regard, BRICS, the G20 and many other organisations are important for African countries because they allow them to take part in the formation of what is commonly called the Global South, which is increasingly positioning itself differently from the West.
I note that the desire to extend sanctions against Russia to countries of the Global South is largely dictated by the West's passionate desire to maintain its hegemony and undermine the consolidation and independent growth of non-Western countries.
In general, there are many problems; all of them are complex and require attention. So the aforementioned issues and many others will be discussed at the third Russian-African conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) “Realpolitik in a Divided World: Rethinking Russia-South Africa Ties in a Global and African Context”, which will be held in Pretoria, South Africa, on July 28, 2025.
In conclusion, I will note that the issues of relations between Russia and South Africa will not be left without attention. Especially since they are immersed in a rather serious, rich and interesting historical context. In general, it will be interesting in our African class.
