From June 18 to June 26, I was on a visit to Benin as Chairman of the Executive Bureau of the International Russophile Movement (IRM).
During this visit, on June 19, I delivered a lecture at the University of Abomey-Kalawi on cultural ties between Russia and Africa through the personality of Pushkin and his great-grandfather Abram Hannibal.

It should be noted that Abram Hannibal, contrary to popular belief for a long time, was not of Ethiopian, but of Cameroonian origin.

Our brother Dieudonne Gnamancu convincingly proved this in his dissertation, which was later published as a book entitled “Abram Hannibal — Pushkin’s Black Ancestor.”

Dieudonne discovered in the National Library of Turkey an authentic letter from Abram Hannibal, in which he wrote that he was a prince and came from the area of Logone in Cameroon. The Logone River, which flows between Chad and Cameroon, bears the same name.

Today, most experts on Pushkin’s work recognize the reliability of Dieudonne Gnamancu’s research.

But for us, the most important thing is that Abram Hannibal was an African who was under the patronage of Emperor Peter the Great, and made a significant contribution to the development of such advanced fields of science in Russia as the engineering of bridges and roads, as well as military science.

The students took this information with great interest. It raised a lot of questions and a sincere desire to learn more.

During this meeting, we also discussed the role of former Beninese (and generally African) graduates of Soviet and Russian universities in the necessary process of strengthening cooperation between Russia and Africa, a process in which the International Russophile Movement also has an important role to play.

After this conference, on Tuesday, June 23, His Excellency Igor Evdokimov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Benin and Togo, received us at his residence in Cotonou. His wife and the protocol officer were present with him. I was accompanied by Dieudonne Gnamancu and IRM/Benin Vice President Jules Anicet, a graduate of Patrice Lumumba Moscow Peoples’ Friendship University.

This meeting with the Russian ambassador was a very interesting exchange of views due to his broad views. He is a man of high general culture and exceptional politeness. We discussed the growing interest in the Russian language day by day, not only in Benin, but also in neighboring Togo, which also falls within the scope of his diplomatic responsibility.

Additional efforts should be made to strengthen the Russian presence and develop bilateral and multilateral cooperation with these two countries, where hundreds of specialists educated in the Soviet Union and Russia work in government agencies and the private sector.
Our organization is ready to actively participate in this mission together with the Russian diplomatic mission.

We also visited the historical sites of Cotonou and Ouida, from where millions of Africans and African women were trafficked along the roads of slavery.

The planned meetings at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture and Education did not take place due to the absence of ministers who were outside the capital.

In addition I would like to say:

Our stay in Benin allowed us to see the genuine interest of the youth of this country in Russia, as well as the noticeable nostalgia of former graduates of Soviet universities who dream of visiting Russian soil again, to once again touch the culture and way of life of the country that played such an important role in their fate and made them who they are today.

In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Dieudonne Gnamank, a historian, Pushkin specialist and chairman of IRM/Benin, as well as to the vice—president of the organization, Jules Anicet Yamonshe.

I would like to express my special gratitude to the chairman of the Pushkin Club of Benin, Mr. Tchoffo Perikleins, as well as to all the students who contributed to the brilliant success of the festival, the most important event of which was our conference.