The Russian Diaspora in Africa. History and Modernity

The article is devoted to the history of the Russian diaspora on the African continent. Russia is a country with a relatively long emigration tradition. Having taken on a massive scale at the end of the XIX century, emigration from Russia continues to this day, representing a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that has always had a great impact on the life of Russian society, regardless of the position that the state authorities took in relation to it at one time or another in history. The article traces its formation at different stages – from its inception at the beginning of the twentieth century to the middle of the twentieth century, marked by the beginning of the national liberation struggle of African peoples for their independence. An independent section of the article is devoted to the current state of the Russian Diaspora in the countries of the African continent., which highlights the problems of the formation of the Russian Diaspora at the present stage, comprehensively analyzes the civil and socio–cultural characteristics of the female Russian contingent - the main source of replenishment of the Russian Diaspora in modern Africa, the specifics of this group of compatriots and their descendants from Afro- Russian marriages de jure and de facto, its role in the social and cultural life of recipient countries and relations with the historical homeland. the unique potential of the “soft power” of the Russian Federation, concluded in its interaction with Russian-speaking communities on the African continent.