IV International Forum of Journalists from Russia and Africa Held at the Faculty of Journalism
30.04.2026
On April 28, the IV International Forum of Journalists from Russia and Africa took place at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University. The event brought together media professionals from 10 African countries and Russia. The theme was "Mass Media in Russia and Africa: The Role in Strengthening Friendship and Solidarity Among the Peoples of the World". The International Forum was timed to the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia.
The event was organized by the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Faculty of Journalism and the Faculty of Global Studies of MSU. The forum was supported by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS)", the Public Diplomacy Foundation, and the National Association of Mass Media Researchers (NAMMI). The forum sessions were held in a hybrid format – in the television studio of the Faculty of Journalism and online.
Welcoming speeches were delivered by leading Russian experts in media, journalism, and international relations. Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vice-President of the Russian-African Club of MSU, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Professor Elena Vartanova emphasized the importance of intercultural dialogue for shaping a unified information space. Welcoming addresses were also given by Alexander Berdnikov – Executive Secretary of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University; Timur Shafir – Secretary of the Union of Journalists of Russia, Head of the International Department of the Russian Union of Journalists, international journalist; Oleg Osipov – Journalist-Africanist, Observer of the Analytical Center of the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS); Louis Gouend – Chairman of the Commission for Relations with Diasporas and Media of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, President of the Diaspora of Cameroon in Russia; Yaroslav Skvortsov – Dean of the Faculty of International Journalism, Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Associate Professor, Acting Head of the Department of International Journalism, MGIMO; Ilya Shershnev – Program Director of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University; Director of the "Globus-21 Century" Research and Educational Center, Faculty of Global Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University, President of the Public Diplomacy Foundation; and Anna Gladkova – Leading Researcher, Acting Head of the Department of Foreign Journalism and Literature, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University.
During the event, more than 20 reports were presented. The forum brought together participants from Russia, Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Chad. Reports were delivered by honorary guests and experts of the forum, representatives of the Faculty of Journalism's partner university – Professors from Kaduna State University (Federal Republic of Nigeria): Ayodele Babatunde Joseph, Muhammad Bashir Ali, and Yushau Ibrahim Ango. Research results were shared by Artur Grigoryan – Junior Researcher at the Center for History and Cultural Anthropology, Institute of Africa, Russian Academy of Sciences; Buynta Bembeeva – Editor-in-Chief of the "African Initiative" News Agency; Daria Labutina – author of the project "Galloping Across Africa," international journalist; Andrey Shitov – political observer of the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS), Lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Sergei Grachev – Deputy Director of the Directorate for Media Research and Analysis, MIA "Russia Today"; Lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University; as well as other international journalists, experts from the academic field, editors of leading African media, and bloggers.
Key topics raised during the presentations included the struggle for information sovereignty, strategies for strengthening Russia's media presence on the African continent, the use of artificial intelligence in editorial processes, digital media entrepreneurship, soft power, and public diplomacy. Reports were also dedicated to the role of the media in strengthening friendship between peoples and covering cultures, traditions, and languages as a new direction in the Russian-African dialogue.
Photos: Olga Vladychenko
On April 28, the IV International Forum of Journalists from Russia and Africa took place at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University. The event brought together media professionals from 10 African countries and Russia. The theme was "Mass Media in Russia and Africa: The Role in Strengthening Friendship and Solidarity Among the Peoples of the World". The International Forum was timed to the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. The event was organized by the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Faculty of Journalism and the Faculty of Global Studies of MSU. The forum was supported by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS)", the Public Diplomacy Foundation, and the National Association of Mass Media Researchers (NAMMI). The forum sessions were held in a hybrid format – in the television studio of the Faculty of Journalism and online.
Welcoming speeches were delivered by leading Russian experts in media, journalism, and international relations. Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vice-President of the Russian-African Club of MSU, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Professor Elena Vartanova emphasized the importance of intercultural dialogue for shaping a unified information space. Welcoming addresses were also given by Alexander Berdnikov – Executive Secretary of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University; Timur Shafir – Secretary of the Union of Journalists of Russia, Head of the International Department of the Russian Union of Journalists, international journalist; Oleg Osipov – Journalist-Africanist, Observer of the Analytical Center of the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS); Louis Gouend – Chairman of the Commission for Relations with Diasporas and Media of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, President of the Diaspora of Cameroon in Russia; Yaroslav Skvortsov – Dean of the Faculty of International Journalism, Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Associate Professor, Acting Head of the Department of International Journalism, MGIMO; Ilya Shershnev – Program Director of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University; Director of the "Globus-21 Century" Research and Educational Center, Faculty of Global Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University, President of the Public Diplomacy Foundation; and Anna Gladkova – Leading Researcher, Acting Head of the Department of Foreign Journalism and Literature, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University.
During the event, more than 20 reports were presented. The forum brought together participants from Russia, Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Chad. Reports were delivered by honorary guests and experts of the forum, representatives of the Faculty of Journalism's partner university – Professors from Kaduna State University (Federal Republic of Nigeria): Ayodele Babatunde Joseph, Muhammad Bashir Ali, and Yushau Ibrahim Ango. Research results were shared by Artur Grigoryan – Junior Researcher at the Center for History and Cultural Anthropology, Institute of Africa, Russian Academy of Sciences; Buynta Bembeeva – Editor-in-Chief of the "African Initiative" News Agency; Daria Labutina – author of the project "Galloping Across Africa," international journalist; Andrey Shitov – political observer of the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS), Lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Sergei Grachev – Deputy Director of the Directorate for Media Research and Analysis, MIA "Russia Today"; Lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University; as well as other international journalists, experts from the academic field, editors of leading African media, and bloggers.
Key topics raised during the presentations included the struggle for information sovereignty, strategies for strengthening Russia's media presence on the African continent, the use of artificial intelligence in editorial processes, digital media entrepreneurship, soft power, and public diplomacy. Reports were also dedicated to the role of the media in strengthening friendship between peoples and covering cultures, traditions, and languages as a new direction in the Russian-African dialogue.
Photos: Olga Vladychenko