Russian Ambassador Highlights Growing Cultural Ties with South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa – The Russian Ambassador to South Africa, H.E. Mr. Roman Ambarov, has underscored the steady and meaningful expansion of bilateral cooperation into the humanitarian sphere, emphasising recent successes in cultural, educational, and literary exchanges.
In a statement, Ambassador Ambarov highlighted the recent visit of renowned Russian children’s author Svetlana Krivoshlykova, Chair of the Union of Children’s and Young Adult Writers, as a “vivid and meaningful event.” Organised with the support of the Russian Embassy, the visit exemplified cooperation that “extends far beyond traditional political and economic interaction.”
The ambassador outlined a series of active joint projects, pointing to a pattern of reciprocal cultural engagement. This includes the participation of a South African delegation from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture at Moscow’s International Intellectual Literature Fair in December and the successful January 2025 visit of another prominent Russian children’s writer, Valentin Postnikov, to South Africa.
Krivoshlykova’s programme featured book presentations in both Pretoria, at the Russian Embassy school, and in Cape Town at the Russian Children’s Centre. Ambassador Ambarov stressed the dual significance of such events, stating they are “especially important” for preserving the Russian language and cultural identity abroad while fostering “a lasting interest among the younger generation in Russian literature and traditions.”
“We will continue our efforts to ensure that such visits become more frequent, develop on a reciprocal basis,” the Ambassador affirmed. He expressed confidence that these initiatives help the peoples of both nations gain a deeper mutual understanding and discover “new points of connection through literature and cultural dialogue.”
The statement reinforces a strategic focus on soft diplomacy and people-to-people ties, framing cultural exchange as a cornerstone of the evolving Russia-South Africa partnership.
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