The Russia Journal

Amid St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary celebrations, the Independent Association of Newsmakers threw a raging party at Lilit celebrating Africa’s Liberation Day on May 29. "Russian-African ties are much closer than it seems," party organizer Oleg Nazarov said, explaining his reasons to throw the party. "Alexander Pushkin had African roots," he went on to say, "and 90,000 natives of Africa are Russian citizens today." Exalted with alcohol, the party’s guests entertained themselves by taking part in various African-themed contests, including firing Ethiopian blowguns, throwing Rwandan boomerangs and other exotic sports. But what we liked the most was a song from Zanzibar – Malaika – that Russian poet and song writer Viktor Pelenyagre and Jones Borutti from Tanzania performed.