Russian Cultural Diplomacy in Times of War: 'Creating Wonders' in West Africa?

• In Event: Power, Propaganda, and Predation: Contemporary Russia's International Strategies of Control and Influence

Abstract

The Museum of Black Civilizations (MCN, for Musée des civilisations noires) in Dakar, Senegal, hosted a unique exhibition throughout October 2024, entitled: ‘Creating Wonders: Contemporary Russian Art in Senegal’. The exhibition had been designed exclusively for the MCN and inaugurated by none other than Russian Ambassador to Senegal, Dmitry Kurakov. Furthermore, it was organized with the support of Special Representative of the Russian President for International Cultural Cooperation, Mikhail Shvydkoy, and Novostal-M Metallurgical Holding, one of Russia’s steel giants, managed by oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin. The organization of this cultural event against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the deep rupture in relations between Russia and other European states raises questions about the evolving communication strategies of the Russian government in non-European contexts. As such, ‘Creating Wonders’ serves as a textbook example of cultural diplomacy. However, it was organized in a country, and more broadly in a region (West Sub-Saharan Africa), where Russian initiatives of this kind have historically been rare, and within the broader context of a challenge to French influence. Drawing on the literature on Russia’s foreign policy on the African continent, as well as on firsthand observations from a visit to the MCN, this paper aims to demonstrate how the exhibition ‘Creating Wonders’ reflects a broader shift in Russia’s cultural diplomacy priorities since 2022, alongside a wider reconfiguration of major powers’ political communication toward non-European audiences.

Author

• Maxime Duchateau, U of Montreal (Canada)