On November 29-30, 2011, the Xth anniversary conference "School of Young Africanists of Russia"was held at the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This annual forum, which brings together aspiring researchers-from students to candidates of science-in all areas of African science, is supported by the RAS Presidium's program "Support for Young Scientists in cooperation with universities in various cities of Russia and neighboring countries". This year's conference was attended by 76 students, postgraduates and young scientists from the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, RUDN University, RSUH, ISAA MSU, MSU, MGIMO (U) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, State University-Higher School of Economics, IEA RAS, St. Petersburg.GU, Yar. GU named after P. G. Demidov. The CIS countries were represented by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Republic of Armenia. The X School of Young Africanists was organized jointly with the Council of Young Scientists of the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences and held in cooperation with the Scientific Advisory Council on African Problems at the Department

international Law of RUDN University. The conference was attended by 12 students and postgraduates of RUDN University from Benin, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Mali, Namibia and Tanzania.

The plenary session was opened by the head of the School of Young Africanists of Russia I. V. Sledzevsky (IA RAS). After greeting the audience and congratulating them on the anniversary of the school, he briefly recalled the history of its creation and the main stages of its formation. Chairman of the Council of Young Scientists of the Institute of Africa D. A. Zelenova spoke about the work of the Council over the past year and its plans. Professor of the Department of International Law of RUDN University A. N. Ruzhin welcomed the young scientists on behalf of the university's management. Then, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Deputy Foreign Minister addressed the audience with a parting speech. Director of the Department of Africa V. N. Fedotov.

According to the established tradition, the plenary session provides lectures by specialists for aspiring scientists. Head of the Department of African Studies of the Eastern Faculty of St. Petersburg.GU, Head of the Department of Ethnography of the peoples of Africa, MAHE im. Peter the Great (Kunstkamera) A. Y. Yellow read the report " Africa, Russia and the modern world (or why we need African studies)". Paying attention to the history of the formation of Russian African studies and its founders, he focused on the relevance and topicality of modern research in the field of African studies.

The performances of the masters of African studies were continued by T. M. Gavristova (Yar. State University named after P. G. Demidov). Her report "African Modernism: history and prospects of development" was devoted to the history of the development of one of the directions of African art, containing an analysis of major art schools and a story about their bright representatives.

Then the conference was continued in four sections, the most numerous of which was " Africa in the global world: an international legal aspect "(heads-A. A. Arkhangelskaya, O. S. Kulkova (IA RAS), Kh. M. Turinskaya (IEA RAS)). The section was attended by 25 young scientists. Yeo Funyahana (RUDN University) in his report "African countries in the modern system of international relations" noted that the key tasks in the system of foreign policy priorities for global development of Africa are to end armed conflicts, create conditions for economic revival and increase the effectiveness of foreign assistance to African countries. She stressed that in order to understand the possible development of both international relations in general and the situation in Africa, it is extremely important to thoroughly study the policies pursued by BRICS members in relation to African countries, as well as their perception in African countries themselves. Various aspects of relations between African countries and the outside world were discussed in the reports of A. A. Harutyunyan (Institute of Oriental Studies, Republic of Armenia)" Around China-Libya relations "and O. S. Kulkova (IA RAS)"Great Britain and Libya: Relations at the present stage".

Problems of international law in relation to African countries were investigated in a number of reports of young scientists. Thus, N. A. Petrova (RUDN University) evaluated the effectiveness of the human rights mechanisms of the African Union, and O. S. Muzaleva (MGIMO University Russian Foreign Ministry) in its report "The role of African countries in the creation and functioning of the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council" concluded that the role of international legal mechanisms in the situation with the protection of human rights in Africa is increasing. Mensa Koku Marius (RUDN University) focused on the current problems of international humanitarian law in armed conflicts in Africa, and A.M. Solntsev (RUDN University) in his report "The African Court of Human and Peoples' Rights: Results of the first five-year plan" analyzed the activities and prospects of a young but promising human rights mechanism. A. O. Goltyaev (Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN in Geneva) focused on the activities of such an authoritative international organization as the UN for the protection of human rights in Africa in the report "African Countries in the UN Human Rights Council" and S. V. Goltyaev (Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN in Geneva). A. Fedotov (IA RAS), who presented the report "The creation of the UN and its role in the process of decolonization of Africa and the formation of new liberated states". Atobla Aoba Arlette and Samake Awa (both from RUDN University) addressed the human rights situation in Côte d'Ivoire and the Republic of Mali.

A lively scientific discussion was caused by the report of Diomande Dro Hiacinte (RUDN University) "Russian-African relations in the process of globalization". The main thesis of the speaker was that Russia should develop ties with Africa more actively, because today Africa is a link without which there can be no solid chain of positive changes in world politics. This determines the role of Russia itself in the world community. Without Africa, where it is located-

With the largest number of least developed countries, the challenges of global development cannot be addressed on a global scale.

Another important topic raised at the session of the section is the crisis and conflict situations on the African continent and the possibilities of their resolution. It was developed in the reports of D. G. Gheorghi (MSU ISAA) "On the possibility of resolving the Niger Delta crisis after a change of political leader in Nigeria", H. M. Turinskaya (IEA RAS) "The Somali-Ethiopian conflict and federalism in the Horn of Africa". One of the most discussed topics was the Arab revolutions of 2011. The report of Target Shumba (RUDN University) "The Arab Spring and the revolution in Africa: political and social aspects" was devoted to the analysis of the events that took place in North Africa, their impact on neighboring countries, and forecasts for the future of the region.

15 reports were made by participants of the section " Resources and economic potential of Africa's development "(heads-E. V. Kiseleva, RUDN University, and V. A. Sidorov, IA RAS). An analysis of the general economic problems facing the African continent was contained in the report of Adu Yao Nikaz (RUDN University) "Africa on the threshold of the XXI century: pessimism and optimism". According to the speaker, Africa can get out of the crisis that it has been in for many years, and it has all the necessary means to lift the economy to the world level: Africa has the majority of the world's mineral and energy reserves, and young people make up more than half of the population. But structural changes, attracting new technologies, diversifying exports and overcoming backwardness are needed. The report of N. F. Kislitsyna (RUDN University) "Regional organizations of African countries" dealt with expanding economic cooperation on the continent through the creation of regional intergovernmental economic organizations that could contribute to the development of economic integration and the formation of a common African market. Another pan - African problem, the shortage of fresh water reserves, was the subject of the A. A. study. Savateeva (IA RAS). In the report "The upcoming water crisis-a threat to international food security", he concluded that the lack of water resources can become an economic threat, moreover, it can lead to socio-political upheavals and interstate conflicts.

Young Africanists paid special attention to the problem of efficient use and conservation of Africa's natural resources. This topic was covered by the reports of E. R. Basyrova (RUDN University) "New approaches to attracting investment to preserve the ecosystem potential of African forests", D. A. Gugunsky (RUDN University) "International law in the fight against Africa's blood diamonds "and M. S. Tsipris (RUDN University)" Legal regulation of biological diversity conservation in African countries".

Among the unresolved problems and obstacles to the economic development of the continent's countries, the conference participants identified the most acute ones. So, A. L. Batalina (RSUH, HSE) in the report " Fighting corruption as a result of global economic processes. Using the example of the Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Group concluded that corruption flourishes in countries where access to information is difficult, civil society participation is limited, and there is no political will to eradicate this evil.

The study of the impact of environmental changes on the countries of the African continent, where the agricultural sector traditionally plays a significant role, was considered by E. S. Chmeleva (MSU ISAA), who presented the report " South Africa: changing the environment - changing the economy?". Another acute problem in Africa is forced migration due to armed conflicts, human rights violations, and natural disasters. The topic of the report by E. V. Kiseleva (RUDN University) is "Internal displacement in Africa: unresolved problems and achievements".

During the work of the section "Social and cultural studies" (heads - T. M. Gavristova, Yar.GU, S. A. Gorokhov, MSPU, and D. A. Zelenova, IA RAS), 20 reports were heard. The participants focused on the genesis of the civilizational structure of society and cultural transformation. S. A. Gorokhov in his report "Africa: the problem of forming a civilizational space" noted that the African civilization as an independent unit was formed as a result of the layering of Christianity and Islam on the basis of African culture, which itself has a very complex structure. The indisputable spiritual "autonomy" of the Black continent allows us to conclude that the African civilization is the youngest of the emerging world civilizations. P. S. Kondratiev (Yar.GU), who presented the report "Islam in Tropical Africa", examined the unique features that the Muslim religion has acquired by interacting with traditional African beliefs. As a result of all these processes, a new kind of Islam has emerged, which is markedly different from the traditional Islam.

the original "Arab" characteristic of Africa, the so-called black Islam. Using the example of Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, O. V. Ivanchenko (IA RAS) examined the processes of forming a single culture, and therefore a single Tanzanian nation, in the course of interaction between various social, ethnic, and religious groups of the population, each of which largely continues to preserve traditional thinking.

A number of reports of young scientists were devoted to ethnographic studies of individual peoples of Africa. Thus, M. Eremeyeva and A. Lapushkina (both RSUH) made presentations on "The funeral ceremony of the Awatime people" and "Traditional beliefs of the Awatime people (Ghana, Volta region) in modern conditions", which were collected in the course of recent field research. E. S. Vlasenkova (St. Petersburg State University) analyzed religious systems A. S. Sharova (Yar.GU) made the subject of her research the everyday activities of the Dogon, a people living in the south of the Republic of Mali.GU) presented the report "Oromo migrations and their Islamization in the XV-XVII centuries", dedicated to the history of Islamization of the most numerous people of Ethiopia - the Oromo.

African art and cultural aspects of socio-political processes, issues of mutual influence of African and European cultures became the subject of study in the reports of Selma Laterem (SPb.State Institution) "Evolution of traditional art of Tropical Africa", Yu. A. Karnaeva (St. Petersburg.GU) "Historical and cultural influence of the Portuguese on East Africa", N. A. Vlasova (Yar. GU) " A woman in the Sudan of the XX century: lifestyle and women's problems (a view of Sudanese artists on this topic)", A. S. Akseshin (St. Petersburg.GU) "Cultural aspects of the activities of Christian missionaries in West Africa".

In the section " Research in African Linguistics and Philology "(head-A. V. Lyakhovich, St. Petersburg.GU) was attended by 10 young scientists. The report of T. S. Anikina (St. Petersburg State University) "Two approaches to the concept of attributive possessiveness (based on the Swahili and Kinyarwanda languages)" drew the audience's attention to such a feature of the Swahili language as the presence of adjective-possessive constructions and the role that they play in the grammar of this language, "replacing" the missing adjectives. The subject of research by A. Verezemskaya (MSU ISAA) was Arabic borrowings in the Hausa language. The report examined the process of penetration and consolidation of Arabic words in the vocabulary of such an African language as Hausa. L. V. Litvinova (St. Petersburg State University) addressed the peculiarities of this language in her report "The system and terms of Hausa kinship". A.V. Lyakhovich (St. Petersburg State University) reflected in her report the current language situation in Northern Nigeria, characterized by an active mixture of English and Hausa.

Part of the reports in this section was devoted to the study of African literature. Report by A. I. Abidina (St. Petersburg)GU) was an overview of contemporary prose in Ethiopia, its authors, themes, and development trends. V. E. Kazimirov (St. Petersburg State University) turned to the 17th-century West African chronicles "The History of the Seeker of Messages about Countries, Armies, and the Noblest People" and " Tarikh al-Sudan "("History of the Sudan"), using them as a source for studying ethnic conflicts in this part of the continent. In the report of I. A. Shaposhnikov (SPb.GU) "Ethiopian Christian version of the novel about Alexander: plot, structure, genre originality" was told about the Ethiopian version in the Geez language of one of the ancient cultural monuments.

D. A. Zelenova summed up the results of the conference. She noted the growing interest of young scientists in participating in conferences of African studies, the desire to continue the work of the older generation with their research on the problems of the continent.

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