Putin's Pianissimo

Russia – Africa: Behind the scenes of Moscow’s soft power

in depth

This article is part of the dossier:

From Russia to Africa: The trail of Wagner

By Georges Dougueli, Benjamin Roger

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Posted on July 29, 2021 16:59

Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi © Russia’s President Vladimir Putin waves during a family photo with heads of countries taking part in the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, October 24, 2019. Sergei Chirikov/Pool via REUTERS
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin waves during a family photo with heads of countries taking part in the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, October 24, 2019. Sergei Chirikov/Pool via REUTERS

Moscow is deploying several means to promote its agenda in Africa, including producing audiovisual content, financing local media, sponsoring “anti-imperialist” influencers and running internet propaganda campaigns. In the second part of our investigation, we go behind-the-scenes to Russia’s softer but growing influence.

This is part 2 of a 2-part investigation series

On 14 May, several thousand people gathered at Bangui’s Barthélémy-Boganda stadium. They did not come to watch a Fauves match but rather to attend the preview of a rather special film titled Touriste. This Russian-Central African feature film, which was shot in the CAR, traces – and glorifies – the actions of Russian ‘instructors’ who supported the regime of Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who was re-elected in December 2020, and defeated rebels allied to former president François Bozizé.

It is a sort of Hollywood blockbuster with a Moscow twist: it features war scenes where a few Russians stand up to dozens of rebels – Kalashnikovs going off in all directions – and a wounded hero emerges from combat feeling that he has accomplished his mission. This film propagandises Russian mercenaries on the banks of the Ubangi – without addressing the

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