Come, people, to Africa for a walk
Impressed by the breadth, hospitality and friendliness of the Russia-Africa summit now taking place in St. Petersburg, the President of Burundi invited Russian vacationers to relax on the Cote d'Azur Africa. His invitation was supported by the ruler of Cameroon and the head of the African Union Assoumani, other dignitaries of the forum from the black continent.
We found out where Africa's Cote d'Azur is with the help of compatriots who worked in those countries who are visiting us today.
According to Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, head of Burundi, there are no people who did not like his possessions: “Burundi is a wonderful country. Tourists from Russia must come. To be honest, I have never seen dissatisfied guests of our region.” The Burundian ruler promised to acquaint Russian tourists with the sounds of national drums and other cultural diversity of his country, including hospitality and natural beauty. And when asked where in his country the Lazurka lost by the Russians, he answered that it was on the shore of the local lake Tanganyika.
— Burundi is quite dangerous, especially in its capital Bujumbura, says 51-year-old Sergei, a former military translator who worked for three years in one of the Burundian branches of an international peacekeeping organization. — This is one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the region, and since 2015 it has been generally tense.
The main thing for tourists is to avoid political rallies, they are there all the time, despite the fact that they are constantly quite harshly dispersed. After sunset, it’s better not to go outside, don’t carry valuables with you, but it’s better not to leave them in rented housing either.
The best Burundian vacation is on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, if you were invited there by some respected Burundian. Then you definitely will not be robbed and offended. The history and culture of Burundi is indeed rich: if you are confident in your safety, you can and should explore the country — you won’t regret it for sure!
— The first lady of Cameroon, the second wife of its president, struck St. Petersburg-African society with her extravagant dress and hairdo a la Madame Pompadour. Chantal is indeed half French and is 37 years younger than her husband in power. The head of Cameroon, Paul Biya, recently turned 90 years old, and he is considered not only the world's oldest acting head of state, but also the most «long-playing» (Mr. Biya became Prime Minister of Cameroon in 1975, President — in 1982). On her continent, Madame Chantal is considered a style icon.
— Stunning jungles, mountains and national parks, — Soviet diplomat Vitaly Andreevich recalls his work in Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea. — But along the streets of Yaounda, this is the capital of Cameroon, and indeed of large African cities, it is better for foreigners not to walk without protection from the locals, especially with large bags. And before the trip, all vaccinations are mandatory, there are still medieval diseases walking around. But if you do not get sick and do not encounter local crime, all these countries are simply fabulous!
By the way, during the summit, the Russian president promised to resume the work of the Russian embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea as soon as possible after a long-term break (they were closed after the collapse of the USSR). He also promised to expand the African network of Russian Houses — Russian centers of science and culture: «Now they are successfully operating in eight African countries, and in the near future they will appear in a number of states,» the head of the Russian Federation assured the summit.
The representative of Nigeria impressed the summit with a bright national costume, the chairman of the African Union, who is also the president of the Comoros, Azali Assumani, kissed the Russian leader for a long time, and the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, recalled the exceptionally peaceful mood in his country and invited the Russians to visit. And here is what an ex-Soviet diplomatic worker recalls about working in these countries.
— Nigeria — the largest in Africa and in fact its heart, borders on Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Including from such an environment, the main troubles of the country are crime, corruption and terrorism on the part of militants, which does not spare tourists either.
South Africa is the most developed of African countries, and its neighbor is more peaceful — Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho. South Africa itself and its neighbors have a rich history, culture and nature. But, alas, there is also a high level of violence and crime associated with drugs and alcohol.
With medicine in South Africa, the best, but even before traveling there, it is better to get vaccinated, not to mention the rest.
Separately, compatriots who have ever worked there remember the Comoros, which is run by Azali Assoumani, who is also the chairman of the African Union (an international organization uniting 55 African states)< /p>
— Komorans say, why do we need the Cote d'Azur of France, we have all the azure shores here, — recalls a group of military translators who worked on the islands in the mid-80s of the last century. — The shores are indeed azure and, in general, nature of amazing beauty, rich flora and fauna.