On November 5, the grand opening of the first Innopraktika Lecture Hall (Mediateka) took place in the capital of the Republic of Senegal, Dakar. It is located on the territory of the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. The implementation of this project will make Russian culture and language more accessible to local students, and in the future, will form a unique cultural and educational space.

The creation of the Lecture Halls is an initiative of the Innopraktika company within the framework of international cooperation with the BRICS countries. The project was initiated back in 2022 during the first visiting art session of Innopraktika School in Dakar. Even then, the African side expressed an unconditional interest in Russian culture and art. In order to help students in their study, it was decided to create a specialized media center.

The agreement on construction was signed in July 2023 within the framework of the Second Summit Russia-Africa in St. Petersburg. The project is being implemented with the assistance of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

“We appreciate other cultures and we are ready to build partnerships based on respect and mutual understanding in this multipolar world. This Lecture Hall will be a reference point for open dialogue for those who want to learn a little more about Russia, to delve into its culture, literature, and to study the Russian language," said Natalia Popova, First Deputy General Director of Innopraktika company, during the ceremony.

Also taking part in the opening of the Innopratika Lecture Hall (Mediateka) in Senegal were the Rector of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Professor Aminata Niang Diene, Dean of the Faculty of Philology and Humanities of the University, Professor Aliun Badara Kandji, head of the Department of Slavic Languages and Civilizations, Faculty of Philology and Humanities, Professor Usseinu Tall and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Gambia Dmitry Kurakov. Also with welcoming speeches via videoconferencing the following guests addressed the audience: Vladimir Medinsky, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, Grigory Zaslavsky, Rector of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) and Karina Galay, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian and Foreign Literature of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), who presented an educational program for the study of the Russian language and literature.

It is no coincidence that the first Innopraktika Lecture Hall (Mediateka) was built on the territory of the Cheikh Anta Diop University. The university is one of the largest in West Africa. The presidents of a number of countries on the continent are its graduates. Today, over 90 thousand students study at the educational institution, and the Russian language department of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities operates.

In her welcoming speech, the rector of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Professor Aminata Niang Diene, recalled that Senegal has very long-standing and strong relations with Russia. Diplomatic ties between the two countries began back in 1962. The first president of the Republic, Leopold Sedar Senghor, believed that the Senegalese should know and study the Russian language and Russian culture, because the great poet Alexander Pushkin spoke this language.

“Today we live in an era of dialogue between cultures and civilizations. Therefore, the opening of this Lecture Hall is undoubtedly a special historical moment. Hence its great significance for us. We are confident that you contribute not only to the study, development, popularization and dissemination of the Russian language and culture of the great Russian people, but also to the mutual rapprochement between our nations" Aminata Niang Diene noted, addressing the guests.

The two-story Lecture Hall is fitted with modern equipment that allows organizing video conferences. The Russian Embassy donated more than 1,500 books to the Mediateka. It is planned to hold monthly online lectures on the Russian language and literature, the history of Russian painting, theater, cinema and Russian history with the participation of professors from Russian universities. The first seminars and lectures will begin on November 11.

It is planned that the Lecture Hall (Mediateka) will eventually become a real Center of Russian Culture in Senegal, a platform for exchanging opinions and promoting universal values, dialogue of cultures and the development of the humanities. All this will strengthen the role, significance and competitiveness of the Russian language in the modern world, which is envisaged by the Concept of Russia's Humanitarian Policy Abroad, approved in September 2022 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"This project is remarkable not only because it gives an opportunity to study the Russian language better. It allows one to join the rich Russian culture, to become a scientific base, thanks to which it is planned to develop various projects. And we very much hope that the successful work of the Lecture Hall will contribute to the development of inter-educational and intercultural dialogue between our two countries, and will also serve as a starting point for the construction of similar centers in other African countries," said Dmitry Kurakov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Gambia.

In particular, in 2025, it is planned to open two more Innopraktika Lecture Halls: on the territory of the University of Mumbai in India and on the territory of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Agreements on the creation of the Lecture Halls were signed in 2024.