"The Russian Federation is pure aggression." The President of the African Council in Ukraine is about Russian influence on the countries of Africa, refugees and the life of the Diaspora
The second education - economy personnel management - was obtained in Maupa. Married to Ukrainian, has two daughters, works as a private entrepreneur. "In 2010, we opened the public organization of the African Council in Ukraine to unite Africans, African Ukrainians and friends of Africa who live in Ukraine," says Issa Sadio Diallo. He also has experience in the diplomatic sphere - for the last ten years he worked as a Vice Consul of the Republic of Guinea in Ukraine.
Currently, the African Council in Ukraine is five founders and about two dozen active members, as well as about 50 diaspora leaders of different countries in Africa.
The NGO unites people from different African countries: these are students who have come to study in Ukraine and people who have a residence permit, and have already received Ukrainian citizenship, and persons with refugee status, says Sadio Dallo: "There are friends of Africa - Ukrainians who lived in Africa for some time or worked with African companies, peacekeepers. And there are African Ukrainians.
Most of the potential is the African Ukrainians who are children from mixed families, where or dad or mom African and the other is a Ukrainian. There are also representatives of other nationalities: people from the United Kingdom, America, France, who live in Ukraine, but also joined our organization.
" Among the areas with which the African Council in Ukraine work is the protection of African rights in Ukraine, assistance in integration into Ukrainian society, consultations on registration of documents, organization of events - such as weddings, birthdays and funerals. “If someone dies, where you can send the body to their homeland, we accompany this process.
If this is not possible, we organize all the rituals and funerals on the spot, so that everything will be worthy, ” - cits the example of Issa Sadio Diallo. Often, he adds, for example, students who came to study to Ukrainian universities and have a number of bureaucratic difficulties are addressed to the organization. It happens that if a student has an invitation and a visa, he can still be delayed at the airport or sent back to his home country.
In such cases, the African Council in Ukraine is in contact with universities and other instances to ensure that such students are passed to Ukraine. Those who have already graduated and want to get a job in the country can help with job search. On February 24, 2022, a full -scale attack of Russia on February 24, 2022 forced thousands of people to leave the country immediately.
Ukrzaliznytsia launched evacuation trains from Kiev and other cities to Lviv, and neighboring countries, such as Poland, significantly simplified the rules for crossing the state border, thereby giving forced displaced persons from Ukraine to leave without foreign passport Animals without all compulsory vaccinations are required.
In the first weeks of March, the Ukrainian and foreign media began to appear that foreign students who had been educated in Ukraine and wanted to go to European countries in the same way as all other refugees faced racism and discrimination. “There was panic here - many wanted to leave. It was winter. On the border from Ukraine, turn. In some cases, people left home warmly dressed, and some, on the contrary, what was, with a backpack, and someone went without documents.
When planting in evacuation transport was a priority: the first to let women with children, then the elderly, people with disabilities, and then - all others, ” - recalls those days in conversation with NV Issa Issa Sadio Diallo. Among those who wanted to leave there were Africans, including women with children who had some difficulties in the evacuation process. For example, already on the border. Two queues were created at the checkpoints: one for Ukrainians, the other for foreigners.
Representatives of other nationalities also passed along the line for Ukrainians. And in the queue for foreigners were actually only Africans, - explains the interlocutor of HB. -Even three or four dark-skinned people-they stand out immediately. If they are not treated a little, it immediately causes increased attention. At that time, some border guards communicated with people adequately, others were rude - it was also pushed by girls. Such facts were.
In order to help solve problems at the border, Issa Sadio Dallo contacted the Ambassador of Ukraine to Senegal, who had a conversation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and asked somehow to adjust the situation. The Embassy of Ukraine in the South African Republic and Tunisia also joined the process.
In those days, the President of the Holy African Council of Ukraine had to respond to numerous requests of journalists from all over the world and to give several interviews - everyone was interested in whether there was really racial discrimination in Ukraine at this level and what really happened on the border: “Everyone started interpreting these news In its own way, multiply several times and form some attitude towards Ukraine on the basis of this. People said that all racists were here.
But this is not true, and it was important to convey it. " In the first months of the war, Russian aggression left dozens of Africans and African Ukrainians. For the most part, they went to the west of the country or to Europe. Among them are many students who will continue their studies in Ukrainian universities in the future or look for opportunities to join other universities on site.
In some cases, the NGO headed by Issa Sadio Diallo helped people organized transportation for them, helped with the search for temporary housing. With this help, residents of such cities as Konotop, Sumy, Melitopol, Berdyansk and other settlements in different regions of Ukraine were able to leave this help. “We are a lot and actively help people who need it: financially, physically, morally. But we do it not for advertising, but quietly, ” - admits Issa Sadio Dallo.
Not everyone has been able to leave the dangerous regions, he adds and recalls that such cases, in particular, are in Kharkiv: people who have lived in the city for over two decades, refuse to leave their home even under shelling. One of them was accidentally found in the photo of the Associated Press journalists, a citizen of Nigeria, who suffered during the Russian rocket strikes in the local Barabashovo market on July 21, 2022.
Among the natives of Africa are those who protect Ukraine at the front. Most, according to the interlocutor of NB, are African Ukrainians. For the most part, such people are not public, says the President of the African Council in Ukraine. Community members help these fighters with everything they need. “I know for sure that there are some guys who have parents from different countries in Africa. And for us this is pride, we also support their families, because we see what they do.
When he is there, at the front, we are also on the front, ”says Issa Sadio Diallo. It reminds that Russia has a great influence on the policy of Africa. Presidents of some countries "have common interests with the Russian Federation", so they are difficult to convince that it is an aggressor country and forced to change their point of view. For example, among countries that support the Russian Federation today, Eritrea is a country in East Africa. “The Russian Federation is pure aggression.
They first lie at all levels, and then try to turn everything in the way their position. There were times when I was aired every week to explain the situation of African media - let them know what was really going on. ” After a full -scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the members of the African community remaining in Ukraine, medicines, hygiene, product kits and other necessary things.
Some also provide little financial assistance, because many people have lost their work and therefore the opportunity to keep themselves and their families. The organization collects money from personal savings of co -founders. Friends also help - for example, an African American named Vivik, which sometimes transfers funds to the help of the needy.
Cultural exchange is an important area of activity of the African Council in Ukraine - the protection of rights and counteraction to the discrimination of Africans, the fight against xenophobia and racism. In 2007-2008, when the movement such as Skinheads was very popular, natives of Africa faced violence and suffered from street attacks, mentioned by Issa Sadio Diallo: "There were even a few killed.
We assumed that people may be attacking because they are little aware of African culture and Africa as a whole. And they decided that not the cry was solving these issues - people should be introduced to African culture. Because people are usually afraid of what they don't know.
" That is why before the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the organization conducted many different events: exhibitions of African fashion and shows of African cinema, teaching African dances and music, acquaintance with local writers, poets and other cultural figures, exhibitions of authors who already live in Ukraine. Attacks on Africans in Ukraine were recorded in the following years: for example, in July 2020, three students from the Democratic Republic of Congo were beaten in Kiev.
However, the number of cases now has decreased significantly compared to the outbreak that was in the country in the middle of zero, says Issa Sadio Diallo. He is convinced that the decrease in the degree of intolerance has become possible, in particular, thanks to cultural exchanges.
Such processes should be bilateral: Africans who live in Ukraine should be given the opportunity to integrate into local culture, and to tell Ukrainians as much as possible about the cultural features and traditions of Africa peoples. “Since 2012, when the Euro 2012 football championship has been held in Ukraine, we have held a lot of events: together with state structures, and in schools and universities. These were tolerance lessons in libraries in different cities of Ukraine and more.
Now many people know, have friends among Africans, and the aggressive attitude towards us has changed in many respects, ”explains Issa Sadio Dallo. He is convinced that both Ukraine and Africa have a lot in common. It is, for example, melody, love for music and singing. And this similarity should be emphasized that the cultural bridges between peoples in the future only strengthen.