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No 8 (2025)
Top problem
Participation of Bandung Countries in the Formation of the Big Eurasian Partnership (to the 70th Anniversary of the Bandung Conference)
Abstract
The year 2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, where 29 Asian and African countries articulated shared goals for trade and economic cooperation in their final communique. The creation of the Big Eurasian Partnership (BEP), initiated by Russia, aims to involve friendly Asian and African nations, including Bandung countries, in this initiative. This study substantiates the alignment of interests between Russia and developing Asian and African countries within the framework of economic principles established at Bandung. Content analysis of the Conference’s economic communique and relevant economic agreements with Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) reveals convergence between the communique’s principles and the institutional foundations of the BEP. The economic development trajectories of the participating countries are analyzed. Cooperation spheres, types of agreements, and instruments are classified according to each of the Conference’s ten core economic tasks. Furthermore, the positioning of the BEP as an integration framework aligned with the Conference’s principles and purposes is substantiated. The partnership’s “soft” format allows countries to choose cooperation spheres and instruments best suited to their needs, facilitating economic integration based on shared interests. Analysis of the institutional cooperation framework substantiates distinct tiers of engagement between Russia and Conference participants, alongside the instruments necessary for BEP development.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):5–13
5–13
Politics, economics
Autonomy as a Condition for Development of National Digital Platforms: Experience of Russia and China
Abstract
The article provides a retrospective analysis of legislation and regulatory practices in Russia and China concerning digital platforms, along with a structured explanation of the interconnection between the actions of foreign technology companies and state countermeasures to establish digital sovereignty. Particular attention is paid to the specifics of state protectionism in China and Russia’s forced digital autarky after 2022. Key regulatory tools are identified, including antitrust measures, cybersecurity laws, data localization policies, and the domestication of foreign companies. The study concludes that autonomy in the digital sphere strengthens the resilience of the information space and fosters the development of national platforms capable of replacing departing Western services. The analysis underscores the need for a strategic approach to shaping digital regulation policies in the context of geopolitical instability.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):14–21
14–21
Women in Mauritius: Social Status and Political Activity
Abstract
The issues surrounding the achievement of gender equality in African countries remain an integral part of debates concerning democratization and sustainable development. Enhancing women’s political, economic, and social empowerment is commonly linked to increasing their representation in legislative and executive bodies. Through such participation, women gain the ability to influence decision-making processes, including those pertaining to gender relations. Analysis of the social position and political role of Mauritian women has revealed that the elevation of their public status and the expansion of their political participation occur primarily within the context of government-driven gender-sensitive policies, rather than as a direct result of the actions of female parliamentarians. Numerous women’s associations, established as early as the colonial period, exert a certain influence on the Mauritian government’s adoption of legislation aimed at improving women’s status. However, the effectiveness of these associations is undermined by intra-movement divisions along racial, religious, and other lines, as well as by their dependence on government funding and the consequent governmental control over their activities.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):22–30
22–30
The Role of Western Media in Shaping the Perception of Russia by the Population of West Africa
Abstract
This study is aimed at assessing the role of Western media in shaping the perception of Russia by the population of West Africa. The study employed qualitative research methods. The study leveraged the data collected during the field work on the image of Russia in Africa for three years (2020–2023). Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data gathered through the expert interviews. The thematic analysis was supported by verbal quotations from the expert interviews. The key and ground-breaking finding of this study is that there is a positive relationship between the role of Western media reporting on Russia and its influence in shaping the perception of West Africa about Russia, showing that the more the reportage of Russia by Western media, the more the likelihood of resulting to a positive image about Russia. Other key findings include the fact that USSR support and current Russia political, economic and military support in West Africa has a positive influence on people's perception of Russia. It is, therefore, imperative for Russia to strengthen and improve its relationship with Africa beyond just the military cooperation to mutually beneficial economic and infrastructural cooperation in order to maintain a long-term positive image in Africa.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):31–38
31–38
Japan: Generation Z is Willing to Pay to be Fired
Abstract
The start of a new fiscal year in Japan is traditionally considered the start of working life for hundreds of thousands of university and college graduates, who make up the bulk of the “new recruits” entering the Japanese labor market. The difficulty, however, is that Generation Z (according to the Strauss-Howe generational theory – young people born 1997– 2012) is not ready to join the army of the Japanese workforce. Young Japanese often do not pay serious attention to their lifestyle changes and the nature of their future work when making career decisions, leading to an increase in the number of newly minted workers who are ready to change jobs as quickly as possible. Experts attribute this trend to a generational change, which has primarily affected the attitudes of young Japanese toward work and it also caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the lifestyle changes, when remote work has prompted many people to reconsider their work-life balance.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):39–47
39–47
Political portrait
Nitish Kumar – the Leader of Bihar
Abstract
The article is dedicated to one of the key figures in the politics of modern India, Nitish Kumar, in 2000, 2005–2010, from 2015 to the present time the Chief Minister of the state of Bihar, the leader of the regional party Janata Dal(United). His support for the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and entry into the National Democratic Alliance(NDA) led by it in January 2024 allowed Narendra Modi to head the government of India for the third time in a row on 9 June 2024. A student activist, a participant in mass protests for the democratization of political life, a party agitator, a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly and the Parliament of India, a minister of the central government and the chief minister of the state – these are the milestones of the bright political biography of N. Kumar. He consistently fights corruption and is considered a “clean” politician. Leading Indian news agencies have repeatedly called him the best chief minister of the country.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):48–56
48–56
Field research
Men’s and Women’s Roles in the Family and Society: Perceptions of Tanzanian Students
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of ideas about the distribution of men’s and women’s roles in the family and society among students in Tanzania based on our own field research conducted in Dodoma in 2024. In addition, respondents assessed various options for paternal care that they encountered in their families. A sample of 369 people showed that ideas about normative expectations regarding the behavior of men and women do not differ in both sexes. Students in Tanzania show very high scores on all issues of gender equality; a more traditional position is observed among those who grew up in single-parent families, and also depends on the level of economic wealth in the family. The attitude to the paternal contribution to the upbringing of children among students is also declared rather by Europe norms of ideas about the ideal father, who should not only provide for the family financially, but also participate actively directly in the upbringing of children and be aware of children’s hobbies and education. However, judging by the students’ responses, daily care of children is mostly carried out by women, and the growth of paternal care is associated with the level of education of fathers.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):57–66
57–66
Scientific life
Africa’s Development: Plans and the Involvement of External Actors
Abstract
On March, 2025, the Centre for the Study of Russian-African Relations and African States’ Foreign Policy of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences held a conference with international attendance on the topic “Africa’s Development and the Interests of External Actors.” The event, which combined face-to-face and online formats, was attended by researchers, lecturers, graduate students, PhD applicants and students representing the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; the Institute for the U.S. and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia; Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia; Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation; HSE University; RUDN University; Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University; Tyumen State University. Correspondents of the telegram channel “Sovereign” covered the conference, which aroused the interest of the Russian House in Madagascar. The participants focused on the development of Africa, which is becoming an increasingly prominent participant in international relations, the results of the implementation of the first ten-year plan for 2014–2023 of the African Union’s “Agenda 2063”, as well as the reasons for the growing involvement of external actors in economic processes in the countries of the continent.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):67-70
67-70
Culture, literature, art
Teju Cole: Genius of the Place
Abstract
Teju Cole is a Nigerian-American writer and photographer of Yoruba origin. He continues a specific trend of the intellectual urban novel in contemporary literature. His predecessors include James O.A. Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, Winfried Georg M. Sebald, Orhan Pamuk, and others. T. Cole is the author of bestsellers: Every Day Is for the Thief (2007); Open City (2011); Tremor (2023); and essay collections. His works intertwine themes of travel, identity, fixation, history, and literature. The writer documents pressing political, economic, social, ecological, demographic, and cultural issues, including colonialism and postcolonialism, slavery, and restitution of cultural property. He expresses hope for their future resolution, engaging the reader in discussions about life in Lagos (Nigeria) and New York (USA), racism and decolonization, violence and corruption, art, and the boundaries of identity.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(8):71–78
71–78