The Federal Republic of Nigeria 2006
Dmitri M. Bondarenko
Oleg I. Kavykin
Anastasia A. Banschikova
RUSSIAN EXPEDITION TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
On November 2 – 16, 2006 a team of Russian Cultural Anthropologists from the Institute for African Studies had been doing short-term fieldwork in the Federal Republic of Nigeria (in the cities of Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, and Ile-Ife). The study was an outcome of the initiative of the Center supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanitarian Studies (grants # 06-01-02083а and 06-01-02062а) and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The research team consisted of Anastasia A. Banschikova, Dmitri M. Bondarenko (Head), Oleg I. Kavykin, Daria A. Khaltourina, Andrey V. Korotayev, and Anatoliy D. Savateev.
The fieldwork in Nigeria was regarded as an important integral part of two research projects: “The Image of Contemporary Russia in African Countries: Formation and Specific Features” and “Russia and Islam: A Civilization Dialog”. These projects’ elaboration presupposes a study of the prerequisites for the post-Soviet Russia image’s formation in connection with the history and present-day state of the Soviet- and Russian-African relations, revealing of the image’s characteristic features, of the prospects for and terms of its positive transformation, particularly in the context of the Christian Muslim relations in contemporary world among others.
In the course of the fieldwork, a series of interviews (about 30) with representatives of the intellectual, cultural, business, and political elite, i.e. with people capable of forming and transforming the image of Russia, was conducted. The interviews were conducted according to the plan that included 18 questions; each interview usually took about 40 minutes and was taped. Besides, “round table” on the projects themes with the researchers from the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs was held, and informal discussions of the research problematics with colleagues at the Universities of Lagos and Ibadan took place, as well as with Russian people living in the country permanently for a long time and considered as experts. A photo archive was compiled.
Being supplemented with different evidence from other African countries and Russia, the data collected in Nigeria allows to study for the first time the image of Russia and her citizens in the consciousness of the inhabitants of a whole continent.
Expedition stuff. From left to right: A.A. Banschikova, D.A. Khaltourina, A.V. Korotayev, A.D. Savateev, O.I. Kavykin, D.M. Bondarenko (photo V.A. Kovalenko) |
Lagos skyline (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Lagos skyline (photo O.I. Kavykin) |
Lagos skyline (photo O.I. Kavykin) |
Lagos skyline (photo O.I. Kavykin) |
Lagos streets (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Lagos streets (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Lagos streets (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Lagos streets (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Lagos streets (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Lagos streets (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Fence of the palace of Oba – the traditional ruler of Lagos (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Fence of the palace of Oba – the traditional ruler of Lagos (photo O.I. Kavykin) |
Mosque and church in the Lagos airport’s vicinity (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Brazilian-style mosque in Lagos (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Lagos central mosque (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Young lady on a Lagos beach (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Lagos children (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Policewoman. Lagos (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Campus of the University of Lagos (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
University of Lagos. Faculty of arts (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Poster of the University of Lagos “Russian Club” (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
“Round table” at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
The Atlantic Ocean (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Relic forest in the vicinity of Lagos (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Coco palm (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Pineapple (ф photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Lizard (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Abeokuta skyline (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Abeokuta skyline (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
A Youruba deity shrine. Abeokuta (photo O.I. Kavykin) |
Main altar for sacrifices. Abeokuta (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Rustic landscape. On the way from Abeokuta to Ibadan (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Christian agitation against rebirth of paganism on the University of Ibadan campus (photo A.N. Gadzhiev) |
Main street of Ile Ife (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Gate of the palace of Ooni – the traditional ruler of Ile Ife (photo A.A. Banschikova) |
Ifa divination shrinein the yard of the palace of Ooni – the traditional ruler of Ile Ife (photo O.I. Kavykin) |
Main entrance into the chambers of Ooni – the traditional ruler of Ile Ife (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
Portrait of the present Ooni – the traditional ruler of Ile Ife at the entrance to his chambers (photo O.I. Kavykin) |
“Oranmiyan staff” – tombstone of the legendary Ile Ife ruler, the founder of the Oba dynasty in Benin City, at the sacred grove situated on the spot on which, as Yoruba believe, his father Oduduwa created solid soil (photo D.A. Khaltourina) |
“We were here”. Our poster left in the kitchen of our Lagos apartment (photo A.A. Banschikova) |