A rural community situated between Moscow and St. Petersburg is on track to become the home of a pioneering “African village,” an initiative spearheaded by the African International Congress in Russia.
The venture forms part of a five-year pilot program aiming to resettle thousands of South African migrants in Russia.
With African diplomats and local officials from the Tver Region in attendance, the project’s symbolic cornerstone near the hamlet of Porechye was unveiled last week.
Konstantin Klimenko, the Eurasian International University (EIU) head and the AIC’s general representative in Russia conveyed the project’s intent.
To establish up to 30 settlements across Russia for Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers from the mid-1650s.
“These are Boers, farmers of European descent. Many are currently converting to Orthodoxy and migrating to Russia, drawn by our moral and traditional family values,” Klimenko stated.
The ongoing pilot project in Moscow and Tver regions aims to settle around 3,000 Boer families, with hopes to extend to other parts of Russia if successful.
However, the backdrop to this initiative is somber.
For years, white farmers in South Africa have endured discrimination, dispossession, and a troubling series of violent assaults and murders.
Simone Kerseboom, an MP from FVD, shared her personal ordeal when her parents in South Africa were assaulted at their home.
The thieves took valuables, including a cherished family heirloom.
Kerseboom lamented, “South Africa is breathtakingly beautiful, but living there entails a daily fear for the safety of loved ones.”
To support this migration, the EIU is launching an online Russian language program for about 200 South African settlers starting September.
Furthermore, a partnership with a local farmer, Alexei Trofimov, will establish the ‘Milkburg’ cheesery near the upcoming village, providing the initial settlers, who are dairy farmers, with a local supply and sales outlet.
Notably, this resettlement initiative appears distinct from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement at the Russia-Africa Summit, which focused on expanding African economic and educational opportunities.
Russia’s compassion isn’t just limited to African farmers.
In a separate announcement in May, plans for an “American village” were revealed, aimed at sheltering US conservative families fleeing political and religious persecution.