Festival organizer Rosmolodezh says the large attendance at the event in Russia dispels the myth that Moscow is isolated
Moscow’s embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has organized a departure ceremony for more than 60 delegates heading to Russia to represent the Central African nation at the World Youth Festival (WYF) in the city of Sochi in the southern Krasnodar region.
At the send-off on Tuesday, Alexey Sentebov, Russia’s ambassador to the republic (DR Congo), said Kinshasa has one of the largest numbers of WYF particpants among African countries at the festival, which runs until March 7.
According to Sentebov, this underlines the special importance given to the prospects of establishing links between the youth of Russia and those of the DR Congo.
The World Youth Festival, which was given the go-ahead by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been labeled the “largest youth event in the world” by its organizers Rosmolodezh, the federal agency for youth affairs.
The weeklong event is bringing together around 20,000 young leaders from over 180 countries, including Russia, in fields like business, media, culture, science, education, volunteer work, and sports. It aims to kickstart conversations, seek diverse perspectives on issues, and to foster new friendships, regardless of participants’ political beliefs or cultural backgrounds.
Last week, Ksenia Razuvaeva, director of Rosmolodezh, announced that more than 300,000 people had applied to attend the cultural event.
“We are on the verge of a planetary-scale event… This is six times more than in 2017, so we are destroying the myth that Russia is isolated,” she told reporters.
On Thursday, Russian Ambassador to Uganda Vladlen Semivolos also hosted a send-off party for some 30 Ugandan youth attending the WYF. The envoy said the event has been built around the concept of a multipolar world, adding that Uganda’s participation will mark a significant step in strengthening relations between Russia and that East African nation.
In July of last year, the WYF press office reported that delegates from 35 African countries had applied for spots in the cultural gathering, with Kenya, Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Rwanda, Benin, and Tanzania showing the most interest.
