On November 5, the grand opening of the first Lecture Hall of Film Practice took place in Dakar, the capital of the Republic of Senegal. It is located on the territory of the Sheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. The implementation of this project will make Russian culture and language more accessible to local students, and in the future — to create a unique cultural and educational space.

The creation of Lecture Halls is an initiative of Innopraktika within the framework of international cooperation with the BRICS member countries. The project was initiated back in 2022 during the first visiting art session of the School of Other Practice in Dakar. Even then, the African side expressed an unconditional interest in Russian culture and art. To help students in their studies, it was decided to create a specialized media center.

The construction agreement was signed in July 2023 within the framework of the Second Russia—Africa Summit in St. Petersburg. The project is being implemented with the assistance of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

"We value other cultures and are ready to build a partnership based on the principle of respect and mutual understanding in this multipolar world. This Lecture hall will be a reference point for an open dialogue, for those who want to learn a little more about Russia, to penetrate into its culture, literature, and learn the Russian language," Natalia Popova, First Deputy General Director of Innopraktika, said during the ceremony.

Rector of the University of Dakar Sheikh Anta Diop, Professor Aminata Nian Dien, Dean of the Faculty of Philology and Humanities of the University, Professor Alioun Badara Kanji, Head of the Department of Slavic Languages and Civilizations of the Faculty of Philology and Humanities, Professor Houssainou Tall and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Senegal and The Gambia is also Dmitry Kurakov. Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Grigory Zaslavsky, Rector of the Russian Institute of Theatrical Arts (GITIS) addressed the guests and students of the University via video link Russian Russian Language and Literature and Karina Galai, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian and Foreign Literature at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), who presented an educational program for the study of the Russian language and literature.

The first Lecture Hall of Film Practice was not accidentally built on the territory of Sheikh Anta Diop University. The university is one of the largest in West Africa. The presidents of a number of countries on the continent are its graduates. Today, over 90 thousand students study at the educational institution, and the Department of the Russian Language of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities operates.

In her welcoming speech, the Rector of the University of Dakar, Sheikh Anta Diop, Professors Nathanian Dion recalled that Senegal has a very long and strong relationship with Russia. Diplomatic ties between the two countries began back in 1962. Russian russians, the first President of the Republic, Leopold Cedar Senghor, believed that Senegalese should know and study the Russian language and Russian culture, because the great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin spoke this language.

In her welcoming speech, the Rector of the University of Dakar, Sheikh Anta Diop, Professors Nathanian Dion recalled that Senegal has a very long and strong relationship with Russia. Diplomatic ties between the two countries began back in 1962. Russian russians, the first President of the Republic, Leopold Cedar Senghor, believed that Senegalese should know and study the Russian language and Russian culture, because the great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin spoke this language.

The two-storey Lecture Hall is equipped with modern equipment that allows you to organize video conferences. The Russian Embassy donated more than 1.5 thousand books to the media library. It is planned to hold monthly online lectures on the Russian language and literature, the history of Russian painting, theater, cinema and history with the participation of professors from universities of the Russian Federation. The first seminars and lectures will begin on November 11.