imiМеждународная аналитикаJournal of International Analytics2587-84762541-9633MGIMO University10.46272/2587-8476-2026-17-2-126-138imi-717Research ArticleИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКИЕ СТАТЬИRESEARCH ARTICLESДискурс популярных медиа Запада об отношениях России и Африки в условиях конфронтации России и ЗападаWestern Mainstream Media Discourse on Russia-Africa Relations amid Russo-Western ConfrontationЗингМ. Й. Б.ZingM. Y. B.

Миках Йинпанг Бави Зинг, аспирант; научный сотрудник

101000, Москва, ул. Мясницкая, 20

NT-0272-1946, Гана, Тамале, TL 13

Micah Yinpang Bavi Zing, PhD Student; Research Fellow

20, Myasnitskaya street, Moscow, 101000

TL 1350, Tamale, NT-0272-1946

m.zing@hse.ruШишкинаА. РShishkinaA. R.

Алиса Романовна Шишкина, старший научный сотрудник; старший научный сотрудник

199034, Санкт-Петербург, Университетская наб., 13б

123001, Москва, ул. Спиридоновка, 30/1

Alisa Romanovna Shishkina, PhD (Polit.), Leading Researche

13B, Universitetskaya embarkment, Saint Petersburg, 199034

30/1, Spiridonovka street, Moscow, 123001

alisa.shishkina@gmail.comНациональный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики»; Университет развития и исследованийРоссияNational Research University Higher School of Economics; University for Development StudiesRussian FederationСанкт-Петербургский государственный университет; Институт Африки РАНРоссияSaint Petersburg State University; Institute for African Studies RASRussian Federation202617082026172126138Copyright © Зинг М.Б., Шишкина А.Р., 20262026Зинг М.Б., Шишкина А.Р.Zing M.B., Shishkina A.R.Данная работа распространяется под лицензией Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.https://www.interanalytics.org/jour/article/view/717

В статье рассматривается дискурс популярных медиа Запада об отношениях между Россией и Африкой, а также то, как информационная конфронтация России и Запада влияет на российско-африканский дипломатический диалог. Исторически Советский Союз поддерживал дружеские отношения с Африкой, характеризующиеся солидарностью и взаимным уважением. Распад СССР, дискурс западных медиа о российско-африканском диалоге и трансформация интересов России способствовали сокращению контактов между странами вплоть до недавнего времени, когда российская дипломатия начала восстанавливать отношения с Африкой. Однако нарративы западных СМИ о России в свете текущего геополитического кризиса негативно влияют на ее восприятие африканцами и тем самым воздействуют на характер отношений России и Африки в целом. Несмотря на негативные стереотипы о России в западных СМИ, авторы утверждают, что такие нарративы имеют малое влияние либо совсем не влияют на дипломатический диалог между Россией и Африкой, поскольку Российская Федерация продолжает взаимодействовать с африканскими государствами в различных сферах. Кроме того, освещение украинского кризиса в СМИ способствовало повышению популярности России в Африке из-за одностороннего подхода журналистов, в результате чего несогласная аудитория начала воспринимать новостные сообщения как пропаганду в интересах Запада. Авторы приходят к выводу, что дипломатические отношения между Россией и Африкой не только формируются на фоне геополитических интересов, но также подвержены влиянию нарративов западных медиа. В результате этого требуются усилия (прямое взаимодействие, культурный обмен и прозрачная коммуникация) как со стороны России, так и со стороны африканских государств, направленные на противодействие современным вызовам и негативным образам в СМИ, а также на восстановление дружеских отношений в свете исторических связей между Россией и Африкой.

The article focuses on the Western mainstream media (WMM) discourse on Russia-Africa relations and how Russo-Western information confrontation affects the diplomatic dialogue between Russia and African states. Historically, the Soviet Union fostered a friendly relationship with the continent, characterized by solidarity and mutual respect. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the WMM discourse on Russian-African dialogue, and Russia’s change of interest largely diminished the volume of contacts, until recently, as Moscow is beginning to rebuild its relationship with Africa. However, the WMM narratives about Russia have contributed negatively to shaping its perception in Africa, thereby affecting Russia-Africa relations. Despite the negative stereotype about Russia in the WMM, the authors argue that these narratives have little to no effect on the Russia-Africa diplomatic dialogue at the current stage due to the Soviet Union’s legacy of establishing ties with African countries, and taking into account that the Russian Federation continues to engage with Africa in various fields. Additionally, since the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, media reporting has even made Russia popular in Africa due to its one-sided coverage, leading dissenting audiences to view the news coverage as propaganda or an agenda to suit Western interests. The authors, however, conclude that the diplomatic relations between Russia and Africa are not solely shaped by geopolitical interests but might also be influenced by Western media due to their widespread narratives. As a result, efforts from both Russia and Africa may contribute to counteracting negative media effects and revitalise positive relationship.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest present.