Interviews

STEADY RUSSIA-GHANA RELATIONS  -  A Cultural Bridge    

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also called the Soviet Union, was among the score of nations that first established diplomatic relations with the newly independent Ghana. One of the world's two super-powers, the USSR also became one of the first to establish a cultural centre in Accra after the UK and the US.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also called the Soviet Union, was among the score of nations that first established diplomatic relations with the newly independent Ghana. One of the world's two super-powers, the USSR also became one of the first to establish a cultural centre in Accra after the UK and the US. 

There was fierce competition between the East and the West for the minds of Ghanaians, but the youthful portion of the target population was delighted with the sheer variety of ideas that this opened to them.  The Soviet Union went beyond that, with a massive scholarship programme that enabled a large number of young Ghanaians to be trained for critical areas such as education, medicine, engineering, architecture, agriculture, fisheries and the sciences.  

Starting in 1960, this programme, which has been maintained by the USSR's successor, the Russian Federation, even though on a much pared-down scale, was to become the largest foreign donor scholarship scheme for Ghana. So far, says Russian Ambassador Valery Orlov, more than 3,500 Ghanaians have benefited from this long-running programme.  What is not so well known is that while in the past all Ghanaian students in the Soviet Union were on Soviet scholarships, the majority of the 300 or so in Russia today are private students, some of them in the most prestigious institutions. 

As his country's top diplomat in Ghana, Mr Orlov is obviously happy that relations between Russia and Ghana have been consistently good. As a mark of strengthening relations Russia is building a new embassy in Accra. Ambassador Orlov points out that this is the first such project in Africa since the transformation from USSR to Russian Federation.  

Mr Orlov expresses regret that trade and business relations have lagged far behind the political, and he's most unhappy about the poor representation of Russian business in Ghana - only seven companies.  But he notes that serious and active steps are being taken to correct this situation. For instance, he says, a newly formed Ghana-Russia Chamber of Commerce is spearheading the drive to interest Russian business in Ghana's economy. And the Russian Embassy in Accra has posted relevant information on its website and has, in addition, been having serious discussions with top Ghanaian government and other officials.

A most regrettable happening in relations between the two countries was the closure, in the early 1990s, of the Soviet Cultural Centre, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. But that was perhaps inevitable, considering the dire economic straits in which the former super-power found itself. However, with the return to health of the Russian economy, consideration is being given to the reopening of the centre, says Mr Orlov.  

Yet in the absence of an active official cultural presence, cultural relations have been on the upswing since 2002. And one person has been responsible for all this - Anita, wife of Ambassador Orlov.  

A top rank artist and designer, Mrs Orlov fell in love with a major icon of Ghanaian culture - beads - only a few weeks after her arrival in Accra in 2002.  She has since successfully incorporated Ghanaian beads in her designs, produced a number of artifacts from beads, become a highly respected and valued member of the prestigious Ghana Beads Society and taken an active part in the design and organisation of all its highly successful exhibitions. In addition, Anita Orlova has also made extensive use of bead motifs in the interior design of the new Russian chancellery and the residence and she's already in touch with Russian designers, trying to get them interested in what she is doing.   

It's not surprising, therefore, that Anita Orlova has been described as Russia's unofficial cultural ambassador to Ghana.  Her work has also attracted considerable attention not only in the Ghanaian, but also in the Russian media, where a series of articles she is preparing on Ghanaian beads and West African design concepts is expected to be published.                 

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