Participation of Boris Gorelik, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Sub-Saharan Africa, in the international academic conference ‘Tolstoy, Gandhi and South Africa: Sowing the Seeds of Liberation’
THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND HIGHER EDUCATION
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
INSTITUTE FOR AFRICAN STUDIES
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30/1 ул. Спиридоновка, Москва, 123001 |
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30/1 Spiridonovka str., Moscow, 123001 |
On 25 September 2025, an international academic conference entitled ‘Tolstoy, Gandhi and South Africa: Sowing the Seeds of Liberation’ was held in Pretoria (South Africa). It was devoted to studying the influence of Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi on liberation movements in Africa.
The event was timed to coincide with the birthdays of Leo Tolstoy (9 September) and Mohandas Gandhi (2 October). The conference was organised by the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Embassy in South Africa and the High Commission of India in South Africa. The host was the University of South Africa.
The idea for the conference arose after a visit to Tolstoy Farm, located near Johannesburg. Founded by M. Gandhi and his colleague Hermann Kallenbach in 1910–1913, the farm was named after the great Russian writer. Gandhi and his followers lived there, inspired by Tolstoy's ideas and non-violent resistance to racial discrimination.
Welcoming speeches at the opening of the conference were given by the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, P. Kumar; and Prof. B. Senokwane, Executive Director of the Department of Institutional Development at the University of South Africa. Embassy Counsellor I. Baranov read out a greeting to the participants and guests of the conference from R.E. Ambarov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to South Africa.
The Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences was represented at the conference by B.M. Gorelik, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Sub-Saharan Africa, who gave a presentation entitled ‘Tolstoy's Anti-Colonial Views and Their Influence on Liberation Movements in Africa.’ B.M. Gorelik's article on this topic is available on the website of the journal Scientific Notes of the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Other speakers included T.N. Zagorodnikova (Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences), A. Annamalai, Director of the Gandhi National Museum (New Delhi), G. V. Alekseeva, Head of the Research Department of the Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate (Tula), and C. Naidu, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Lutuli Museum (South Africa).
The participants' presentations and the ensuing discussion revealed the depth and multifaceted nature of the relationship between Tolstoy and Gandhi, outlined prospects for further study of this topic, and demonstrated the cultural and historical ties between the friendly peoples of Russia, India and South Africa.
