This academic year, Rossotrudnichestvo has more than doubled the quota for students from Africa to study at Russian universities, from 2,300 to 4,720 budget places. Most often, applicants who come from the sunny continent choose "medical treatment", engineering specialities, as well as economics and information technology as their areas of training. However, they also learn other professions.
For example, Njijip Fossi Frank Ulrich is studying at the Empress Catherine II's St Petersburg Mining University at the Faculty of Construction, specialising as an architect. The young man comes from Cameroon. This state is located in the western part of Central Africa, its coast is washed by the inlets of the Gulf of Guinea.
The country, where Frank comes from, surprises with its natural and national flavour. The authorities themselves position it for tourists as "Africa in miniature". All the continent's diversity, climatic, cultural and geographical, can be found within the Republic. The terrain alternates between mountains, plateaus and plains. Savannahs are replaced by evergreen equatorial forests and mangroves. In the north of Cameroon there are several wildlife reserves where elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, chimpanzees, gorillas, hippos and rhinos live in their natural environment. These places attract safari enthusiasts and big game hunters from all over the world.
In the south-west of the country, tourists can enjoy beach holidays in two seaside resort towns: English-speaking Limbe and French-speaking Kribi with black volcanic sand. In the south of the country, in the capital Yaoundé, travellers can immerse themselves in the life of a developed, by African standards, city. The metropolis of three million people has universities, hospitals, an airport, iconic architecture, museums and sculptural monuments.
"In Yaoundé, I studied at an architecture college and was planning to continue my specialisation at a local university. But my mates who came back from Russia were just talking about how much they enjoyed studying at St Petersburg Mining University. And I wanted to go. I applied for the competition, which I won, thanks to the fact that my average score in my certificate (the analogue of the Russian certificate - ed.) was higher than "12" (with a maximum of "20" - ed.). I got a budget under the quota and flew to the Northern Capital. I consider myself very lucky. After all, all my education in Cameroon - primary, secondary school, lyceum - cost money. Albeit not very much, about 5,000 roubles a year in your money, but nevertheless it was an additional financial burden on my parents," Frank recalls.
St Petersburg met him with an unusual cold. The young man did not know the Russian language, culture and customs. The hills and mountains of his native Yaoundé were replaced by a flat plain in the Neva delta. To adapt at least a little, on his first evening he went for a walk along the embankments and avenues of the Northern Capital.
"I was struck by the predominance of horizontals over verticals in the historical centre of St. Petersburg, the unified facade development, the so-called 'sky line', as well as the radial system of avenues and the layout of neighbourhoods. I looked at the city through the eyes of an architect and fell in love with it. Of course, I missed Yaoundé. At home, my friends and I would often walk along Kennedy Central Avenue. Everything is different there," Frank recalls.
He says he tries to regularly accumulate visual experience, which he claims "develops taste". The young man has already travelled to all the suburbs of St Petersburg and explored the neighbourhood of Nevsky Prospekt.
"I really liked it in Peterhof, Pushkin, Pavlovsk. I started to understand the architectural styles of the Northern Capital. I photograph a lot of things, then revisit them. This "base" of personal impressions will help me in the future to become the best specialist in my field," the student is sure.
Cameroon's capital has a well-developed infrastructure. However, once you get a few kilometres away from the city with its high-rises, shops and sights, the panorama changes dramatically. Most of the population lives in one-storey shacks. There are virtually no traffic rules in the Republic. The right of priority on the road is given to the one who honks longer. Traffic lights, road signs and markings are rare.
"I want the capital of Cameroon to become as attractive to tourists as St Petersburg. And what attracts travellers? Good roads, the opportunity to have fun and learn about local traditions. For Yaoundé, I would like to design a large shopping centre. Both locals and visitors are missing it. And I would also love to be involved in building the infrastructure for a major new resort," Frank dreams.
He says Cameroon has large deposits of volcanic salts. They contain trace elements that are essential for strengthening the respiratory system. This can undoubtedly contribute to the development of tourism. Also the subsoil of the Republic is rich in bauxite, gold, nickel, cobalt, titanium, uranium and many other minerals. According to the young man, the development of deposits of these resources could improve the standard of living of the entire population of his country. But this would require competent geologists and engineers, who are sorely lacking.
"I myself am far from mining, my vocation is architecture. But some of my acquaintances, including those who studied here at this university, got specialities and returned to their homeland to search for and develop deposits there. But this, as they say, is a local story. Globally, we all have high hopes for the consortium "Subsoil of Africa", which was recently established under the patronage of St. Petersburg Mining University. This collaboration offers great opportunities not only for Cameroon, but for the entire continent, as it is designed to address two of our greatest challenges. Firstly, the lack of competent human resources, including those who can provide scientific support for specific industrial projects. And, secondly, the lack of technology to exploit our subsoil independently, without the participation of foreigners, and to channel the main revenues from this activity into the state budget," Frank summarised.
In the near future, he plans to visit southern Russia, see the architecture of Sochi and Krasnodar, compare it to the classicism and northern modernism characteristic of the city on the Neva River, and get an additional source of inspiration for his future projects.
The projects of second-year student Njijip Fossi Frank Ulrich, created during his studies at St Petersburg Mining University:
