“African Pushkin”: The starting point of the reception of Russian literature by writers in francophone Africa

The paper is devoted to the study of the reception of Russian literature by writers in francophone Africa, as well as to the consideration of its sociocultural and aesthetic significance. The research is aimed at revealing the key stages in the process of the perception of Russian literature in Africa, which starts with the discussion about the African roots of A. S. Pushkin, with the figure of Abram Hannibal, the ancestor of the great Russian poet, being the center of attention. The research is novel in that it is the first to clearly consider some key motifs in such a cultural, literary and historical phenomenon as the reception of Russian literature by writers in francophone Africa. As a result of the research, it was shown that firstly, the reception of Russian literature in francophone Africa begins with the reconstruction of Hannibal’s life story by the African researcher Dieudonné Gnammankou, who opened a new frontier in the realization and reception of Pushkin’s works. Secondly, it was found that in comprehending Pushkin’s image and his African roots, various types of perception were formed: primarily aesthetic and racial factors of cross-cultural interaction remained the focus of attention for scholars. Interestingly, the reflection on Pushkin’s personality allowed writers in francophone Africa to discover the works of other Russian classical authors of the 19th century.