The delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania at the Headquarters of the RGS in St. Petersburg. Photo: Vera Kovalevskaya
A delegation from the United Republic of Tanzania, led by Fredrick Ibrahim Kibuta, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of this country to Russia, visited the headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg. The visit was organized by the city’s Committee on External Relations.
Roman Ryabintsev, Director of the Headquarters of the RGS in St. Petersburg, conducted a tour of the historic building for the members of the delegation. The guests visited the Russian Geographical Society’s Scientific Archive, where, in particular, they saw diary entries from the trip of Russian scientists Valentin Dogel and Ivan Sokolov to Kenya and Uganda (Equatorial Africa) in 1914, as well as portrait sketches of local residents made by them.
The delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania at the Headquarters of the RGS in St. Petersburg. Photo: Vera Kovalevskaya
The guests were shown a unique map of «Africa» at the Cartographic Collection. It was compiled and published in St. Petersburg at the Geographical Department of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1757. Egor Orlov, the supervisor of the collection, drew the guests' attention to the fact that all the names on the map are in Russian.
The guests were also very interested in the 1888 edition of «Kilimanjaro» in German, prepared by the Scientific Library of the RGS. It contains sketches, landscapes, and a description of the highest point of the African continent. The majestic volcano is located in the northeast of Tanzania. The collection was released at a time when the territory of the modern United Republic of Tanzania was part of the German colonies. The members of the delegation looked at the drawings for a long time and with great interest, recognizing some places, but noting how much had already changed. Fredrick Ibrahim Kibuta expressed gratitude to all those involved in the careful preservation of his country’s history.
The delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania at the Headquarters of the RGS in St. Petersburg. Photo: Vera Kovalevskaya
At the end of the tour, Roman Ryabintsev spoke about the modern activities of the Russian Geographical Society. The members of the delegation were particularly interested in events aimed at popularizing historical and geographical knowledge. In this regard, a package of proposals was prepared for them: the creation of a Geographical Center in the United Republic of Tanzania, the holding of the Geographical Dictation in the country, joint exhibitions, and the publication of geography books.