EPISODE 1: LUANDI NEL - WHAT DO RUSSIA AND SOUTH AFRICA HAVE IN COMMON?

South Africans eat 'Russians' on an empty stomach. That's what they call sausages with cheese. It is amazing, but Russia and South Africa have a lot in common: there are similar and even identical words in Afrikaans and Russian, people have similar views on life and the world order, and both countries have a special, distinctive path of development. Then there are the common pages of history.

During South Africa's struggle for independence from the British Empire in the late 19th century, many volunteers from the Russian Empire went there. Among them was Yevgeny Yakovlevich Maximov, a career officer, adventurer and journalist who is best remembered for his service to the South African Republic during the Second Anglo-Boer War. In 1899 Maximov went to South Africa as a correspondent for the newspapers "Novoie Vremia", "Sankt-Peterburgskiie Vedomosti" and "Rossiia" to cover the Anglo-Boer War. In March 1900, Maximov was appointed deputy commander of the European Legion, led by the Frenchman George de Villebois-Mareuil. An excellent marksman and horseman, Maximov's skills with guns and horses always impressed the Boers, who saw good horsemanship and marksmanship as admirable talents in a man. The Boers generally disliked the foreign volunteers who came to fight with them against the British, only accepting as equals those who showed exceptional skill and bravery, together with a willingness to embrace aspects of Afrikaner culture. Maximov became only the second foreigner to be given the rank of general in the Boer Army.

We discuss this and other similarities between Russia and South Africa in our interview with journalist and radio presenter Luandi Nel.

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