30.12.2022, South Africa.
The fact that the USSR appeared and existed had a great influence on the countries of the African continent as it showed that the colonial heritage could be overcome, said member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of South Africa Tebogo Phadu.
He stressed that “the socialist revolution of 1917 and the existence of the USSR had a great influence on entire Africa and South Africa in particular.” Also, according to Phadu, the Soviet Union “was a source of people’s inspiration and a reminder that the forces of colonialism and imperialism could be defeated, that the heritage of colonialism and uneven development could be overcome, and a united nation could be created in spite of a variety of people and cultures.”
The member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party shared his memories of his stay in the USSR while racism was widespread in his home country. Phadu was astonished to see “a world turned upside down, because in the world I new there were hospitals for the black and hospitals for the white, and even many shops were racially segregating.” While in a hospital in Moscow he was surprised that “a white nurse, white workers, white cleaners, white food handlers were taking care of me.” To summarize his experience, Phadu said, “You can imagine a black young South African having an experience on the USSR that was very different than what took place in his mind. But I came to value freedom from racism much more.”
He also noted that access to the public transit system in the Soviet Union did not depend on skin color, in contrast to his home country.
“During apartheid in South Africa, I had to travel long distances out of safety concerns in order to go with my mother early in the morning by taxi to her job,” Phadu remembers.
December 30, 2022 is the 100th anniversary of the formation of the USSR. The Soviet Union had a great influence on the entire global history, it defeated fascism, its active effort collapsed the colonial system, and it was one of the countries that established the UN.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
