The BRICS Summer School 2023, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, spanned September 4 to 6 and was attended by ICEF’s master’s student Andrey Ilyin, who majors in Financial Economics and is a recipient of the RF Presidential Scholarship. Organised by the University of Johannesburg in collaboration with the South African BRICS Youth Association (SABYA), the Summer School provides a deeper understanding of the BRICS countries and their agenda, promoting also cultural awareness. In this interview Andrey shares his impressions of the Summer School, who he met there, and what struck him most about Africa.
Andrey, you have been to the BRICS Summer School South Africa 2023, hosted by the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. What are your impressions?
Our classes took place at the Johannesburg Business School. JBS is housed in a new modern building that bears resemblance to HSE campus on Pokrovsky Boulevard. We were accommodated in a hotel in nearby Sandton, the safest suburb in Greater Johannesburg. You could tell the organizers were very particular about assuring our safety, for there always was a vehicle to get us to the JBS and whatever destination we wanted to visit.
The Summer School was attended by people from Russia, India, Brazil and African countries and had all the conditions for effective interethnic communication and cultural exchange. For me it’s been a truly enriching opportunity to meet peers from these faraway countries, exchange opinions on some of the most vital issues, and get first-hand experience of living in Africa.
My biggest impression was from the African flair. A country with high crime and unemployment rates, its contrasts are most prominent in Johannesburg, South Africa’s financial centre. The place abounds in high-rise office buildings and luxury cars, but no taxi driver will stop on red at night for fear of having their windscreen broken by phone snatchers.
What were the core topics covered by the Summer School?
This year’s Summer School highlighted mostly the opportunities that are being created by BRICS to benefit its members, as well as global trends in various fields. Special attention was paid to the cooperation in finance: one issue actively discussed during the recent BRICS Summit was the plan for a common currency – all the more so in the context of some countries tightening the sanctions to complicate international clearing in Russia. The talks covering financial relations within BRICS were particularly interesting to follow.
What was your class schedule?
The classes took place in the lecture halls of JBS and took nearly the whole day. Every day we had 3 to 4 two-hour lectures with lunch and coffee breaks in between. I tried to make the most of those coffee breaks communicating with participants and teachers.
Can you tell more about the Summer School participants? Where were they from?
Most of the people in my group were from African countries – South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, etc. My roommate, for example, was from Gambia. The other students in my group were a guy from Russia, HSE student Elizaveta Smolovik, two delegates from India, and a student from Brazil.
The selection process was quite tough for the African applicants. Of 600+ applications, the Summer School accepted only 30. Those approved for participation were the students of Africa’s top universities, young entrepreneurs, and people with backgrounds in agriculture and a number of other fields. This diversity had made peer communication even more exciting for me.
Was it your first trip there? What is your most memorable impression of South Africa?
This has been my first trip ever to Africa. What struck me most was its contrasts: the rather high middle-class household earnings, the vast array of stores and the charming architecture co-exist with 30% unemployment, daily power outages and burglar alarms on every fence. Aside from this, the African people’s high awareness of the Russian culture and politics came as a pleasant surprise.
One special highlight was the local fauna. While on Safari, I spotted all the animals of the so-called Big 5 including lions and elephants. In the vicinity of Cape Town (where I went after the Summer School) I encountered penguins and wild ostriches. The organizers and my classmates made sure I enjoyed most comfortable stay in Johannesburg, while in Cape Town I enjoyed long walks along the coast.
What advantage of ICEF’s MSc Programme would you refer to as the most essential?
I would say that ICEF’s MSc Programme is one of Russia’s bests in finance. Its robust team and attracts the most ambitious of the students. For me, ICEF’s most essential asset is its current faculty group. And, there is no better motivation for progress than being around people who constantly challenge themselves working towards their personal goals and career success.
What student research projects were you involved in or are planning to join?
The Yasin (April) International Academic Conference, organized by the Higher School of Economics. I joined it two years ago and see it as a good opportunity to present and get feedback on my own research that I do as part of my coursework.
BRICS Summer School has been my first experience of a big international student project. I met with its organizers and am planning to join the next BRICS School, which is going to take place in Moscow, as a volunteer organizer.
