Russians Elect First Black African Politician

Jean Gregoire Sagbo, 48 year-old, originally from Benin, West African was elected as one of the 10 municipal councilors in the town of Novozavidovo.

Jean Gregoire Sagbo, 48 year-old, originating from Benin, West African was elected as one of the 10 municipal councilors in the town of Novozavidovo, Russia.

Sagbo migrated to Moscow in 1982 to study economics. He met his wife, a Novozavidovo native and subsequently moved to her home town about 65 miles north of Moscow in 1989.

Among the town's 10,000 people, Sagbo is viewed as a Russian who cares about his hometown and people. Just 25 years ago, people in the town used to stare at Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Novozavidovo, Russia is an impoverished, garbage-strewn place that suffers from high unemployment, corruption, alcoholism, rampant drug usage and a polluted lake.

Hopefully Sagbo's election will lessen the racially motivated attacks against Africans in Russia and thus expose the Russian government as they ignore the growing attacks on African students and residents. It has been widely documented that students of the International University in Moscow are the worst victims. Some of these students, having escaped the civil wars and genocide in their respective countries become victims for the second time around from the attacked, or killing at the hands of Russian hooligans.