His presence seemed palpable to us, almost tangible. I learned a great deal,took many photographs, asked a lot of questions and even tried toteach. I felt that it was my mission, during the course of my presentations, to stress that, first of all, Pushkin was not an isolated entity in European history and that many, many Africans before, during and after Pushkin had made their mark in Europe and had left brilliant, even if sometimes little-known, legacies in the northern part of theworld. In addition, I was determined to demonstrate to Africans andRussians alike that our history around the world, including Europe, did not begin in bondage. Overall I found Russia to be a very interesting place.
Major cathedrals abound with scores of dark-skinned icons.
Egyptian motifs are common. I visited the Kremlin, Red Square and Lenin's Tomb. The trip, like all journeys, however, was not without its share of headaches and problems, and Russia is not the most pleasant place that I've visited during the course of my global travels. Not for a minute, however, do I regret the tour. After all, Russia was the home of Abraham Hannibal and Alexander Pushkin.