One post shared on Facebook Russian President Vladimir Putin has made disparaging comments about Africa, calling the continent a “graveyard for Africans”.
Verdict: Wrong
There is no evidence to suggest that Putin made such comments about Africa.
Data Check:
Macky Sall, the head of the African Union and president of Senegal, met with Putin in June to discuss food shortages in Africa stemming from Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, according to France 24. Sall warned Putin that Africans were “economically victims” of the conflict due to the freeze on grain exports, the report said.
A widely shared video on Facebook from a 2018 episode of the podcast “Drink Champs,” Putin claims once made disparaging comments about Africa and rich Africans. In the clip, American rapper David Banner claims that Putin once said: “Africa is a graveyard for Africans.” (RELATED: Is Vladimir Putin Making These Disparaging Comments About Western Leaders?)
“When an African gets rich, his bank accounts are in Switzerland,” Putin’s alleged quote continued. “He travels to France for medical treatment, invests in Germany, buys in Dubai, consumes Chinese, prays in Rome or Mecca. His children study in Europe. Travels to Canada, USA and Europe for tourism. If he dies, he will be buried in his homeland. Africa is just a graveyard for Africans. How could a cemetery develop?’
The quote is fabricated. Check the fact found there is no reliable news to suggest that the Russian president should ever make such comments. ONE search the Kremlin website and Putin recorded speeches does not create any effect on the alleged offer. There is also no reliable information which attributes such a quote to the Russian leader.
An internet search reveals the quote has was released online since at least 2018, but none of the posts specify where or when Putin made the alleged statement. The quote was previously taken down by AFP Fact Check, Reuters and Control of Africa.
Check Your Fact has reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington DC for comment and will update this piece accordingly if received.
