#AmbassadorSpeaks

🎙 Russian Ambassador to South Africa and Lesotho Roman Ambarov's welcoming remarks to the organizers and participants of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends,

It is a great honour to welcome you to Durban for the exhibition of the 11th Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest – presented here for the very first time.

I would like to express our particular gratitude to Dr Iqbal Survé for his continued support and for the long-standing friendship and cooperation we have enjoyed over the years. His personal commitment to cultural and media exchanges has helped create opportunities such as this one – among many others – and has contributed greatly to strengthening the ties between Russia and South Africa and our people.

🤝 We deeply value this enduring partnership and the spirit of mutual respect and friendship in which it continues to develop.

I am particularly pleased to see how, over the years, the Andrei Stenin exhibition has become a well-established and much-loved tradition in South Africa. It all began in 2016 with the first exhibition in Cape Town, which I had the privilege of opening in my capacity as Consul General of Russia.

Since then, the project has returned to South Africa each year, introducing local audiences to some of the finest work by young photojournalists from around the world.

This year, we are delighted to bring it to KwaZulu-Natal for the first time.

The Embassy of Russia in South Africa regularly presents the winning works of the competition in Pretoria. For us, this is more than a cultural event. It is an opportunity to bring together photographers, journalists and cultural institutions through the universal language of photography. We consider it important to continue this work while also expanding the exhibition’s reach across South Africa, and its arrival in Durban is a natural continuation of this long-standing initiative.

🇷🇺🇿🇦 South African photographers have themselves become an important part of the contest’s story, winning prizes and making the shortlists in various categories over the years. Their achievements reflect both the strength of South Africa’s photographic tradition and the distinctive perspective it brings to international photojournalism.

I would like to thank everyone who made this Durban exhibition possible.

In particular, I would like to express our appreciation to Independent Media and IOL for their collaboration with Sputnik News Agency and Radio.

And now, rather than speak any longer about the photographs, I believe it is time to let them speak for themselves. I am sure some will provoke a thought, some a question, and perhaps some will begin conversations that continue long after we leave this room.

That, after all, is one of the most meaningful things an exhibition can achieve.

Thank you.

#AmbassadorAmbarov