Tanzania, May 21 -- Whilst reports of racial discrimination and police brutality regularly appear in the news from Europe and the US, people from Africa and other parts of the world who have chosen Russia tell a completely different story.

Tatarstan - a hub of interethnic culture

For many young and ambitious people from Africa, the dream of studying or pursuing a career abroad is always overshadowed by one major fear: racism. Stories of prejudice when renting accommodation in Paris, of unwarranted police checks in New York, or of everyday aggression on the streets of London have become a sad norm. But what if there is an alternative path?

Thousands of Africans who have chosen to live and study in Russia claim to have found something un...