Dancing into battle - meet the African Army recruits training in Siberia

By The Siberian Times reporter

04 June 2015

With chanting, singing and traditional tribal moves, is this the coolest way to go into combat?

There are 26 cadets from five African countries - Congo, Angola, Mozambique, Mali and Niger. Picture: Dmitry Polushin

A group of African Army cadets training in Siberia have entertained fellow recruits with a performance of their traditional marching skills. The 10 soldiers, from Mozambique, performed their dance-like march in the parade square of the Novosibirsk High Military Command School.

Singing a chant in their native tongue, and bearing a weapon, they used traditional African tribal-esque moves as part of the display for the facility’s ‘School Day’.

There are 26 cadets from five African countries - Congo, Angola, Mozambique, Mali and Niger - studying at the Novosibirsk High Military Command School.

It is considered a privilege to be accepted by the training academy and recruits have to compete with other applicants for their place.

Among the soldiers is Ris Del Onie, who studied at a military academy in Congo for 10 years before going to Novosibirsk. He speaks French, Spanish and English and is now studying Russian four hours a day. Ris, who is studying to work in the intelligence service, will return to Congo and join the elite Army in his home country when his stint in Russia is over.

He said: 'To overcome the language barrier faster, we decided to speak Russia between each other, and we’re also listening to Russian songs and watch TV. We also learned the commands, but we haven’t yet learnt all the technical terms, for example the parts of a parachute and aircraft. But we have immediately learned the name of Russia’s president'.

He added that the Siberian cold does not bother him, although he said that he finds it frustrating not being able to find mango or ostrich in shops.