Participants included representatives of the BRICS countries and members of the Inostranka Russian Club
An open lesson for foreigners studying the Russian language was held at the BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre in Moscow. The event brought together students from BRICS countries and members of the Inostranka Russian Club, a project of the M. I. Rudomino All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature aimed at supporting the socio-cultural adaptation of foreign citizens in Russia.
The participants are learning Russian through the television series “Russian Lessons with Tanya Semke”, produced by the TV BRICS International Media Network. The meeting at the media centre provided an opportunity to review the first results of this learning process. Tatyana Semke, the programme’s creator and presenter, as well as the author of educational programmes in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language (RFL), prepared tests, interactive exercises, and other game-based forms of assessment for the guests.
During the meeting, participants discussed why they had decided to learn Russian, how challenging they found the process, and searched for words in their native languages that resemble Russian ones. The attendees were then divided into two teams, which competed in describing images displayed on the screen using the suggested vocabulary. The culmination of the lesson was a communicative storytelling game, in which participants collectively created an oral story about friendship between nations and love between representatives of different cultures. Throughout the lesson, the most active participants received prizes, including grammar books and educational materials.
“Distance learning has many advantages, but nothing can replace face-to-face lessons, as they involve an exchange of energy, direct interaction among all participants, emotional engagement, joy, and excitement. Such meetings leave a positive impression, inspire a desire to interact, and encourage the practice of spoken language. The activities of the TV BRICS International Media Network in promoting the Russian language and culture resonate with international students studying Russian, and for them, the format of open lessons is another effective way of immersing themselves in the Russian-speaking environment,” said Tamara Skok, Director of the Department of Innovative Linguistic Projects at TV BRICS, Head of the international project “Modern Russian”, and Candidate of Philological Sciences.
The television series “Russian Lessons with Tanya Semke” has been on air since March 2025. The first season consists of 99 episodes. The programme is broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the English-language TV BRICS channel and is also available on the media network’s portal in the respective language. By completing the entire course, learners can master basic grammar, learn to read in Russian, and build the vocabulary necessary for everyday communication.
The TV BRICS project has already been broadcast by the media network’s partners in South Africa – Durban TV and BRICS Africa Channel – as well as in Egypt by the Sada El-Balad portal and television channel.
African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS
