THE 'Asia and Africa Today' journal, which is published by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is celebrating its 66th anniversary this year.
The journal was created in that period when the colonial system was collapsing. Dozens of countries in Asia and Africa were gaining political and economic independence.
There was a growing need to know more about young countries, to look for ways to develop cooperation with them.
The first few editions of the journal became a platform for Russian scholars to exchange results of research with foreign colleagues.
Its pages reflected a wide range of international issues, as well as the most important events in culture and literature.
The magazine from the very beginning was designed especially for people who were interested in current events in Asian and African countries.
I manage to publish my articles in this journal regularly, and recently I received an edition with an article about Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
My profession is connected with words, and I inevitably pay attention not only to what a person says, but also to how he says it. It is an incredibly difficult task to speak clearly and still maintain emotional truth.
When we are worried, we begin to speak inconsistently; unnecessary emotion and interjections, borrowed words and repetition occur in our speech.
When we pull ourselves together, emotion and soulfulness are often lost. Only outstanding masters of the word can summon these attributes.
In this regard, what and how Anwar says something produces an instant reaction in me. Watching him from the side, I see that he not only knows what he is saying, but he also feels it.
He understands exactly that his every word, every slip of the tongue can mean a lot for the souls and destinies of people.
But at the same time, he does not turn into a machine. He is absolutely alive. I love to listen to him and watch how his words are delivered, how his eyes react when he smiles or jokes.
We are all children of the 'Word'. Our connection with our native language is not just some kind of formal quality. This is a connection with the earth, with ancestors.
It seems to me that Anwar not only feels and knows this connection, he also brilliantly expresses it.
I wish many politicians will learn from the Malaysian prime minister the ability to express thoughts both deeply and sincerely.
Yes, that goes for all of us, too.
The writer, a former lecturer at Universiti Malaya, penned this article in Russia
