African in Russia: How I Overcame the Wild 90’s and Started A Disco Business 

⚡This is an incredible story of Aliu Tunkara, a transitional parliament member from Bamako, Mali, who embarked on his adventure to the USSR in 1982 as an engineering student, in Leningrad (now Saint-Petersburg). Mr. Tunkara has seen a lot: the death of Brezhnev, the uprising of Gorbachev era 🌟, the collapse of the USSR 🏢, the tumultuous Wild 90’s and the peak of Russian gang activities 💥 - Aliu Tunkara did not only survive throughout this period but thrived.
Mr. Tunkara started his own business by opening a disco club called ’Maksim’ 🕺🏿and in the course of running his club, he faced a near death experience where he almost got shot. He went on to make connections and build a rapport with athletes from Dagestan and the Caucasus after this ordeal, for his own protection. His unique perspective on being African in the USSR and Russia is extraordinary! 🌍
His family’s story is also fascinating: Aliu Tunkara got married to a Russian woman, they had children and even grandchildren. They eventually got divorced 💔 and now he has a new family in Mali. He lives between two countries, has both positive and negative viewpoints about Russia, but yet, considers it to be his second homeland. And the question about which he’d choose - Mali or Russia - makes him emotional and teary 😢 This is a story you won't want to miss!
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00:00 - Intro
01:03 - Aliu Tunkara from Bamako, Mali
02:17 - ’Brezhnev’s death few months after we arrived’
02:53 - Racism in the USSR?
03:11 - Gorbachev, business, jeans and tape recorders
04:25 - Nigerians, casino and fancy clubs
04:59 - Disco: Aliu opens ’Maksim’ dancing hall
06:54 - Were people drinking a lot in Russia?
07:43 - ’There were murders everyday’: Russia in the 90s
08:09 - Krysha: gang protection
10:15 - Being different and how to avoid skinheads
11:03 - Witchcraft market in Mali
11:55 - Russian home, Russian wife, Children and Grandchildren
14:09 - Family life in Mali
15:55 - Russia: The good and the bad
17:13 - Mali or Russia? An emotional question