At the end of the 68th year of his life, a well-known African scientist, head of the Center for Southern African Studies at the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Lev Nikolayevich Rytov, died suddenly. His death overtook him in Cape Town, in the "second capital" of South Africa, the study of historical, national, political and economic problems of which, as well as the South African region as a whole, Lev Nikolaevich devoted all his creative activity.

L. N. Rytov belonged to a generation that greeted their victorious fathers who came from the Great Patriotic War with glee, saw how the country was being raised from the ruins by the efforts of the people and sought to contribute to this creative process. The step that determined the entire life path of Lev Nikolaevich was admission to the Faculty of History of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. L. N. Rytov's scientific career was forever connected with African studies and its alma mater-the Institute of Africa of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now RAS), which he joined in 1963 and where he worked for more than 40 years.

In 1999, L. N. Rytov defended his thesis "The struggle of the peoples of Botswana and Lesotho (1945-1966)" and was awarded the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences. A possible question is: why is it so late? Perhaps it was because, having become a qualified expert on Southern African issues and published numerous papers, he still did not consider himself sufficiently prepared to present his long-defended work to the scientific community.

As one of the most knowledgeable and respected specialists in his field, who enjoy wide international recognition, L. N. Rytov was appointed head of the Southern Africa Center, one of the leading divisions of the Institute. In this position, all the facets of his talent as a scientist and organizer were especially clearly manifested. His works, which were previously widely known to Africanists, were expanded with a new range of research with deep and far-reaching results.-

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dart conclusions. Lev Nikolaevich was a regular contributor to the magazines "Vostok (Oriens)" and "Asia and Africa Today". His articles have also been published abroad, including in Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. In total, he wrote more than 200 works.

L. N. Rytov's scientific activity was carried out in direct contacts with foreign scientists, in particular with African scholars from the USA, Canada, and European countries. He has made a significant contribution to establishing scientific and practical ties between Russia and South Africa, Russia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and has repeatedly participated in discussions of South African issues, speaking at conferences, meetings, and round tables at home and abroad. Together with Rudolf Gruber, Director of the South African Foundation, Lev Nikolaevich co-chaired the international conference " South Africa after Apartheid. On the Threshold of Economic Cooperation "(Moscow, October 23-25, 1991)

The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Moscow expressed its condolences on the death of L. N. Rytov in a telegram signed by South African Ambassador Becky Lang. The civil memorial service held at the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences was attended by representatives of a number of African embassies.

Lev Nikolaevich possessed tremendous erudition and constantly improved himself. His knowledge of world music classics at one time struck the aforementioned R. Gruber and served as the basis for their mutual respect and sympathy. L. N. Rytov was a deeply original person. His inquisitive mind rejected conservatism and dogmatism. At the same time, all his creative activities were aimed at the benefit of Russian science and the state. Already on the eve of his last, tragic trip to South Africa, he managed to prepare analytical materials on energy security issues, once again delaying the completion of his own monograph "The Evolution of South African Society (1994 - 2004)".

Lev Nikolaevich was a very kind, sympathetic person, ready to respond to any request, to provide help and support to those who need it. At the same time, he had a subtle sense of humor and was distinguished by an extraordinary modesty, simplicity in communication, which attracted others to him. His death was a great scientific and human loss for the Institute of Africa. The song wasn't finished, the string broke, and the Center was orphaned...

The memory of L. N. Rytov will live on in our hearts.

COLLEAGUES, FRIENDS, COMRADES

MAIN SCIENTIFIC WORKS OF L. N. RYTOV

The struggle of the peoples of Botswana and Lesotho for independence (1945-1966). Moscow, 1987.

Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland // A History of Africa 1918 - 1997. М., 1968.

Lesotho and Botswana: between apartheid and Pan-Africanism / / Against racism, neocolonialism for the liberation of Southern Africa. Moscow, 1971.

Preface and translation of the book by E. Mondlane "The Struggle for Mozambique", Moscow, 1972.

National liberation movement in the South of the continent // History of the national liberation struggle of the peoples of Africa in Modern Times. Moscow, 1978.

National Liberation Struggle and New Factors Social and Economical Development in South Africa // Apartheid - Mass Violation of Human Rights//Berlin, 1980.

Stages of the national liberation struggle / / South Africa. The Struggle against Apartheid, Moscow, 1991.

The national question in South Africa and its political aspects / / Essays on the national question in South Africa, Moscow, 1997 (sovm. with L. Demkina).

Interaction of traditional and modern elements of political culture in the process of democratization in the South of Africa / / Africa: features of political culture. Moscow, 1999.

Social aspects of the Reconstruction and Development Program / / South Africa. Essays on socio-economic and political development, Moscow, 1999.

Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa / / Countries of Africa and Russia. Moscow, 2004.

Economics of the world countries, Moscow, 2005. - Author's article: "Angola", "Botswana", "Guinea-Bissau", "Zimbabwe", "Cape Verde", "Lesotho", "Mozambique", "Namibia", "Swaziland", "South Africa".

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