Jean Sagbo

Jean Gregoire Sagbo (Russian: Жан Грегуар Сагбо, born May 10, 1959) is a Beninese-born Russian real estate agent and politician. His position is councilor of Novozavidovo in Konakovsky District, Tver Oblast. Sagbo is the first Russian of African descent, or Afro-Russian, to have been elected to a local council in the Russian Federation.[1][2] He has been referred to as "Russia's Obama".[1][2]

Jean Sagbo
Russian: Жан Грегуар Сагбо
Born (1959-09-10) September 10, 1959
Cotonou, Republic of Dahomey
NationalityBeninese, Russian
OccupationPolitician
Businessman
Spouse(s)Svetlana Sagbo
Children2 (Jean-Maxim, born in 1985 and Serzh, born in 1990)

Early life and career

Sagbo was born on May 10, 1959 in Cotonou in Southern coastal region of the Republic of Dahomey. He immigrated to the USSR in 1982 to study economics in Moscow. He married a woman from Novozavidovo, a town of approximately 10,000 people located 100 km north of Moscow, and moved there in 1989.[1][2] He has two children. During his first year in Novozavidovo, Tver Oblast his then 4 year old son Maxim was spat upon. Sagbo confronted the spitter and eventually other onlookers supported Sagbo. Racial attacks have taken place numerous times in Russia, 49 times in Moscow in one year according to an advocacy group. Sagbo speaks in French-African accented Russian.[3]

About 10 years prior to his first election, he organized a volunteer effort for an annual garbage collection day. He also planted flowers and cleaned streets in front of his home without pay.[1][2]

As a councilor, Sagbo collected donations to turn dilapidated lots between buildings into parks. Sagbo was elected in 2010. He has expressed annoyance at being referred to as "Russia's Obama" because the two are both merely black. The position of councilor is unpaid.

Sagbo has been quoted as saying "Novozavidovo is dying...this is my home, my town. We can't live like this." Vyacheslav Arakelov, the mayor of Novozavidovo said "His skin is black but he is Russian inside...the way he cares about this place, only a Russian can care."[4]

References
  1. Narizhnaya, Kristina. "A Russian milestone: 1st black elected to office - World news - Europe - msnbc.com". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  2. "Der erste schwarze Stadtrat Russlands - News Ausland: Europa". tagesanzeiger.ch. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  3. Narizhnaya, Kristina (2010-07-25). "A Russian milestone: 1st black elected to office - World news - Europe - msnbc.com". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  4. A Russian Milestone: 1st Black Elected To Office
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