Soviet Ideology of the Friendship of Peoples in the Illustrations of the Lithuanian Children’s Magazine Genys
Soviet Ideology of the Friendship of Peoples in the Illustrations of the Lithuanian Children’s Magazine Genys

Summary/Abstract: During the Soviet era, the concept of the friendship of peoples was consistently promoted in schools. Periodicals formed one of the areas where international sentiments held by Soviet-era ideologies were conveyed to schoolchildren. In this article, I examine the representations and manifestations of the Soviet concept of the friendship of peoples with Africa and Asia as illustrated in the pages of the Lithuanian children’s magazine Genys. I will argue that Soviet internationalism was highly selective and question the Soviet use of African- and Asian-themed illustrations to present Soviet foreign policy as progressive and anti-colonial, making anti-racism and anti-colonialism the centrepieces of its Cold War stance vis-a-vis the West. In doing so, this article will contribute to the limited research on international Soviet diplomacy in the cultural sphere generally, and in children’s culture and media specifically.

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