Being Black in China versus being African in China

Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu once again delve into discussions about race in China, and to help guide them through the discussion is Mr. Marketus Presswood, who is pursuing his PhD in Modern Chinese History and has a broad interest in the experience of African-Americans and the African Diaspora as whole in China. Back in July, he wrote a fantastic article for Tea Leaf Nation/The Atlantic called "A Minority in the Middle Kingdom: My Experience Being Black in China," which, well, talked about being black in China. He also has extensive experience in international education, including bringing African-American students to study abroad in China, where he lived for eight years. We asked him to share his thoughts on being Black in China versus being African in China.

PS We actually did line up an African guest but sadly things did not work out! We are not trying to ignore African voices on the subject!

Recommendations

• Winslow
• Hunt is on for China experts by Joseph Catanzaro and Hou Liqiang
• Four Great Reads on Emerging markets by Merlin Linehan
• Political clash in world's youngest country grows into wider South Sudan unrest by PBS NewsHour
•  Dr. Kalu
• The Star Raft: China's Encounter With Africa by Philip Snow
• If Nelson Mandela really had won, he wouldn't be seen as a universal hero by Slavoj Žižek
• Marketus Presswood
• War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War by John Dower
• The Discourse of Race in Modern China by Frank Dikotter

Sources

A Minority in the Middle Kingdom: My Experience Being Black in China by Marketus Presswood

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Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

A lesson in Soft Power

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Nkem

On Africa’s earliest interaction and trade with China, Philip Snow in The Star Raft: China’s Encounter with Africa had the following to say:

A Star Raft was an expedition which carried to the exotic lands the star-like radiance of an imperial ambassador, and the object of its voyage was to win for the emperor the allegiance of distant peoples. The exchange of goods was laden in Chinese eyes with a symbolic significance far outweighing the value of the goods themselves. By trading with the fleet, the African coastal states were paying the Ming emperor the homage they owed him as the sovereign of the world (p. 27).
How different all the same these Chinese visitors were from the Europeans who arrived in Africa seventy years later. Travelling in thousands, armed to the teeth, the Chinese were not aggressive. Unlike the Portuguese they stormed no cities and conquered no land. Even if the sixteenth-century novelist was right to describe an initial conflict, he also makes it clear that the Chinese were tactful, anxious to avoid disturbing the small coastal states any more than was necessary to achieve their basic ends. Unlike the Portuguese they refrained from plunder. Instead they coaxed the coastal rulers into trading by presenting them with gifts of coloured silk. They did not burn, as the Portuguese would, with the urge to impose their religious convictions, to lay siege to African souls. All they sought from Africans was a gesture of symbolic acquiescence in the Chinese view of the world. Mogadishu and Brava, for their part, were happy enough with the relationship to send their envoys to Peking three further times while the Chinese Columbus was on the seas. The Chinese accepted, because the Chinese treated a weak and strange people with courtesy and restraint (p.29).

The quotes above are some of my favorite from Snow’s now dated but still relevant tome on early Chinese interaction with Africa. In many ways his observations can be reframed to represent aspect of current permutations of Sino-African relations in today’s increasingly multi-polar world. For instance, Chinese insistence on African acceptance of the One China Policy as the foundation for diplomatic relations is a symbolic acquiescence to the People’s Republic of China’s communist party’s government’s value for sovereignty. Similarly, Chinese courtship and respect, for economically weak and culturally different African states have won them favor and political support in the international political arena. Although early Chinese relations with African freedom fighting efforts sought to support and promote a socialist/communist agenda, recently the Chinese have not urged African states to adhere to any particular political convictions. But it is naive to believe that the Chinese are not following an economic or political agenda in Africa. Just as the Star Rafts brought glory and prestige to the Emperor, Chinese engagement in Africa is in pursuit of domestic Chinese objectives; much like everyone else is in Africa to pursue their own objectives.

The soft approach is also no longer unique to the Chinese as the US, the UK, and Germany are taking a page out of their playbook and reinforcing their diplomatic relations with African states. In today’s world of multi-polarity and increasing options, despite the retention of the US’s hegemonic influence, the use of soft power is at times more effective than the use of hard power. Easy access to information has increased the value of critical discourse. I would argue that there is a need to push this discourse and to continue to examine foreign policy successes and failures for African states engaging with external actors and the reverse to flesh out best practices and reduce redundancy and ineffectiveness.

Easier said than done.

Mandela, Mao, Media, and Memory

Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu ask how Nelson Mandela's recent death is being interpreted in China. Returning to the show is Mr. Bob Wekesa, an expert on African-Chinese media relations who has written a number of articles on the subject. Wekesa is a PhD candidate at Communication University of China and research associate at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Recommendations

• Winslow
• Hao Ping recalls the last speech given by Mandela in China by UNESCO
• Made in China: the professional expat by Dineo Bendile
•  Dr. Kalu
• Mandela Was Angry With Nigeria By Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed by Sahara Reporters
• Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom by South Africa-Washington International Program by Justin Chadwick
• Bob Wekesa
• The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa by Prof. Deborah Brautigam
• China and Africa: A Century of Engagement by Amb. David Shinn and Joshua Eisenman

Sources

Mandela and the China connection by Bob Wekesa

A road well traveled by Bob Wekesa

Mandela's China Connection by Eric Olander and Dr. Cobus van Staden

A controversial legacy by Analects: The Economist

China's Mandela problem by Phelim Kine

China Spins Mandela to Fit Its Political Narrative by Dan Levin

China media: Mandela tributes by BBC News: China

Mandela’s tour abroad – China by ANC Archives

Beijing bans ‘sensitive topics’ during Mandela funeral coverage by Zhang Hong

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Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

What's Anthropology got to do with it?

Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu (back from vacation) asked Vivian Lu, PhD student at Stanford University's Department of Anthropology, for her thoughts on the Sino-Africa field, whether such a field exists, the importance of fieldwork, and, most importantly, to share some wacky stories from the field.

Recommendations

• Winslow
• Who is a terrorist? by Dr. Nkemjika Kalu
• China's Treatment of Foreign Journalists by Congressional-Executive Commission on China
• U.S.-China Relations Year in Review 2013 The Year of the Snake, Sunnylands, and Suppression (and a Plenum and an ADIZ) by Kissinger Institute on China and the United States
•  Dr. Kalu
• Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela
• "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" Private Screening and Reception by South Africa-Washington International Program
• Vivian Lu
• A Flight Diversion by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Sources

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Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

Who is a terrorist?

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Nkem

There are people in America that want to be sure that you KNOW that Nelson Mandela was a terrorist and they stand by that. I am irritated and frankly quite annoyed at their audacity.

I have read enough tweets, blogs, Facebook status updates and the like reiterating this point and “politely” pointing out that Nelson Mandela our revered hero is not perfect. Let me let you in on a not-so-secret fact that everyone in Africa is already aware of, Nelson Mandela is not perfect. Come a little closer and I’ll tell you the particularly gory reason why… it’s because he is human! He is a hero because of his humanity, because of his imperfections.

I’m not writing to defend Nelson Mandela. I don’t need to. But I will say this, as a child of Africa’s turgid ethnic, religious, racial, socio-economic, violent conflict, Nelson Mandela symbolized an end to seeming endless violence and oppression, Madiba symbolized hope when no solution was in sight. As a young African looking to the future, Mandela modeled responsible leadership, humility and peacemaking, characteristics unfortunately in short supply in most African leaders going back several years. Africa and I say Africa, because Madiba belonged to Africa just as much as he did to South Africa, and in the same token the world, didn’t need perfection, it needed Mandela. A man who greatness is unmatched amongst the faces and celebrities that brand this current generation.

… And some Congolese perspective on the China-DRC relationship

The Cowries and Rice team of Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu were painfully aware that they were discussing the DRC while having no Congolese voices. They were put in touch with Gaïus Kowene, a Congolese freelance journalist, filmmaker, and blogger. He volunteers in media and communication department at the cultural center Yolé!Africa, in Goma, DR Congo. He is also Goma correspondent of Radio Netherlands Worldwide and works with many local and international news agencies. He shared some of his perspectives on the subject in this (very difficult to produce) podcast.

PS Hongxiang Huang was the cohost and he asked some great questions but due to a glitch his contribution could not be uploaded :[

Recommendations

Sources

DRC: Peace talks with rebels resumed by Gaïus Kowene

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Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

Some (limited) Chinese perspective on the China-DRC connection, amongst other things

So what do Chinese people think about China-Democratic Republic of Congo relations? We are not totally sure, so host Winslow Robertson (Dr. Nkemjika Kalu made a prior commitment) asks Africa-China journalist extraordinaire Hongxiang Huang for his thoughts. Though neither Huang or Winslow are DRC experts, they do try to place Hongxiang's experiences within a DRC framework. Does it actually work? Listen and find out!

Recommendations

• Winslow
• Bloomberg News Is Said to Curb Articles That Might Anger China by Edward Wong
• Bloomberg boots ‘China leak’ scribe by leak’ scribe by Keith J. Kelly
•  Hongxiang Huang
• China and Congo: Friends in Need by Global Witness
• Blood in the Mobile by Ole Tornbjerg

Sources

Brought to you by:

African Development Jobs

Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

Attending: China and the Chinese in Africa: What do we know?

The great thing about doing Africa-China stuff and living in D.C. is that there are more Sino-Africa events going on here per capita than any other city in the world (Note: I have no way of proving that statement). In that vein, I got a last minute invitation to a talk hosted by the Fletcher Women's Network on November 5: China and the Chinese in Africa: What Do We Know? This talk featured what I like to call the two triangles of the D.C. China-Africa Triforce: Prof. Deborah Brautigam and Dr. Yoon Jung Park! This event was a must-attend: Not only is it a treat to hear Dr. Park wax lyrical about all things China-Africa, I had been trying to meet Prof. Brautigam since March!

What's the deal with Sicomines?

Continuing in their mad attempt to talk about one country for a whole month, hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu continue their discussion about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this time focusing on the famous Sicomines deal between two large Chinese companies and the Congolese government. They have recruited Ms. Johanna Jansson, a PhD candidate at Roskilde University and the most knowledgable researcher about Sicomines, to talk on the show and share her considerable knowledge. Listen as she effortlessly parries Winslow's feeble attempts to get her into a debate! What a scholar! What a pro!

Recommendations

• Winslow
• Why is the Horn different? by Christopher Clapham
•  Dr. Kalu
• Africa Agency in International Politics by William Brown and Sophie Harman
• The Partnership of Free Speech & Good Governance in Africa by Winnie Mitullah and Paul Kamau
• Johanna Jansson
• China's Congo Plan: What the Economic Superpower Sees in the World's Poorest Nation by Jacob Kushner

Sources

China's Congo Plan: What the Economic Superpower Sees in the World's Poorest Nation by Jacob Kushner

The Chinese-Congo Sicomine Project: New Analysis by Deborah Brautigam

The Sicomines Agreement: Change and Continuity in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s International Relations by Johanna Jansson

The Sicomines agreement revisited: prudent Chinese banks and risk-taking Chinese companies by Johanna Jansson

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Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

The Chinese as Foreigner in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they bite off more than they could chew and try to talk intelligently about the Democratic Republic of the Congo for an entire month, starting with discussing the idea of the Chinese as foreigner in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This big topic required two guests, and they were lucky to get them: Prof. Laura Seay, Assistant Professor of Government at Colby College and all-around DRC maven; and Jacob Kushner, who just wrote a fantastic book about recent Chinese interaction with the DRC and its peoples.

PS Unsurprisingly, we were hit with some pretty big technical difficulties so we apologize in advance!

Recommendations

• Winslow
• [INTERVIEW] Facetime interview with Ojukwu Emma, leader of the Nigerian community in Guangzhou, China by Roberto Castillo
•  Dr. Kalu
• King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild
• Jacob Kushner
• The Sicomines agreement revisited: prudent Chinese banks and risk-taking Chinese companies Sicomines by Johanna Jansson
• China, Zambia, and a Clash in a Coal Mine by Alexis Okeowo
• Tropical Africa by Henry Drummond
•  Prof. Laura Seay
• Conflicting Missions: Havanna, Washington, and Africa, 1959-1976 by Piero Gleijeses
• The African Dream: The Diaries of the Revolutionary War in the Congo by Aleida Guevara March (Foreword),  Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Richard Gott (Introduction), and Patrick Camiller (Translator)
• China's Congo Plan: What the Economic Superpower Sees in the World's Poorest Nation by Jacob Kushner

Sources

China's Congo Plan: What the Economic Superpower Sees in the World's Poorest Nation by Jacob Kushner

Brought to you by:

African Development Jobs

Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

How Chinese people are grappling with China in Africa

Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they talk about how Chinese people are grappling with China's growing role in African affairs. Their guest this week is Mr. Hongxiang Huang, a freelance journalist who just started a Wits China Africa Reporting Grant and who knows a ton about Chinese public diplomacy.

PS Still working on the tech issues, please bear with us!

Recommendations

• Winslow
• Economic Nomads in a City of Flows by Sam Piranty
• Hairy Haggling: When Chinese and African Traders Go Off on Different Strands by Sam Piranty
• Dr. Kalu
• China's Banks Must Compete to Survive by Yukon Huang
• China's Growth Prospects: Bulls and Bear by Yukon Huang
• So one candidate in the upcoming Malian legislative election is... Chinese? #LRT (@Winslow_R you'll enjoy this one for sure) by Madina Thiam

Sources

Rhino horn trade thrives in Jo'burg by Hongxiang Huang

How to Understand Chinese-related Environmental Problems in Africa by Hongxiang Huang

Brought to you by:

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Mighty Mike

The Africa Daily

Attending: A discussion on China's future role in Africa

On Wednesday, I dropped by GWU to check out A Discussion on China's Future Role in Africa, where Lula Chen of the Sino-African Institute of Sister Cities International talked about trilateral partnerships between U.S., African, and Chinese cities.

That is not a typo: trilateral partnerships!

I do not know whether trilateral Africa-U.S.-Chinese cooperation is a holy grail or a cosmic evil (there are a not insubstantial amount of people who hate the very idea of that collaboration), but I do know that it is rare. And by rare, I mean I had never heard of it until that point. So obviously, I was quite curious about the topic.

Chen started out by giving a background on Sister Cities International, a post-World War II American program designed to foster citizen diplomacy (ever notice that a lot of U.S. sister cities are in Germany and Japan? I did not until I went to this talk). Then she explained how there were quite a few African cities that wanted more collaboration with the Chinese, and that Sister Cities worked to facilitate that. Also, American cities wanted to attract Chinese investment and used the program as a bridge (hopefully) for future projects.

How did a project work? First, an American city had to initiate it, such as Denver. They would reach out to their Chinese counterparts in Kunming and decide on which sectors they would engage. They would then meet with their African sister-city counterparts in Nairobi and discuss whether there were any possibilities for collaboration within their sectors. Since all three cities are high-altitude cities that deal with water conservation issues, they decided to hold a water-expert exchange as well as renovate a school, fixing up the sanitation system. There are other partnerships between Zomba, Urbana, and Guangzhou; and Osogbo, Asheville/Raleigh, and Xiangyang. All the projects were small in scale and emphasized the specialties of their respective cities (such as composting in Urbana).