The Year of the Dragon is being celebrated by Chinese communities throughout Africa. The Chinese New Year never struck me as a festival to write about, since Chinese communities used to be relatively small and far between. But in the past decade over a million Chinese immigrants have moved to Africa (Source: The Guardian). It started with foremen, workers, and their families moving to fulfill mining contracts, and infrastructure projects. But you'll now find Chinese shops, restaurants and businesses in every decently sized town throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
From personal experience I have found that the Chinese are treated with suspicion and are not well regarded by locals. It's assumed that the Chinese gain favorable contracts by offering huge kickbacks to corrupt African officials. I hear about the Chinese being blamed for sucking out Africa's natural resources, taking jobs, treating their workers like slaves, undercutting established businesses etc. From Accra to Durban, the Chinese are a hot topic. No one speaks their language, they work very hard, they tend to marry within their own community. The Chinese are just very foreign to many people. Jokes about street dogs disappearing into cooking pots are deemed funny.
There's also a bit of a backlash against cheap Chinese imports. Second-hand shoes from the US sell at a higher price than new imports from China in Tanzanian markets. Roads and hospitals that were built cheaply and quickly (usually as sweeteners to secure mining contracts) start to fall apart after just a few months. I've seen some of these roads in Zambia recently, and they are a complete joke which is such a shame because a good road really can do a lot for rural communities. Opposition politicians are fanning the anti-Chinese sentiment, Zambia's newly elected President Sata won on an anti-Chinese vote.
While some of the allegations against Chinese companies are undoubtedly true, the blanket xenophobia I've witnessed is dangerous. It reminds me a little of how the Indian communities were treated in the 1960's. Much of the discontent is based on ignorance and cultural differences. After all, most of the Chinese immigrants are from poor families trying to create a better life for their children. But is it at the expense of poor African communities trying to do the same? What do you think?
For more on this topic, check out The Economist feature on "The Chinese in Africa" and The Guardian "China's Economic Invasion of Africa" . Also if you can, watch Why Are They Here? Chinese Stories in Africa.
Image of Chinese working on a railroad in Angola, 2011 - © Getty Images/Pettersson
Really interesting blog – and poll. It’s difficult to answer – all the answers seem like they could be true. But I agree, it is a shame that the money coming in from China as investment is not doing more for local communities and I have always found it interesting that China exports so many workers to Africa when I would imagine there’s a workforce available. But I don’t know much about the issue. You’ve inspired me to read more about it.