Money from China to boost Africa’s economy. However, the behavior of some Chinese makes for resentment among Locals. “Chinafrika” a racism problem?
Workers in the construction of China-funded railway line, Nairobi-Mombasa in Kenya
In recent years, China has developed one of the most important Partner of Africa: Whether hospitals, roads, stadiums and power plants – often the money from the “middle Kingdom”. Also, many of the workers that drive Africa’s Mega-projects, are of Chinese origin. But they bring not only their labor but also their own cultural and political perspectives. This provides fuel for conflicts. Reports show that The daily work in “Chinafrika” is often marked by discrimination.
Other values, other points of view
The construction of the railway in Kenya is one of the projects, which have become China’s investment in Africa a reality: The route connects for about a year, the biggest East African port of Mombasa with the capital Nairobi. It is Kenya’s largest infrastructure project since independence in 1963. But the construction of the railway line came through the racism allegations in the headlines: According to the research, Kenyan journalists, the Chinese would not want to sit with their African colleagues at the lunch table, insults and humiliations of the workers had been on the agenda.
Chinese and local employees of an Oil company in South Sudan
The Kenyan Elizabeth Horlemann sees the reason for the behavior of some Chinese in their of cultural embossing: “you have to take the cultural differences are not true. You are our guests, but are strongly oriented to their ideology, because the fuel offers,” says the living in Germany, an intercultural trainer for the DW. Chinese would often work without breaks, the hierarchy-thought to be predominant: What’s the boss say. In addition, according to the political scientist Steve Tsang, the Chinese would need to work in Africa, often under poor conditions, such as in mines or on large construction sites. That reinforced the potential for conflict.
Tsang, who heads the China Institute at the prestigious London School of Oriental and African Studies, believed that the political indoctrination could play in China for a role. “At the Moment, Chinese leaders have propagated not multi-culturalism. On the contrary, The party calls for a Chinese identity, a culture.” Until today, China is one of the ethnically most homogenous countries in the world. Approximately 92 percent of the population are Han Chinese, only 0.04 per cent were born abroad. “If you will be so indoctrinated to not only take care of the Chinese civilization and culture, the xenophobia, and this is the Basis for discrimination against others.”
Hardly any sanctions on the part of the governments
But the Chinese are not only a guest, but would also money, says Elizabeth Horlemann. Therefore, Kenya’t hesitate – as well as other African governments – against disrespectful behavior of Asians. “The mood among many Kenyans is not good. You fear, we have sold our country to the Chinese,” Horlemann.
China’s President Xi Jinping and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame
However, the Chinese government is doing little against racist failures of their compatriots. For Steve Tsang, this is hardly surprising. “The Chinese government takes care of the business relationships with the African governments, but not to the ordinary people who have to deal with the consequences in everyday life. Leave that to the African authorities.”
Rethinking by encounter?
Victims are the ordinary workers in Africa. Because the do not know often, how they defend themselves against discrimination and what legal remedies you can avail of, so Tsang. However, if more incidents would appear, would perhaps, one day, the “shame factor” to the game, which could lead to a rethink in the case of Chinese in Africa.
How such a rethinking might look like, show experiences from South China. The city of Guangzhou is home to, according to official figures, about 16,000 Africans, the largest black community in Asia. You need to force China to an examination of their own xenophobia, there is an encounter and exchange. However, according to Tsang, is also widely used in Guangzhou everyday racism is still far. So Black were often in Hotels not welcome. “This shows how China deals with minorities,” says Tsang.