The long road to the east: African immigrants in China.
Tongkeh Fowale
January 03, 2008
The fever of migration that has gripped the African continent for decades bears a striking relationship with the level of economic and political deterioration in the continent. Europe (and to a lesser extent), America continue to wrestle with the problem of African migration. The plight of African migrants on European Coastal waters is approaching disaster levels. However, this migratory pattern is gradually being tilted with the emergence of China as an economic attraction and new destination for African migrants.
Population movements between Africa and China have increased steadily and significantly since the 1990s. This South-South movement is motivated by many factors. China’s increasing influence in Africa, encouraging economic, diplomatic and political Sino-African relations, the Chinese “economic miracle” and the eventual “English boom” are the most important factors. The English boom here refers to the quest among Chinese to learn the English language which is today the language of globalization, technology and international trade. The English language is therefore without doubt, the most solid frame on China’s symbolic “window to the west.”
China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), the upcoming Beijing Olympics, the popularity of the western culture among the “new generation” Chinese youths and China’s increasing influence in international affairs are additional reasons for the popularity of the English language. This quest for English has created vast opportunities for English speakers in Chinese schools. Africans of English expression have therefore joined in the queue alongside Europeans, Americans and Asians to fill the gap. Today, Africans constitute a large part of the growing international community in China’s towns and cities, big and small.
For any meaningful discussion of African presence and experience in China, it is important to stratify the migrant population into different categories depending on their motives for migrating to China.
The first group comprises largely of skilled workers (almost exclusively) English language instructors. These are drawn mainly from Anglophone Africa. This group takes up teaching in Chinese schools as their main occupation.
The second group of African migrants consists of business people. This group, attracted by boundless, opportunities in China, is drawn from across Africa. Africa constitutes a large market for Chinese goods which are relatively cheaper than western goods. Africa also provides important raw materials (including oil and minerals) to Chinese expanding industries. This bilateral trade is therefore a stimulant to population movement across both sides, and therefore accounts for the rising number of African businessmen/women on Chinese soil.
The third group of African migrants in China is made up of students. They are attracted by the low-cost educational opportunities China offers. Many of these students see China either as an alternative to the west or as a stepping stone. Admittedly, a significant number of them have either dreamt of, or attempted unsuccessfully to make it to the west. Very few consider China as a final destination. Still within the student category are those on government scholarships. These are beneficiaries of scholarships provided under special agreements between the Chinese government and their respective governments as pat of China’s Aid program to Africa.
Related to the above group is the set of migrants on government-related missions. These include government workers on training or refresher courses in China, soldiers and diplomats or professionals in diverse fields. Like those of the student category, their stay in China depends largely on the terms of agreement between the Chinese government and their respective governments.
The last group of African migrants in China consist of what I will call “adventurers.” They belong to none of the groups listed above. Their reasons for migrating to China like all others, is to share in China’s economic boom. But their means are dubious and known to none. This is the group that drags itself, or allows itself to be dragged into sinister activities of the under world. They take up residence in China’s booming and lucrative cities like Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. Their preys are businessmen and drug addicts. This group is the number one problem and target of Chinese security forces. It might not be very pleasing, but I should say it is because of this group that Africans are viewed with scepticism (and sometimes disdain) in several places in China.
Coping with the Challenges
Life in China could be a blessing for some Africans and a curse or frustration for others. It all depends on which group of migrants (and in which part of China) one finds himself. However, to understand the prevailing circumstances of Africans in China, it is important to weigh their experiences against the situation in their land of departure. If we admit that many African migrants in China are driven by the harsh poverty in Africa, if we admit that many of them have better packages than they could ever get back home, if we admit that their knowledge and energy would have been wasted had they remained back home, then we arrive the conclusion that China is a land of promise for African migrants.
On the other hand, if we admit that African migrants in China are subjected to several forms of discrimination on the basis of colour and nationality, if we recount the psychological stress to which Africans are subjected (from both Chinese and the highly esteemed “native speakers”), if we consider that the African’s intellectual capability is always an object of doubt, then we can begin to imagine how much load African migrants carry on their heads and minds in China.
After several years of sojourn on Chinese soil, the African is yet to be accepted as a complete human. It is not uncommon for school children to block their nostrils to avoid the stench from the black African. School kids flee and take refuge under their desks upon seeing an approaching black teacher. The African is assumed to have travelled to China from a jungle without roads, airports or modern houses, full of monkeys. This jungle is too hot, and that’s why Africans are black. Or Africans are black because they don’t bathe. Fed with TV images, the general conclusion amongst many Chinese is that Africa is a land of untold hunger, carnage and ceaseless disasters. This is part of the story that is passed down to Chinese children about Africans. It is almost becoming a monolithic doctrine that African migrants are incompetent and unworthy to take up positions in the four walls of Chinese classrooms. The words of teachers (both Chinese and white about the lack of competence among Africans), are gospels truths for students. How does this concern or affect the African migrants, one may ask?
Many schools in China are run or owned by private individuals. The quest for English has resulted in the mushrooming of Language Centres in every imaginable area with a sizeable population. The procedure for recruitment of teachers into these schools is based largely on the recommendation of parents and their children and not on ability. This is where colour comes in. with the high level of prejudice against Africans; they find it increasingly frustrating to secure such jobs except perhaps that they have to fall into the inevitable temptation of switching nationalities overnight. Many Africans become Americans, British, Canadian or Australian to meet the “nationality conditions” for employment.
The beginning of prejudice, discrimination and what I may call a “colour bar” is found in several job adverts. These spell it out clearly that some jobs are not for Africans. Employers conducting phone interviews hastily drop when they realise the job seeker is African. To save time, many of them ask the first question “where are you from?” Any answer that carries the word Africa means an abrupt end of the interview. The very polite interviewers end it with the words “sorry” before dropping.
The very determined Africans who make their way into the classroom meet another kind of challenge. The Chinese and “native speakers” call it “heavy accent”. When Americans speak with a different accent from the British or Australians, it is not a problem. But it must be a problem for Africans. Chinese students with highly conditioned minds and built-in biases against Africans, struggle to find faults with their African teachers instead of making the best of them.
Securing a job for Africans could be as difficult as keeping it. Besides the discriminatory environment in which Africans work, there is the possibility of instant termination of contracts for reasons that are imagined or real. Many Africans secure employment only as a last resort or in situations where employers understand that salaries are not encouraging enough to attract whites. Even the few Africans on the same job as whites either have stark differences in salaries and or at least privileges.
The mother of all problems for African migrants in China is that of obtaining and or extending work visas. This is where the heavy axe of China hits hard on the heads of African migrants. The very few lucky Africans in regular employment escape this ordeal. The vast majority of others have to buy visas through agents at very exorbitant rates. When visa conditions become too tight on Africans, many watch helplessly as their visas expire and join the over-mounting pile of “sans papiers,” (those without papers) the target of the Chinese police.
The Response of the Chinese Government
In spite of the supposed “excellent” Sino-African relations, many African migrants in China are still to feel the fruits of this highly trumpeted friendship. The exception here are those on government related missions, and students on government scholarships. The rest simply consider themselves as wonderers seeking a source of living for themselves and their families.
However, to assess the attitude of the Chinese government towards Africans, one big question begs for an answer. How does a government with the world’s largest population on its head, provide living space for an ever increasing wave of migrants from Africa, Europe, America and other parts of the world? Adding this to the problem of internal migration, one easily finds truth in the observation that “China faces massive internal pressures from the biggest migration in human history as people flock the poor west to the rapidly developing east, and from country to city.”
Another hard reality worth considering is the vastness of the country and the autonomous nature of the regions and provinces. The laws in China are as vast as the size of the country. Visa policies therefore differ from province to province. Here therefore we should differentiate between the “anti-African” or “Afro-phobic” provinces and the Afro-friendly ones. The Afro-friendly provinces readily accommodate Africans in a friendly and brotherly spirit. On the other hand, one sees a rising Afro-phobic spirit in certain parts of China. It is a near impossibility for Africans to obtain work visas in these provinces especially as teachers.
At the state level, there have been heated and consistent debates on state television (CCTV 9) as to the relevance of Africans in the teaching of English. The overwhelming verdict has always weighed to the disfavour of Africans. This press hostility towards African migrant workers in China is another influence and pointer to the rising disdain for Africans.
However, debates on national TV and practical realities on the ground are two contrasting extremes. Based on this observation, barriers created around and against Africans in China are beginning to break and fall off in pieces. The traditional job adverts that restricted Africans from certain jobs are beginning to read “mostly or only Africans wanted”. Others target specific African countries. This change of attitude without doubt is based on the tested and proven abilities of African migrant workers in China.
When African leaders meet in international conferences and pronounce highly on their “Look East” policy with China as mentor, they should make space in their speeches for the thousands of Africans wandering in the Chinese wilderness. Like wise, when Chinese diplomats talk of friendly ties with Africa, they should take two things into consideration. The first is the plight of African migrants on their doorsteps. Secondly, they should consider that Africa is home to millions of Chinese migrants involved in activities that range from oil and mineral exploration, through farming to street hawking and peddling. The services of African migrants are as important to both economies as the oil and mineral trade that binds Africa and China.
For useful lessons on the issue of migration, both sides should listen to Jose Manuel Barroso, Europe’s top civil servant who has these words to say. “We cannot, we will not stop migration. Migration should be a source of prosperity for both the country of origin and the country of destination, not a human tragedy.”
Population movements between Africa and China have increased steadily and significantly since the 1990s. This South-South movement is motivated by many factors. China’s increasing influence in Africa, encouraging economic, diplomatic and political Sino-African relations, the Chinese “economic miracle” and the eventual “English boom” are the most important factors. The English boom here refers to the quest among Chinese to learn the English language which is today the language of globalization, technology and international trade. The English language is therefore without doubt, the most solid frame on China’s symbolic “window to the west.”
China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), the upcoming Beijing Olympics, the popularity of the western culture among the “new generation” Chinese youths and China’s increasing influence in international affairs are additional reasons for the popularity of the English language. This quest for English has created vast opportunities for English speakers in Chinese schools. Africans of English expression have therefore joined in the queue alongside Europeans, Americans and Asians to fill the gap. Today, Africans constitute a large part of the growing international community in China’s towns and cities, big and small.
For any meaningful discussion of African presence and experience in China, it is important to stratify the migrant population into different categories depending on their motives for migrating to China.
The first group comprises largely of skilled workers (almost exclusively) English language instructors. These are drawn mainly from Anglophone Africa. This group takes up teaching in Chinese schools as their main occupation.
The second group of African migrants consists of business people. This group, attracted by boundless, opportunities in China, is drawn from across Africa. Africa constitutes a large market for Chinese goods which are relatively cheaper than western goods. Africa also provides important raw materials (including oil and minerals) to Chinese expanding industries. This bilateral trade is therefore a stimulant to population movement across both sides, and therefore accounts for the rising number of African businessmen/women on Chinese soil.
The third group of African migrants in China is made up of students. They are attracted by the low-cost educational opportunities China offers. Many of these students see China either as an alternative to the west or as a stepping stone. Admittedly, a significant number of them have either dreamt of, or attempted unsuccessfully to make it to the west. Very few consider China as a final destination. Still within the student category are those on government scholarships. These are beneficiaries of scholarships provided under special agreements between the Chinese government and their respective governments as pat of China’s Aid program to Africa.
Related to the above group is the set of migrants on government-related missions. These include government workers on training or refresher courses in China, soldiers and diplomats or professionals in diverse fields. Like those of the student category, their stay in China depends largely on the terms of agreement between the Chinese government and their respective governments.
The last group of African migrants in China consist of what I will call “adventurers.” They belong to none of the groups listed above. Their reasons for migrating to China like all others, is to share in China’s economic boom. But their means are dubious and known to none. This is the group that drags itself, or allows itself to be dragged into sinister activities of the under world. They take up residence in China’s booming and lucrative cities like Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. Their preys are businessmen and drug addicts. This group is the number one problem and target of Chinese security forces. It might not be very pleasing, but I should say it is because of this group that Africans are viewed with scepticism (and sometimes disdain) in several places in China.
Coping with the Challenges
Life in China could be a blessing for some Africans and a curse or frustration for others. It all depends on which group of migrants (and in which part of China) one finds himself. However, to understand the prevailing circumstances of Africans in China, it is important to weigh their experiences against the situation in their land of departure. If we admit that many African migrants in China are driven by the harsh poverty in Africa, if we admit that many of them have better packages than they could ever get back home, if we admit that their knowledge and energy would have been wasted had they remained back home, then we arrive the conclusion that China is a land of promise for African migrants.
On the other hand, if we admit that African migrants in China are subjected to several forms of discrimination on the basis of colour and nationality, if we recount the psychological stress to which Africans are subjected (from both Chinese and the highly esteemed “native speakers”), if we consider that the African’s intellectual capability is always an object of doubt, then we can begin to imagine how much load African migrants carry on their heads and minds in China.
After several years of sojourn on Chinese soil, the African is yet to be accepted as a complete human. It is not uncommon for school children to block their nostrils to avoid the stench from the black African. School kids flee and take refuge under their desks upon seeing an approaching black teacher. The African is assumed to have travelled to China from a jungle without roads, airports or modern houses, full of monkeys. This jungle is too hot, and that’s why Africans are black. Or Africans are black because they don’t bathe. Fed with TV images, the general conclusion amongst many Chinese is that Africa is a land of untold hunger, carnage and ceaseless disasters. This is part of the story that is passed down to Chinese children about Africans. It is almost becoming a monolithic doctrine that African migrants are incompetent and unworthy to take up positions in the four walls of Chinese classrooms. The words of teachers (both Chinese and white about the lack of competence among Africans), are gospels truths for students. How does this concern or affect the African migrants, one may ask?
Many schools in China are run or owned by private individuals. The quest for English has resulted in the mushrooming of Language Centres in every imaginable area with a sizeable population. The procedure for recruitment of teachers into these schools is based largely on the recommendation of parents and their children and not on ability. This is where colour comes in. with the high level of prejudice against Africans; they find it increasingly frustrating to secure such jobs except perhaps that they have to fall into the inevitable temptation of switching nationalities overnight. Many Africans become Americans, British, Canadian or Australian to meet the “nationality conditions” for employment.
The beginning of prejudice, discrimination and what I may call a “colour bar” is found in several job adverts. These spell it out clearly that some jobs are not for Africans. Employers conducting phone interviews hastily drop when they realise the job seeker is African. To save time, many of them ask the first question “where are you from?” Any answer that carries the word Africa means an abrupt end of the interview. The very polite interviewers end it with the words “sorry” before dropping.
The very determined Africans who make their way into the classroom meet another kind of challenge. The Chinese and “native speakers” call it “heavy accent”. When Americans speak with a different accent from the British or Australians, it is not a problem. But it must be a problem for Africans. Chinese students with highly conditioned minds and built-in biases against Africans, struggle to find faults with their African teachers instead of making the best of them.
Securing a job for Africans could be as difficult as keeping it. Besides the discriminatory environment in which Africans work, there is the possibility of instant termination of contracts for reasons that are imagined or real. Many Africans secure employment only as a last resort or in situations where employers understand that salaries are not encouraging enough to attract whites. Even the few Africans on the same job as whites either have stark differences in salaries and or at least privileges.
The mother of all problems for African migrants in China is that of obtaining and or extending work visas. This is where the heavy axe of China hits hard on the heads of African migrants. The very few lucky Africans in regular employment escape this ordeal. The vast majority of others have to buy visas through agents at very exorbitant rates. When visa conditions become too tight on Africans, many watch helplessly as their visas expire and join the over-mounting pile of “sans papiers,” (those without papers) the target of the Chinese police.
The Response of the Chinese Government
In spite of the supposed “excellent” Sino-African relations, many African migrants in China are still to feel the fruits of this highly trumpeted friendship. The exception here are those on government related missions, and students on government scholarships. The rest simply consider themselves as wonderers seeking a source of living for themselves and their families.
However, to assess the attitude of the Chinese government towards Africans, one big question begs for an answer. How does a government with the world’s largest population on its head, provide living space for an ever increasing wave of migrants from Africa, Europe, America and other parts of the world? Adding this to the problem of internal migration, one easily finds truth in the observation that “China faces massive internal pressures from the biggest migration in human history as people flock the poor west to the rapidly developing east, and from country to city.”
Another hard reality worth considering is the vastness of the country and the autonomous nature of the regions and provinces. The laws in China are as vast as the size of the country. Visa policies therefore differ from province to province. Here therefore we should differentiate between the “anti-African” or “Afro-phobic” provinces and the Afro-friendly ones. The Afro-friendly provinces readily accommodate Africans in a friendly and brotherly spirit. On the other hand, one sees a rising Afro-phobic spirit in certain parts of China. It is a near impossibility for Africans to obtain work visas in these provinces especially as teachers.
At the state level, there have been heated and consistent debates on state television (CCTV 9) as to the relevance of Africans in the teaching of English. The overwhelming verdict has always weighed to the disfavour of Africans. This press hostility towards African migrant workers in China is another influence and pointer to the rising disdain for Africans.
However, debates on national TV and practical realities on the ground are two contrasting extremes. Based on this observation, barriers created around and against Africans in China are beginning to break and fall off in pieces. The traditional job adverts that restricted Africans from certain jobs are beginning to read “mostly or only Africans wanted”. Others target specific African countries. This change of attitude without doubt is based on the tested and proven abilities of African migrant workers in China.
When African leaders meet in international conferences and pronounce highly on their “Look East” policy with China as mentor, they should make space in their speeches for the thousands of Africans wandering in the Chinese wilderness. Like wise, when Chinese diplomats talk of friendly ties with Africa, they should take two things into consideration. The first is the plight of African migrants on their doorsteps. Secondly, they should consider that Africa is home to millions of Chinese migrants involved in activities that range from oil and mineral exploration, through farming to street hawking and peddling. The services of African migrants are as important to both economies as the oil and mineral trade that binds Africa and China.
For useful lessons on the issue of migration, both sides should listen to Jose Manuel Barroso, Europe’s top civil servant who has these words to say. “We cannot, we will not stop migration. Migration should be a source of prosperity for both the country of origin and the country of destination, not a human tragedy.”
Print
Email
