CHINA AND ‘RACISM FOR SALE’
China is failing a simple test of tolerance and respect
In the past few weeks, a viral video redolent of abuse and discrimination has been trending on the social media. Aptly titled ‘Racism for Sale’, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary highlights prejudicial and unfair treatments of African children by some Chinese for their entertainment industry. Under the guise of teaching Chinese culture and language to the locals, the children were not only exploited, but also physically abused. The RͿHQVLYH YLGHR FRQWHQW DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH %%& LV IHG EDFN home to reinforce Chinese stereotypical attitude of the black man. In a commendable investigative reporting, Runako Celina and Henry Mhango tracked down a Chinese video producer named Lu Ke, to a Malawian village where he deliberately weaved contorted stories about vulnerable children, some as young as three years old. In one of the viral videos, the children were made to repeat the lines in Chinese: “I am a Black devil. I have a very low IQ. Yeah!” Some agents of WKHVH &KLQHVH ÀOPPDNHUV UHSRUWHGO\ UHFRUGHG XS WR videos per day, particularly during the onslaught of the FRURQDYLUXV SDQGHPLF )RU DOO WKHLU HͿRUWV DQG VHOI DEXVH the children were ‘rewarded’ with a paltry sum of half a dollar.
Expectedly, the documentary has triggered outrage across the continent. While the children abused may have been Malawians, it was obvious that the intention of the ÀOPPDNHUV ZDV WR GHPHDQ SHRSOH RQ WKH FRQWLQHQW DQG WKH EODFN UDFH 7KH 0DODZLDQ 0LQLVWHU RI )RUHLJQ $ͿDLUV Nancy Tembo said she was “disgusted, disrespected and deeply pained.” In defence, the Chinese embassy in Malawi however tweeted that “the video was shot in
µ Meanwhile, the concern is that there is a growing pattern to this sordid behaviour. While racism and discrimination FDQQRW EH GHVFULEHG DV &KLQHVH RFLDO SROLFLHV WKH\ DUH increasingly becoming a problem that their authorities need to deal with. From Mainland China to Hong Kong, available reports indicate that Africans are being subjected to humiliating police searches on the street, avoided on public transport, and often prevented from bars and FOXEV $W WKH KHLJKW RI WKH &RYLG SDQGHPLF VHYHUDO Africans, including Nigerians, were openly discriminated against as Chinese businesses placed signs outside their doors that they would not serve them.
What is even more worrying is that this attitude is increasingly becoming widespread across the continent. The vast Chinese investments in many of the African countries have become avenues to perpetuate some ‘superior’ attitude. In Nigeria where China is a PDMRU ÀQDQFLHU RI ODUJH SURMHFWV WKHLU VWDWH RZQHG multinational and other smaller companies are into roads and railways construction, airports and telecommunications infrastructure, manufacturing, among others. Some of these companies operate with little or no respect for our country’s labour laws as cases of periodic abuses have been rife.
When citizens of a previously depressed country perceive the signs of national resurgence, prosperity, DQG LQÁXHQFH WKH\ RIWHQ PLVPDQDJH WKHLU UHODWLRQVKLS with others. This may be what is informing the repeated instances of racial arrogance among Chinese abroad, HVSHFLDOO\ LQ $IULFD %XW &KLQD·V JURZLQJ JOREDO LQÁXHQFH and economic expansion invariably dictate that they deal with other peoples with respect. Relating with Africans requires that extra caution because of the long history of racism based on skin colour.
It is indeed a blatant failure of foreign policy preparation WKDW %HLMLQJ KDV QRW VFKRROHG LWV FLWL]HQV RQ WKH QR JR DUHD of racism in relating with Africans. In their interactions with people on the continent, China seems to be failing a simple test of tolerance and respect. For a country famed for its regimental discipline, such repeated public relations infractions can hardly be pardoned. China has WR FXOWXUDOO\ JURZ XS WR ÀW LQWR LWV PDVVLYH ZHDOWK DQG JOREDO LQÁXHQFH
While racism and discrimination cannot be described as Chinese official policies, they are increasingly becoming a problem that their authorities need to deal with