Someone once said, “If you come to China for one day you will write a book. If you stay for a month, the book will be reduced to four pages. But if you stay longer, you will be confused and may not know what to write.”

Photo: srbyug

This captures well the sentiments of some of the African students studying in China. For 30 year old Lethola Mafisa from Lesotho who has completed a one year Masters degree in Public Administration at Tsinghua – one of the country’s top universities – the deep sense of scholarship evident in his Chinese professors has impressed him. “These professors are very much into knowledge and skill generation,” Mafisa said, “The curriculum is good and value adding, I admire that.”

Mafisa says the education he received in China is practical and emphasized systematic research as better way of obtaining knowledge when compared to testing. “When I get back home I will be happy to practice what I learnt and contribute to the development of my country,” enthused Mafisa, “The knowledge is deeper and the standards are high.”

However, Peguy Banakissa from Congo, who has studied Chinese language and culture and has lived in China for five years, says he is sometimes unhappy with some sections of Chinese society which have misconceptions about Africans. He alleges that some of his Chinese classmates and professors have deep prejudices about Africa and this may be a societal problem rooted in socialization. “Chinese call us Feiguo, what does the word Feiguo mean? It’s a label which is so dehumanizing. It represents everything bad and sums up the mindset of our hosts to us,” said Banakissa. “It’s so bad that those African leaders who believe that they are friends of China must implore on China to remove this ‘Feiguo badge’ they have put on us,” he said. Banakissa says that in Chinese, the word fei has negative connotations: nothingness, sickness, born to hate.

According to Banakissa, some Chinese professors lack understanding of contemporary Africa and use outdated case studies to describe Africa. He says some Chinese people he meets on the streets believe his pigmentation is as result of extreme heat in Africa. Banakissa says it’s an inaccurate view he finds amazing, and wonders that many Chinese people think that Africa is hotter than Beijing in summer. “I always ask if they have ever heard of a heat wave in Africa,” says Banakissa. “They don’t believe its genetics,” he continued, “They also do not believe that there are people of Chinese origin who were born in Africa and have never been to China at all.”

In Banakissa’s experiences, there are other areas in which Chinese are ignorant about Africa. He says a majority of Chinese shrink the African continent of fifty three countries and about one billion people into a single unit. Yet despite his frustrations, Banakissa is determined to view the situation positively. “I don’t feel angry at all,” he says, “I seize the chance to teach them that Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia.” He says he finds it difficult to convince his classmates that English, French and Portuguese languages have been widely spoken as official languages for over a century in a number of African countries. “I think they lack exposure, a better way would be organizing symposiums between us so that we can exchange knowledge of our different histories and civilizations,” he said.

“When I went home this summer the first thing I did was to get my country’s flag and African clothes,” he added, “After staying away from home for five years I developed a nostalgic love for Congo.”

Emmanuel Wallani from Uganda concurs on the misconceptions. He says he will never forget the day he sat next to a Chinese child on the subway and noticed that she was pointing at him. “I waved at her to say hello, and the mother whispered something to her in the ear and she changed her mood. I wonder what she said to her. I know that these are daily experiences of many of my African colleagues in China.”

A postgraduate and PhD student from Mali who asked not to be named for fear of victimization said, “If you study the Chinese meaning of the word heiren and unmask the different narratives constructed around the word in China then you will understand the prejudices and stereotypes towards black people.” He asserted, “To understand the meaning of the term heiren is to uncover deep racist connotations about black Africans in China. That word makes me uncomfortable because it implies that we are illegal,” he added. Literally translated, hei ren means ‘black people,’ but hei also means illegal and heiren is also sometimes used to describe people without a registered residence (usually Chinese people without a legal hukou, or residency permit, for the city they’re living in).

Reward Banda from Zambia says he used to apply for part time English teaching jobs without success. His fortunes only changed when one employment agent changed his nationality on the resume to American. Banda says it is difficult to feel you belong when everyone questions where you come from.

“Some people have been very kind to me and there are many economic and entrepreneurial lessons Africa can draw from China,” Banda added, “but the memories of the fresh air in the mountains, the rivers, stars and moonlight so bright you could learn to read from it can not fade away when one feels prejudiced.”

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