Africans in China: A Sociocultural Study and Its Implications on Africa-China Relations
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self-interest. There are no moral rules in this. The rules are all guided by selfishness. That is the principle and all players play according to understandings about this. We tend to act as if we expect the whole world to treat us as their suffering brother who needs moral and kindly attention. We do this even though we see and know that for hundreds of years other societies have used us as objects of exploitation. We are foolish to think that suddenly this will change. Of course it will not change. This is how all societies behave to each other. The political slogans that are bandied around are as hollow as they ring. It is for us to learn to act in our own self-interest. To do this properly we must work together as a unit so that we do not as puny statelets allow ourselves to be bought off one by one.

The Chinese are in Africa in numbers to meet the challenges and growth targets of Chinese trade and industry.

Similarly, the African presence in China has become a striking phenomenon. Most of the Africans in China are economic migrants of various sorts. In cities across China, especially on the eastern seaboard, sizeable African communities have emerged since 1997. In turn, Chinese reactions to the Africans in their midst are equally multifarious and mixed, ranging from tolerant and accommodative views to negative and sometimes xenophobic reactions.

There are quite a few texts on Chinese in Africa, but there are not many on Africans in China. Adams Bodomo’s present book, a laudable pioneering endeavor, is the first of its kind which deals substantively with the subject of the African presence in contemporary China. The book’s empirical base gives it evidentially strong scientific grounding and credentials. It shies away from idiosyncratic or sentimental commentary, keeping close to an approach of studied empiricism. The methodological and conceptual considerations have interesting and intellectually enticing implications which go beyond the subject of the book. Concepts such as “diaspora,” “Africanness” or “who is an African,” and “community” have analytical relevancies which go far beyond what is offered here. I am sure Bodomo’s thoughts and formulations in this book will be of use to other observers and scholars who are grappling with related issues.