Africans in China » African Boots

South Africa must accept Linden’s fate

Posted by Simeon Gready at 4:40 pm Africans in China, In the News No Responses »

Jan 022012

The front pages of South African newspapers over the past few weeks have been dominated by one story – that of the execution of Janice Linden. Three years ago she was convicted of smuggling 3kg’s of tik through China’s Baiyun International Airport, an offence which, in China, carries the penalty of death by lethal injection.

I am going to go on record and say that I have no time for drug mules – admittedly, I do not know of their motives, whether it is for money or for pleasure, but to risk throwing away your life, literally in this case, is nothing short of idiotic.

I do however reserve some sympathy for Janice Linden. The death penalty is a shockingly outdated punishment, one that has rightly been outlawed in most parts of the world. I personally do not believe that any action is justifiably penalised by death.

This is a common view, and understandably news of Linden’s execution has been met with much outrage in her native country. China play an increasingly influential role in not just South Africa, but Africa as well, and thus the connection linking the two countries is growing stronger as each year passes.

Surely then, her fellow citizens fume, we could have put up more of a fight? Linden’s family have expressed their deepest disappointment in the South African government in the way they seemingly idly stood by whilst one of their people was put to death by one of their biggest trading partners.

There have been cases, six in total, where South Africans have been spared the death penalty in China for similar offences – although whether these were via pressure from our government is debatable.

But I think that you could argue that there was not much that could have been done. China is a vastly proud and traditional society, and this is exemplified by the fact that they have kept laws like the death penalty whilst a large part of the world seems to have moved on – in fact, China execute more of their own people, even on a per capita basis, than any other country in the world.

I am not going to pretend that I understand Chinese culture; their motives or their traditions. From our point of view, the execution was handled extremely badly in that she was told a mere few hours before it was to happen, but we live in a completely different society, so we cannot judge and criticise that which we do not understand. Whilst Janice Linden’s execution and the way in which it was carried out might seem gravely harsh to us, it seems perfectly justified to the people of China. That is the world that they, and we, live in.

In short, Janice Linden chose to risk her life, and it just so happens that she must pay the ultimate price because of the place she chose to risk her life in. Whilst we could go on about how our government did nothing to help her, in the end I do not really think there is much they could have done to change the practices of one of the oldest institutions in the world. Janice Linden chose her fate when she decided to smuggle 3kg of tik through Baiyun International Airport, and we, as fellow South Africans, must accept this.

South African gumboot dancers sing Shosholoza on the Shanghai metro

Posted by Iain Manley at 3:25 pm Africans in China 2 Responses »

Nov 052010

The Kliptown Youth Program gumboot dancers gave Shanghai commuters an impromptu performance of Shosholoza on Wednesday night, while travelling to the airport and, from there, home to South Africa. Shosholoza is a popular South African folk song, but actually originated among the Ndebele people of Zimababwe, who used to sing on quite different trains, while travelling home from Johannesburg’s mines, where they were employed as migrant labourers. For more on the song, read the Wikipedia entry.

Thanks to @toppingupCT for suggesting the video.

Sino – a short film by Lebogang Rasethaba

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 2:52 pm Africans in China 2 Responses »

Sep 062010

Lebogang Rasethaba is a young South African filmmaker living in Beijing. Below is the first part of a film he shot in Beijing called Sino, about a co-incidental meeting between two Africans in Beijing, China. The film deals with issues such as the challenges of resettlement and the complexities that arise from the friction inherent in the interactions between Francophone and Anglophone Africans.

You can watch Part 2 of Sino here.

Getting to know each other: China’s soft power relationship with Africa

Posted by Eric Olander at 2:23 pm Africans in China No Responses »

Sep 062010

China’s embrace of Africa has produced some stunning statistics. The numbers look great across the board, from trade volumes to foreign investment to the growing popularity of Chinese ministerial junkets. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. While money, goods and services are flowing back and forth at unprecedented levels, a deeper question persists: how well do Chinese and African people actually know each other? For some, the question may seem trivial. After all, if the checks cash, who cares.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that money alone will determine China’s longterm success in Africa. In fact, what they’ve accomplished over the past 5 years is really just the easy part. Throwing piles of cash around the continent is a sure way to buy companionship, but friendship and trust, especially in Africa, require more than just money.

Already, there have been hints of what’s to come if Beijing underestimates the importance of developing an effective soft-power agenda in Africa. Anti-Chinese policies introduced in Namibia earlier this year and rising hostility to Chinese immigrants in Angola are now but two points on a graph, but could quickly transform into a trend if left unattended. It will be critical for Beijing to help Africans and Chinese at every level of society get to know one another.

A model of what that kind of engagement looks like can be found in Cape Town, South Africa, in the offices Fahamu. This non-profit pan-African organization recently led a small group of African journalists on a trip to Beijing to learn more about China and the Chinese. Fahamu’s Emerging Powers Program Research Director, Sanusha Naidu, led the team on their visit to China where they met with students, intellectuals and other journalists. Naidu said that although the delegation was overwhelmed with China’s development and how much the country had achieved in such a short time, not all were convinced that China and Africa’s long term interests are aligned. ”There was a cautious optimism,” she said.

China still has time to ease those apprehensions, but it must get to work right away.

Listen to what else Sanusha Naidu had to say

China and Africa: Getting to Know Each Other

(Right click on the link and select save as to download the audio file.)