Author: Eric Olander
Eric Olander is the co-founder of the China Global South Project, an independent, non-partisan media initiative dedicated to exploring every facet of China’s engagement in Africa. Eric is a fluent Mandarin-speaker and a longtime China-watcher with more than 25 years of journalism experience at many of the world’s leading media companies, including CNN, the BBC, and FRANCE24, among others. He received his undergraduate degree in East African History from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in Chinese Public Affairs from the University of Hong Kong.
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Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama spoke out in defense of the government's decision last week to ban Twitter, claiming the move was intended to protect the country's sovereignty and national security. The Foreign Minister made the remarks during a press conference that followed closed-door ...
Report: Asian, African Countries Block Access to Social Media More Than Any Other Regions
Nigeria's decision to ban Twitter last week is just the latest example of how access to social media platforms in Africa is narrowing, according to a new report by the Virtual Private Network company Surf Shark. They report that 30 countries across the continent have ...
Is the Nigerian Twitter Ban Similar to China’s Restrictions on Foreign Social Media Platforms? Yes… and No.
Lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is adamant that Nigeria's recent crackdown on Twitter is nothing at all like what authoritarian governments in other parts of the world restrict access to social media platforms. “I do not agree," he said in a story that is widely circulating today on ...
Transsion is Crushing the Competition in Africa’s Rebounding Mobile Phone Market
While African economies continue to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown, consumer spending on mobile phones is on the rebound with Shenzhen-based device giant Transsion leading the way, according to the latest figures published by the global technology consultancy IDC.
TECNO’s New AI-Powered Camera Software Artificially Lightens Black Skin Tones
A fascinating discussion is underway within China's art community about whether new AI-powered software used in TECNO mobile phones is contributing to a form of colorism in Africa, by favoring lighter skin tones over darker complexions. Taipei/Berlin-based filmmaker and visual artist ...
Disturbing Video Shows Fight Breaking Out Between Chinese Manager and Local Construction Staff in Sierra Leone
Editor's Note: This video appeared on the Sierra Eye Twitter channel today and is beginning to circulate widely. It's important to note that the authenticity of the video is still unknown. There is no indication of when it was shot, who uploaded it or where ...
White House Issues Report On How to Disentangle Critical Materials Supply Chains From China, Just as Apple is Reportedly in Talks With Chinese Battery Makers
Securing reliable supplies of cobalt and other strategic materials from places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo featured prominently in a new White House report that aims to counter China's dominance in this area. The timing of the report, however, comes just as Apple is reported ...
Trailer Drops For New Chinese TV Drama About the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
The trailer for a big-budget TV Chinese drama series set in a fictitious West African country during the 2014 Ebola outbreak is getting a bit of buzz on Chinese social media channels. Ebola Fighters purportedly showcases the efforts of Chinese PLA ...
The Rapidly Changing Vaccine Distribution Dynamics: Asia to Get Millions of Jabs While Supplies in Africa Run Low
The politics of global vaccine distribution are intensifying as the world's major democratic powers mobilize their own "vaccine diplomacy" initiatives in a bid to compete head-on with China for influence in strategically vital regions, particularly in Asia. Both
China Now the Largest Source of Vaccines For African Countries
This month, a mere 12 million vaccine doses arrived in Africa, twice as many as the previous month, but still a fraction of what's required for a continent with a population of more than a billion people, according to new data from the Beijing-based ...
China May Be Providing More Vaccines to Africa Than Anyone Else, But That’s Not Saying Much
China's total vaccine deliveries to Africa increased slightly over the past week by just 300,000 doses to 20.3 million, according to the latest data from the vaccine tracking reporting compiled by the Beijing-based Bridge Consulting. Asia remains the ...
Botswana to Administer Second Dose of Sinovac Jabs
Frontline workers, elderly residents and others in Botswana who received their first dose of Sinovac vaccines back in March will be able to receive their second dose from today. Health officials also announced that second doses for those who received AstraZeneca jabs will be available as of ...