Related Posts

Beware of the Chinese Chicken Trope in Zambia

A fascinating on-air skirmish broke out on the FRANCE 24 talk show The Debate last week during a conversation over Chinese investment and influence in Zambia. One of the show's guests, acclaimed China-Zambia scholar Solange Guo Chatelard took the network's correspondent, Nicolas Germain, to task for referencing ...

Love & Hate: Michael Sata's Complex Relationship with China

Few figures defined China's early engagement more than Zambia's late president Michael Sata. As as opposition leader, the man known as the "King Cobra" was among Beijing's most vocal critics in Zambia but later, once in power, became an avid supporter of China's investment ...

Al Jazeera’s King Cobra and the Dragon

There are few other, if any, media organizations producing as many consistently ground-breaking documentaries as Al Jazeera. Their latest episode of ‘People and Power,’ hosted by Paris-based China/Africa scholar Solange Chaterlard, gives an up close view of the critical role that ...

Chinese Relationship and Marriage Customs in Africa

There are no precise figures on the size of the Chinese population in Africa.  Given the fluidity of this immigrant population and the weak immigration controls in most African societies reliable numbers are just impossible to achieve.  There are very sophisticated networks ...

China in Africa: Who is Michael Sata?

https://soundcloud.com/chinatalkingpoints/china-in-africa-podcast-who-is-michael-sata Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata has emerged as a central character in the story of China’s engagement with Africa.  He has become a staple of the mainstream media’s coverage of ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Plugging into African Agency

After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...