Feb 28 Bookworm Africa 2.0 Event Hopes to Celebrate and Educate About Black Lives in China

We're coming to the close of this year's Black History Month, an annual event borne in the US but slowly building traction globally, which looks to raise awareness about black lives and commemorate the achievements of black diaspora across the globe. To close out this year's celebrations, the Chinese chapter of Africa 2.0, a group of established and emerging African "changemakers," is preparing a final discussion on Being Black in China at The Bookworm of Feb 28, 7-9pm.

The event itself will consist of a showing of the documentary Black in China and a panel discussion from a diverse cross-section of the black community in Beijing and beyond, encompassing professors, journalists, advocates, writers, and creatives. The evening will close with an open Q&A and a chance to meet and network with the speakers.

By holding an open dialogue between a varied panel on exactly what it is like to be black in China, the group hopes to raise awareness about the most pressing race issues that China is facing today as well as highlight the achievements of black people in the country through (positive and negative) personal experiences and their ongoing effort to eradicate prejudice.

Given China's growing influence on the global political stage as well in Africa, and state media's tone-deaf rebuttal and a common belief held by broader society that racism in China does not exist, such discussions are a crucial means to allow the other side a say. The recent controversy surrounding CCTV's decision to feature blackface as part of its hugely influential Spring Festival Gala is indicative that there's still a ways to go for China to represent Africa as what it is: A vast, rich, and diverse continent made up of 55 countries.

Below, we speak to the Being Black in China event organizer and board member for the Africa 2.0 China Chapter Musa Frimpong about what he hopes to achieve from the event, the ongoing issues faced by black people in China, and how you can get involved with similar events and organizations in Beijing.

What do you hope to achieve from the Africa 2.0 event on Feb 28?
The goal of our Being Black in China event by the Africa 2.0 China Chapter is to help bring to light the history, experiences, and contributions of black people in China. Additionally, we'd like to create awareness on issues that confront black people around the world, with a special focus on the Chinese experience. Also, the event will serve as a platform for the black and non-black communities to promote personal, professional and social development ideas exchange and network amongst themselves. In the end, we hope people will be more aware about the history, experiences, challenges, and achievements of the black community in China.

Can you tell us how you came about choosing the diverse lineup of speakers for the event?
Such an event requires people with diverse and special experiences working and staying in China for a good number of years. With this in mind, we were able to do a thorough such within our networks of people all around China who have had such experiences and have the relevant skills to allow them to share and engage the audience with the insights of the topic of the day. Though not completely exhaustive, we are very optimistic the speakers will be able to meet the expectations of the audience and give them a good understanding of all the relevant issues related to the topic and what being black in China means.

What are some of the biggest issues facing the black community in Beijing, and China, right now?
Some of the ongoing issues that the black community in China has to deal with is what I would call a lack of understanding of what black people are all about as opposed to outright racism, leading to regular disrespect and mistreatments at all levels in Chinese society. This also leads to other challenges in the educational, professional, and business lives of the black community as well.   

With the recent controversy surrounding CCTV’s portrayal of black people during the Spring Festival gala, many would say that the country has a long way to go in terms of perpetuating stereotypes or tackling race issues. How has the African community reacted to the skit? If you could speak to the program director directly what might you say to him?
In recent times, the two public portrayals of black people and Africans, one at a museum in Wuhan and the recent incident on CCTV, explains how ignorant or misinformed people are about black people and who they and who they are not. One would believe these are pardonable cases, but not in this information age, one where people can easily find the right information to help take the right line of action.

This incident was not received well by the black community and we hope these things will not be repeated in the future. We would like to advise CCTV and all the other media and institutions in China to ensure to crosscheck with the credible sources before putting out these advertisements and programs out there so as to avoid such controversy in the future. This we believe will help build a healthy relationship at all levels and sectors between the black community and their Chinese counterparts.

Are there any other ways that people can get involved in African community events either during Black History Month or throughout the year?
There are a good number of growing African and black initiatives and businesses across China which we at Africa 2.0 would like to highlight and promote at all our platforms and events. We have a lineup of activities for each month throughout the year which we invite everyone – individuals, institutions, and businesses – to be part of in diverse ways. We believe the black community has a lot to contribute to the various communities and institutions they are part of and China’s development at large. We are always ready to partner and support anyone interested to work with us in this regard.

Entry to Feb 28's Being Black in China event at The Bookworm costs RMB 70 and includes a drink. You can reserve your ticket via Yoopay here.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tomarnstein@thebeijinger.com
WeChat: tenglish_

Images: curiousmatic.com, courtesy of the organizers