African cultural ambassadors
(left to right) Yappies Lebogang Rasethaba, Lefifi Tebogo, Rewina Berhe, Vimbayi Kajese and Tekeste Sebhat. Photos: Liu Jian and Guo Yingguang
China's business foray into Africa in the past decade has been a huge success with bilateral relations and figures hailing a fruitful relationship. But in the arena of mutual awareness, where real life experience and personal engagement prevail, results are meager. Chinese and Africans still don't know each other and that can compromise the Sino-African handshake in the long-term.
Africans in Beijing are gathering to make sure that their China experience is channeled to intensify human interaction within Sino-African affairs. "Our goal is to create a platform that will act as a premier pipeline to position young Africans in China as active participants in the development of Africa-China relations," states YAPS, the Young African Professionals and Students (YAPS) organization created to be a centralized platform for networking and information sharing amongst young Africans in China.
"Ten years ago, a Chinese taxi driver couldn't tell if Africa was a continent or a country. Today they insist in knowing which country in Africa I am from," told Sheila Mutavu, 26, an officer at the embassy of Rwanda in Beijing and YAPS junior counselor. "Five years ago, there weren't a lot of African people in Beijing, especially women," recalled Zimbabwean Vimbayi Kajese, who's YAPS PR & Media counselor and the first African anchorwoman to headline the news on China's CCTV.
"Currently Africans are coming here to settle as opposed to merely coming to study, shop and then return to their country. China has become a land of opportunities and a place that we can make our second home," added Kajese, explaining the interest is mutual, with more Chinese people increasingly interested in settling in Africa. There are African hairdressers and restaurants, an African church and Chinese tailors who make clothes with African fabrics and design. "They're also more accepting of who we are and what we can do. African-China relationships and marriages are on the rise, and there are more Africans as English teachers regardless of the fact they're not from Europe or the US. This might be foreign land to us, but we increasingly feel we can actually live in China, long-term," Kajese said, adding "there's still a long way to go but changes are happening."
Yappies
"We don't know exactly how many Africans are in China, or what they're doing. We also need to be better informed about events within the African community and thus, a platform to bring us together and a tool to encourage us to participate as such, as well as support each other in other areas was lacking," explained Kajese.
YAPS was born in the summer of 2009 with a three-pronged strategy: awareness, networking, leadership. In its first year YAPS held a series of events to promote the group and set up Sino-African debate. There are about 50 YAPS members and the group is growing. "That's the beauty of it, we come from all four corners of Africa and all walks of life and we're an inclusive group of all YAPS non-African friends who share the passion for Africa and want to push forward the Africa-China continental agenda," Kajese stated.
From Ethiopia to South Africa, Liberia to Mozambique, there are students, artists, diplomats and business entrepreneurs at YAPS. "It's about promoting African culture so that Chinese people know that Africa isn't about AIDS, poverty and desert," explained Zhang Yipeng, Chinese counselor with YAPS who studied and worked in South Africa for three years.
Yappies "have the knowledge and the ability to be key-people in the promotion of Africa-China awareness, cultural exchange and cultivation of real economic value in their countries," said Sebasti?o Coana, a 23-year-old Mozambican artist in Beijing and YAPS executive director. The organization offers an all-round experience with professional and personal benefits: contacts, project-managing skills, active participation in dialogues and seminars about Africa. "Cultural diplomacy is crucial to wipe out misconceptions and enhance understanding between Africans and Chinese at levels that go beyond politicians and diplomats," Coana said, "Yappies benefit from this fellowship even after they left China, putting to use the strategic thinking skills and decision making that will have a positive impact on people's lives."
"YAPS is a guide for young Africans to be exposed and be instrumental in Sino-African relations in China and abroad," Mutavu added. "It equips you with the skills to be a team player, a strategic thinker, and a productive leader instead of a mere follower," said the young counselor, who'll be speaking at this week's event "Diplomacy for Non-Diplomats," a YAPS lecture that aims to educate and encourage non-diplomats with diplomatic skills. YAPS events often feature think tanks and people with firsthand Africa-China experience to bring forth the African perspective.
YAPS was visibly present at Dambisa Moyo's lecture, where the renowned Zambian economist and author of How there is a Better Way for Africa and Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and presented the latter around Beijing. YAPS co-hosted China's first Nelson Mandela' Day celebration with the United Nations Development Program; held a commemorative dinner celebrating the Leading Women of China-Africa, for International Women's Day; and regularly hosts round table reviews on the African nations on important or sizzling topics that affect locals and African residents in the news. These have proved popular with a community that's really starting to hit its stride in Beijing.
Synergy
People-to-people engagement is YAPS' priority. "We are culture, education and industry ambassadors and promoters. For China-Africa, we hope to promote Africa as a brand of choice. We will create more opportunities and a solid support base while YAPS members are studying or developing their careers in the China-Africa realm," said Lefifi Tebogo, YAPS Chairwoman and a business consultant based in Beijing since 2005. The association will focus on a mapping project in 2011 to perceive the extent and content of the African scholars and graduates' presence in China and how their expertise can be deployed in Africa when China engages the continent.
Both emerging markets with a heterogeneous cultural landscape, Africa-China relations involve synergies that YAPS aims to explore through soft exchanges. The transfer of knowledge and information - languages, history and culture - and experimenting life in both sides of the pond are the best ways to demystify stereotypes. "We want to make sure Africans make the most of China's growth and their personal experience but this is also a solid foundation creating awareness about Africa as a product and a land of opportunities for Chinese people," Tebogo said.
Supported by donations and self-financing, YAPS currently provides personal and professional consulting for African individuals and companies trying to get ahead in China. The group focuses on social entrepreneurship projects, while scholarships and financial support for start up businesses are a future possibility as investors join in and the association grows.
"Coming to China is not like going to any other country," Kajese said. "There are a lot of challenges and opportunities because this is an emerging market. You can reinvent yourself and be a positive beacon for your country and continent to an extent that you can't do in other countries like the US or in Europe."
"I know a lot of young Chinese professionals?who want to explore opportunities in Africa but lack the knowledge of how to go about it," said Zhang Yipeng. "Moreover, they do not have friends?on the other side. YAPS can be this super platform to meet and build contacts with Africans."
With tables turning toward a new world order, Africa-China relations promote a more balanced triangle of East-West-Africa interaction with Africa assuming a new empowered role. Aware that both parties have to upgrade their game for long-term goals, YAPS is confident and wants to help shape Africa-China relations that can be the benchmark on how emerging markets interact, determining global growth development.