A Turbulent Week for China-Africa Media Narratives

Over the past week, sharply contrasting images of Chinese engagement in Africa surfaced online. Anger erupted on social media over the release of yet another violent video that shows Congolese soldiers brutally beating local miners purportedly at the behest of Chinese nationals watching in the background.

A controversial hour-long documentary by one of Zambia's leading newspapers also sparked a lot of discussion over the labor and environmental records of Chinese mining companies in the country. The Chinese embassy in Lusaka denounced the program as "biased" and containing "hidden motives."

Meanwhile, in China, a 15-second teaser of a new blockbuster movie also dropped this week that looks like it's set in a fictitious North African country, while popular Chinese travel vlogger Zhang Jun released a visually stunning 2.5-hour-long documentary on the Congolese fashion scene known as "La Sape."

Eric, Géraud & Cobus discuss these various clips and shows that emerged this week and what they reveal about the evolution of China-Africa media narratives.

SHOW NOTES:

• Justicia ABSL: Violent beating of Congolese miners by FARDC soldiers
• News Diggers: China: The Good, the Bad and the Dangerous
• Movie Trailer: 用武之地/The Point of No Return
• The Fashion Bible: Congo’s “La Sape” Fashion Culture Through the Unlikely Lens of a Chinese Vlogger

JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud

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