By now, many will have seen the BBC Africa Eye x BBC Eye Investigations documentary 'Racism For Sale': In February 2020, a shocking video began to circulate on Chinese social media. A group of African children are being instructed, by a voice off-camera, to chant phrases in Chinese. The kids repeat the words with smiles and enthusiasm — but they don’t understand that what they’re being told to say is “I am a black monster and my IQ is low.” The clip ignited outrage in China and beyond.
But no one ever answered the crucial questions: Why was this filmed? Where was it shot? Who made it? These questions send #BBCAfricaEye and #BBCEyeInvestigations reporters Runako Celina and Henry Mhango on a journey into a Chinese video-making industry that exploits vulnerable children across the continent.
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Today, we bring you the podcast episode recorded as part of the documentary which takes a deeper look at the industry, the beliefs that underpin it, and our own personal reflections on Blackness in China.
Note: There were some technical difficulties that have contributed to sound issues during parts of this episode - we apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.
Watch the documentary Racism for Sale here
Recommended reading:
- “Anti-Blackness” in Chinese Racial-Nationalism: Sex/Gender, Reproduction, and Metaphors of Pathology, by the exceptional Kun Huang. Kun Huang is a PhD candidate of Comparative Literature at Cornell University
- China, We Have a (Racist) Problem, JACKYNICOLE EYOCKO
- China's Second Continent, Howard French
Recommended watch:
Racist Chinese Calls Africans N-Word With Low IQ!
With thanks to our guests
Credits:
Executive Producer, Editor - Runako Celina
Producer - Inés Forman,
February 21st 1915 marks the birth of Claudia Jones, a pioneering Afro-Caribbean radical intellectual, dedicated communist, and feminist. She's known for starting the first-ever Caribbean carnival in London and for expanding Marxist-Leninist thought and its reach across the African diaspora - but few know about her time in, and engagement with China. In this episode, we hear from Professor Carole Boyce Davies on Claudia Jones' life, legacy and how her time in China contributed to her anti-imperialist politics.
Recommended Reading:
Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones, Professor Carole Boyce Davies
Claudia Jones: Beyond Containment, by Carole Boyce Davies
2020 exposed everything from racial violence in Guangzhou to the weaponisation of Black pain as the US and China furthered their 'cold war' - we won't be sad to see the year go - but before it does, join Saron, Runako Celina and Inès from the Black Livity China team as they discuss the year that challenged us all.
Black Livity China initially launched in 2018 with a mission to document and demystify African and Afro-diasporic experiences both in China and in relation to China. Find out more about us with this intro episode and learn why 2020 became the year we chose to further our mission through this podcast.