The China Africa Project (CAP) was started in 2011 by Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden as a non-profit, educational resource focused on exploring every facet of China’s increasing engagement with Africa.
Their weekly podcast, China in Africa Podcast, covers a variety of topics related to China-Africa relations and is invaluable for anyone interested in understanding more about those relationships.
Of particular interest for readers of this issue of ChinaSource Quarterly is “The Unintended Religious Consequence of Chinese Investment in Africa” with guest speaker, Dr. Christopher Rhodes, lecturer in Social Science, and Religion and Politics at Boston University.
Brief Description of the Recommended Episode
Life is not easy for many of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who live and work in Africa. Low pay, long hours, and extended assignments in unfamiliar cultures often lead to feelings of isolation and disillusionment.
In places like East Africa, some of these disaffected workers are finding their way into the evangelical Christian community that is so much a part of life there. Some churches are readily embracing this new population with services in Mandarin and other Chinese dialects.
In Africa, these newly-converted migrants are part of the large community of Christian evangelicals. However, when they return to China they must adapt to the strict regulations and greater control on religious life of the Chinese Communist Party.
Dr. Christopher Rhodes joins The China in Africa Podcast hosts to discuss this important, yet poorly understood, consequence of Chinese investment in Africa.
