Africa-China engagement is usually seen through political and economic lenses, often focusing on competition between China and Western nations and development impacts in Africa. In this half-day symposium, our speakers shifted the focus to engagement through the media, arts, and culture, addressing questions of soft power and cultural engagement. Anthropologists, cultural historians, and former journalists focused on Chinese propaganda posters, African music videos, Chinese media infrastructure and influence in Africa, and on-the-ground African responses to China’s media.
This symposium was co-hosted by Georgetown University’s Africa-China Initiative and the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues and co-sponsored by the African Studies and Asian Studies programs in the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Schedule
February 24, 2023
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. | Welcome Remarks and Introductions
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. | Panel One: Africa-China Media Engagement
- Maria Repnivoka, Georgia State University
- Emeka Umejei, National Endowment for Democracy
10:20 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. | Panel Two: “Africa in China” and “China in Africa” as Represented in Arts and Culture
- Vivian Chenxue Lu, Fordham University
- Ignatius G.D. Suglo, University of Pennsylvania
11:25 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. | Roundtable: Africa and China, Media and Cultural Influences, and Soft Power Discourses
- Vivian Chenxue Lu, Fordham University
- Maria Repnivoka, Georgia State University
- Ignatius G.D. Suglo, University of Pennsylvania
- Emeka Umejei, National Endowment for Democracy
12:25 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks
Featured
Vivian Chenxue Lu is an assistant professor of anthropology at Fordham University.
Maria Repnikova is an associate professor in global communications at Georgia State University.
Ignatius G.D. Suglo is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication at the Annenberg School for Communications at University of Pennsylvania.
Emeka Umejei is a fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy.
Yoon Jung Park (moderator) is the director of Georgetown University’s Africa-China Initiative.