Sierra Leone News: A visit to ‘Guangzhou’ the home of Africans in China

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Being the third largest city behind Beijing and Shanghai in China, Guangzhou city, located on the Pearl River at the Southeast of the country is the home of over two hundred and fifty (250,000) Africans who largely depend on business for their daily survival. Guangdong Province with a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 1 trillion US Dollar in 2015 account for about one ninth of national total GDP remains to be a major terminus of the maritime Silk Road and also continues to serve as the major and transportation hub. Its imports and export of the city exceeds 1 trillion USD last year which account for one quarter of national and have been the largest economic strength for almost 25 years among the 25 administrative provincial According to the Deputy Director General of Guangdong Province, Luo Jun, despite being a small province with a coverage is about 2 percent of the country, among the 50 million Chinese that are doing business overseas 30 million are from Guangdong province. He disclosed that more than 50 percent of Africa citizens in China live and do business in Guangzhou city, describing their actions as one that bridge and strengthening the cooperation between China and Africa. Luo Jun stated that the Province also host more than 300 Hi-Tech companies in the City of Shenzhen, including Huawei, Samsung, Apple, Tencent among others. The Deputy Director disclosed that in modern commerce, Guangzhou City is best known for its annual canton fair, the oldest, highest-level, largest-scale and most complete trade fair in China, explaining that Forbes ranked the City as the best commercial city on Chinese mainland from 2013 to 2015. According to one of the social workers at the Foreign Affairs Service Centre of Dengfeng Community in Guangzhou City, they are running a Non Governmental organization that provides assistant to Africans upon arrival in the Province. He explained that they help Africans with their registration processes and also to get lodging. He added that as a way of helping them understand the Chinese culture they provide free Chinese classes as well on the culture and traditions of China. “We provide them with basic lectures on the laws of the land as a way of guidance, give them basic medical facilities which are all part of the social assistance provided by the provincial authority” he says, adding that after three years of operations their centre is now popular to many Africans who visit the Center for assistant. He disclosed the Center normally intervene to settle dispute between and among Africans and if they fail to settle them they will advise them to go to the police for settlement, explaining that some of the Africans do obey the rules while others don’t due to lack of knowledge. The Social worker stated that their responsibility is not to check on the legality of Africans but to provide assistant to them when the need arise as an NGO, explaining that most of them faced challenges in communicating with the Chinese people which is why they are providing classes for them. Upon arrival in Dengfeng Community one might be tempted to think that he/she is in as Africans from various countries in the continent operating small and large scale businesses whiles other operate shipping and fright agencies helping others to transport their goods back home for business. Speaking to some of the Africans around the market place of Dengfeng community, they expressed dissatisfaction towards the police officers who on a daily basis chase them around checking on their residential status, adding that such situation sometimes lead to some Africans losing their lives in the process of trying to escape. They maintained that in most cases they act as contact persons for other Africans living in other parts of the world who intend doing business in the province as they sometimes buy and send the items through shipment either by flight or ship. According to two Sierra Leonean brothers who approached me in front of the Foreign Affairs Service Centre admitted been assisted by the Center when the arrived in the city, explaining that throughout their stay in Guangzhou they feel at home as life is conformable as they have all their document determining their legality. They stated that most Sierra Leoneans visited Guangzhou for business which is very close to Hong Kong but that they prefer the city due to the quality and price of the items, explaining that like any other country around the world there are few Africans among them who find it difficult to survive especially when they are in the process of regularizing their stay. By Alhaji M. Kamara in China Friday October 07, 2016

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