Africans-In-China: Observing China

http://www.africansinchina.com/2008-11-28/africans-in-china-observing-china/

Maurice said, “You cannot fool me in the field of African and Chinese cultures,I’ve experienced both and also have deep academic knowledge about them.” He was confident that with his academic knowledge and rich experience in Africa and China he would help push forward Sino-African relations.

Benin= country
Africa= continent of 54 countries

This dude spent 20+ years in Benin and all of a sudden he thinks he's an Africa-expert with "rich experience in Africa".  Pfft.

Benin= country
Africa= continent of 54 countries

This dude spent 20+ years in Benin and all of a sudden he thinks he's an Africa-expert with "rich experience in Africa".  Pfft.
[/quote]

Yeah it can be pretty annoying when people continue to see Africa as one big country. Just last week I had an office colleague- a Chinese girl who stayed in Zurich for 8 years- asked me- a Ghanaian- how many mobile phone networks we had in Ethiopia since her cousin had gone to Ethiopia for two weeks and couldn't be reached on the phone. I nearly lost it.
You know sometimes we don't have to put all the blame on them, Kwame Nkrumah, Tafawa Balewa etc. pushed hard for a United Africa in the 60s when most of the countries on the continent had just come out of colonialism. However greed and the insatiable thirst for political power by the leaders of the continent saw this dream die. Africans are partly to blame.

Just last week I had an office colleague- a Chinese girl who stayed in Zurich for 8 years- asked me- a Ghanaian- how many mobile phone networks we had in Ethiopia since her cousin had gone to Ethiopia for two weeks and couldn't be reached on the phone. I nearly lost it.

Haha...

A Filipina once asked me "how do you say [something] in Nigerian language?" At first I assumed that she thought I knew how to speak the native language of Nigeria.  So I replied, "wt...how the heck should I know?"  I then realized that she actually believed Africa was the name given to the continent and Nigeria was the name given to the only country making up the continent.

Africans are partly to blame.

True.  People like Maurice shouldn't go round telling people he's an expert in Africa...that's what happens when you've been in China for too long.  People keep calling you an "African" that you start to believe you're representing Africa as a whole instead of representing only part of it.

Nevertheless, only people who haven't been educated properly are the people who believe everything they hear.  My Geography sucks, it was my worst subject at high school.  I don't think I've ever gotten more than a 'C' grade for that one.  I don't expect non-Africans to open their Geography books and study the map of Africa, but to not know the difference between a continent and a country is downright ignorant.

If they call us poor, uncultured, uneducated and all things bad, yet we speak their language(s) & can label their maps correctly...then they really are a bunch of deluded individuals.

Beninese performs Chinese art

http://www.china.org.cn/living_in_china/expat_tales/2008-12/03/content_16892543.htm