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 will shift the focus to engagement through the media, arts, and culture, addressing questions of soft power and cultural engagement. Anthropologists, cultural historians, and former journalists will focus 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 is co-hosted by Georgetown University’s Africa-China Initiative and the Initiative on 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.
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.
LOCATION:Hybrid at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20230224T140000Z DTEND:20230224T173000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR