"The truth is there is poverty all over the world, but why, when people think of poverty, [would] they associate this with Africa? Is there nothing good happening in Africa?" Sibanda asked. She believes Africa is beautiful yet needs more appreciation. "Africa's hospitality and warmth and African people's talents have been taken for granted for too long. It's high time to educate people and remove the negative stereotype that they have about Africa," she said. 

Change agent

Sibanda first came to China in 2007 to start up a clothing business for plus size women back in Zimbabwe. After a couple of years in China she decided to pursue her MBA, with the main focus on how to do business in China. Compared with other emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa, she found China is growing faster. So she chose to settle in this country after her graduation in 2013.

She didn't expect there would be difficulties for a foreigner to find a job in China, especially for an African. Besides the huge working population in China, "there is discrimination by many employers preferring not to hire Africans," she noted. "Being Africans doesn't mean we are not educated."

Sibanda found that, because of this, some young Africans who are living, studying and working in China resort to hiding their nationalities in hope of finding jobs. Determined to change the situation, Sibanda set up the non-profit organization AAN on June 29, 2013.

The aim of AAN is to promote wider awareness of Africa, African peoples and their cultures, as well as the contributions by Africans to China's development. Sibanda wants to project a proper perspective of Africa to the Chinese community, especially to the younger Chinese generation.

With increasing people-to-people contacts and exchanges between China and African countries over the past years, reporting and coverage on African in the Chinese media have also been on the rise. However, Sibanda noticed that more of the coverage still focuses on the wild animals and natural beauty in Africa, and more often on a couple of specific countries. "We have 54 countries on the continent. Apart from Kenya, more other countries should be covered," she said, adding that they should also show how Africans live their everyday lives. 

Modern life in Abidjan, economic capital of Cote d'lvoire shows Africa is more than the stereotype of poverty, illness, war and wild animals (PHOTO BY ZHAO YINGQUAN)

Rebuilding confidence

With the theme "Africa, My Home, My Pride," AAN hosted the first Africa Night speech contest in Beijing on September 28, 2013. Thirty African students studying at Chinese universities gave presentations to showcase their respective countries and cultures in a bid to share the continent's diversity to Chinese.

African Achievers International Awards is another program run by AAN to offer a platform for the African community in China to demonstrate their talents, and encourage Africans to be proud of who they are and where they come from. "Appreciation must start from ourselves," said Sibanda.

At this year's award-giving ceremony, held on June 29 in Beijing, winning the awards are 23 Africans and three Chinese, who are entrepreneurs, community builders or those who have contributed to promoting Africa inChina.  

Communication is the key

Sibanda regards all AAN's programs as educational. "The whole concept of AAN is to promote awareness, and the only thing you can do to make people aware is to educate them," she said.

AAN now offers Discover Africa classes at two international schools in Beijing. The classes concentrate on subjects like African history, African art, African music and dance and African languages.

Growing up in the UK and having traveled to many countries, Sibanda felt prejudices and stereotypes about Africans can be found everywhere: in the workplace, at school or on the street.

For young Africans studying and working in China who might experience such kind of prejudices, Sibanda's advice is to communicate more with locals so as to make more people know about Africa, its peoples and cultures. In her eyes, when outsiders talk about "bad things" about Africa, very often "it's not that they hate you or your country," but it is more out of ignorance. "We Africans cannot keep quiet. It's our duty to keep people informed," she said. 

Her dream

This June 29 marked the first anniversary of the establishment of AAN. Running this organization on her own is not an easy job, she said, as, without any sponsors so far, she has to pay everything out of her own pocket, such as running programs and holding events. 

"Many don't understand why I am doing this," she said, but she believes that all she has done is meaningful.

It's worthwhile to promote the positive side of Africa in China, and she feels rewarded when receiving positive feedbacks and encouragement from both Africans and the Chinese, she said. At the same time, she hopes to get more support from more people.

"My dream is that no matter in China or any place in the world, people can appreciate Africa and African peoples. I know it takes time, but bit by bit, we can get there," she said.