Pride Phiri

Pride Phiri (Zimbabwe)

Technical Writer for IBM China and part-time freelancer

I came to China to experience a different culture. I had just graduated and managed to secure a job in South Africa when I got an opportunity to come here and study Chinese. I figured this was probably my last chance to live for an extended period of time in a different environment before settling down into adulthood. I have since decided to stay and currently work at IBM China as a technical writer. I hope to continue developing my career in this role while I am in China.

Matthew McDonald

Matthew McDonald (South Africa)

Research Analyst, Center for Chinese Studies, Stellenbosch University

The expanding commercial and political relationships have paved the way for deeper and more meaningful communication and exchange between different groups of people in both China and Africa, no less the youth. The respective FOCAC commitments have broadened and enhanced the call for social, educational and cultural exchange by the youth in order to cement the future prosperity of Chinese and Africans alike. While this is certainly the intention on paper, and historically, the deepening of political and commercial relations does tend to broaden the socio-cultural dialogue. It is of course very dependent on the respective stakeholders in Africa and China to affect this dialogue. My hope would be that governments and youth in China and Africa would take the initiative to lift the rhetoric of social and cultural exchange laid out in the documents and turn these into actual opportunities to be taken advantage of.