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Justin Haruyama joins Juliet, Erik, and Sisi (welcome to our new team member/producer!) to talk about China-Zambia relations, from the history of Chinese aid in Zambia to the complex people-to-people relations that characterize this bilateral relationship.Justin Haruyama is an instructor of anthropology at The University of British Columbia whose research explores diverse forms of relationality enabled by Chinese-African encounters, ranging from intimacy and fellowship, to exclusion and xenophobia, to mutual dependence and obligation. He is currently working on a book entitled Mining for Coal and Souls: Modes of Relationality in Emerging Chinese-Zambian Worlds that examines the controversial presence of Chinese migrants and investors in Zambia today. Articles:Justin Haruyama, "'South-South' Capitalist Extractive Patriarchy" in Transforming Anthropology (2025)Justin Haruyama, "Jehovah's Witnesses Are Learning Chinese to Evangelize in Zambia" in Anthropology News (2025)Justin Haruyama, "Shortcut English: Pidgin Language, Racialization, and Symbolic Economies at a Chinese-Operated Mine in Zambia" in African Studies Review (2023)Recommendations:Justin:Sapiens Podcast (Justin's episode comes out in May!)Mingwei Huang, Reconfiguring Racial Capitalism: South Africa in the Chinese Century (Duke University Press, 2024)Di Wu, Affective Ecounters: Everyday Life among Chinese Migrants in Zambia (Routledge, 2021)Erik:The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024)I'm Still Here (2024)Sisi:Jemima Pierce, The Predicament of Blackness: Postcolonial Ghana and the Politics of Race (University of Chicago Press, 2013)Juliet:Get on BlueSky!Northwestern University's 2023 commencement speech by Illinois governor JB Pritzker
The phrase "all-weather friend," first coined by Zambia's founding father Kenneth Kaunda to describe China, has become a defining term for the solid friendship between China and Zambia, and more broadly, between China and Africa. This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Zambia. As both nations move forward, the revitalization of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway is set to deepen their bond.
The U.S. and China plan to spend billions of dollars refurbishing key railway lines in southern Africa that link critical resource mining hubs in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with ports on both sides of the continent. For the U.S., it's the Lobito Atlantic Railway that goes from the copper belt in Zambia 1,300km west across Angola to the Atlantic Ocean. However, China is looking in the other direction: proposing to spend upwards of a billion dollars to refurbish the TAZARA railway, which also begins in Zambia and heads almost 1,900km West to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salam on the Indian Ocean. But building and managing these railways isn't going to be easy given the complex politics in the region. Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika, a former managing director of the TAZARA railway, and Solange Chatelard, a prominent China-Zambia scholar at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, join Eric & Géraud to discuss why Beijing and Washington face such formidable challenges in this new logistics competition. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
October 2023 marks the 59th anniversary of Zambia's independence and the establishment of diplomatic ties with China. What is the “TAZARA spirit” that defines this enduring relationship? And how crucial is this friendship to Africa's development? Professors Fan Guoping and David Mwanza, both Directors at the Confucius Institute at the University of Zambia, walk us through this historic friendship.
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia is paying a visit to China from Sept.10 to 16. The visit is expected to give a new boost to the all-round and in-depth growth of China-Zambia relations. In this episode Professor David Sani Mwanza, director of Confucius Institute University of Zambia and Professor Yang Tingzhi, associate professor from Fuzhou University of International Studies reflect on the diplomatic, bilateral and people to people exchanges between the two countries over the past five decades.
China and Zambia agree to lift their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. (01:44)Authorities in Libya want to find out if human failings are responsible for the flood disaster. (10:23)And the son of U.S. President Joe Biden is indicted on firearm charges. (25:01)
The recent visit to Zambia by China's top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi highlights the outsized importance Lusaka plays in Beijing's broader Africa strategy. Relations between the countries are among China's oldest on the continent, dating back to the anti-colonial struggles of the 1960s. Today, ideology has given way to economics. Zambia is a key supplier of copper and iron ore while China is Lusaka's largest bilateral creditor.Emmanuel Matambo, a native-Zambian and research director at the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how debt, xenophobia, and geopolitics are together placing unprecedented strains on the Sino-Zambian relationship.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @EKMatamboYouTube: The Impact of Zambia-China Relations on Zambia's DemocracySUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTERYour subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.comSubscriptions start at just $7 a month. Use the promo code "Podcast" and get a 20% lifetime discount on your annual subscription: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe
Given the tensions and controversies that have shaped China's decades-long engagement in Africa, it's a bit surprising that there are so few fictional books on the subject. For some reason, Africa's deep reservoir of talented writers has largely avoided using the Chinese presence on the continent as theme or character in their novels. The situation is similar in China, where the fictionalization of the Chinese presence in Africa is dominated by big blockbuster movies like Wolf Warrior II and Operation Red Sea. Zambian-born writer Mukuka Chipanta's 2016 book "A Casualty of Power" is the exception. Mukuka, who is also an aerospace engineer in the United States, tells the story of a young Zambian college student, Hamoonga Moya, who was falsely imprisoned and then upon his release goes to work in a Chinese copper mine. The story talks about the tensions between African workers and their Chinese supervisors are simmering over wages and unsafe working conditions and there’s a tipping point when a horrific accident sparks a bloody riot. Mukuka joins Eric & Cobus to discuss his book and why he thinks there aren't more China-Africa themed novels. Join the discussion? Do you think the China-Africa relations presents an interesting backdrop for writers and novelists to integrate into their stories? If not, why? Let us know what you think. Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @chipanta Email: eric@chinaafricaproject.com LinkedIn: Eric | Cobus A Casualty of Power is available for purchase on Amazon.com And if you would like to join our weekly email newsletter mailing list for a carefully curated selection of the week's top China-Africa news. Sign up here.
Chromez & Fanatik are hungover after partying the night before recording Episode 3. They start by explaining why they aren't reviewing Lil Wayne's Album 'Tha Carter V' yet (4:57). They then gave a follow up to the 'Mr. Smith' story where a man was blackmailing people after they sent him nudes so as to feature in pornographic films, also discussing why Patrick Shumba's (Zambian that was in the Black Panther movie) scandal died down quickly (8:27). The guys then weigh in on the 'Pamela Why?' story where a Prophet called out one of his congregants for back biting her friend in front of people in his church (15:43). A Police officer shot and killed a Zambian citizen in Buchi Township of Kitwe, the guys breakdown the story by asking why Zambian Police officers carry automatic weapons. Chromez recounts how he almost got shot by an off duty officer over a meat pie (31:08). They then talk about the CCTV footage that came out showing a Chinese national shooting and injuring a Zambian worker and other China-Zambia related news. Chromez calls out Fanatik for giving a Chinese dude tips on how to handle Zambian women (48:34). Freedom to protest is discussed after the boys get into Maiko Zulu getting arrested (58:58). The guys then talk about how for a long time there has been speculation that South African DJ/Producer Black Coffee only has one hand (1:02:52). Chromez & Fanatik then talk about the US Dollar trading at 12 Kwacha for the first time in 5 years. Then go on to discuss the Zambian Govt revealing that the money meant for the Social Cash Transfer that was reportedly misappropriated was in fact safe in a ZANACO Account (1:07:06). They then get into Lebron James moving to the Los Angeles Lakers and how that will affect his overall legacy (1:17:08). The boys then give their take on the Maria Zaloumis scandal, the lady in question reportedly stole her friends husband. This story is the inspiration for this episode's artwork (1:26:10) Follow the hosts on social media; @TheeChromez @Fanatik_Lochead (Artwork by @LordWapi) Remember to Subscribe!
Note: This episode was recorded last year and is missing some content. It has been uploaded as the podcast is relaunching. No discussion of China-Zambia relations would be complete without examining the TAZARA railway, the Chinese foreign aid project designed to eliminate landlocked Zambia's economic dependence on Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa. Host Winslow Robertson asks Prof. Jamie Monson, Director of the Michigan State University's (famed) African Studies Center. Prof. Monson is author of the definitive TAZARA history text "Africa's Freedom Railway.
We continue our discussion on China-Zambia relations following the death of President Michael Sata, and host Winslow Robertson wanted to look at what Sata meant to Zambian voters. He asked Mr. Kennedy Gondwe, a freelance journalist based in Lusaka who is an expert on Zambian politics and returning guest Solange Guo Chatelard, an associate at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle/Saale, Germany. If you wanted to know about domestic Zambian politics, this is the episode for you!
What does the unfortunate death of President Michael Sata, who passed away on Wednesday October 29 due to an undisclosed illness, mean for the China-Zambia relationship? Host Winslow Robertson asked Ms. Hannah Postel on the pod to help enlighten him. Ms. Postel, a graduate of Middlebury College who specializes in economic development, migration, and overseas Chinese communities, just returned to D.C. from her time as 2013-2014 Fulbright Scholar in Zambia and wants to share her reflections of President Sata.