——On Relations between China and Africa by Professor Li Anshan (II)

   After analyzing similarities of Chinese and African values and the common challenges, we can raise a question: could China and Africa learn from each other? The answer is absolutely yes.

   Curretly,it is commonly believed among the academic circle that Africa shall learn from China as China boasts rapid economic and social development. Such statement is widely accepted, especially in China’s intellectual circles. However, it is safe to say that such statement is very much one-sided. Actually, China and Africa should learn from each other. Then, what can China learn from Africa?

   Firstly, Africans firmly believe that human and nature shall co-exist in harmony and balance. Human is a part of nature and relates to nature in different ways. According to African traditional beliefs, land and people shall not be separated. The fact that most Africa women engage in the fieldwork is not what the outside thinks to be—a reflection of male chauvinism. Actually, Africans think that women as mothers of their children are more closely related to the land as mother of all humans and their labors would bring a better harvest. Surely, many ceremonies held in Africa are related to awe of land or nature. Though China’s cultural tradition also emphasizes the concept of unity between man and nature, people are forced to seek more food and necessities of life from nature due to the relatively harsh natural conditions and the large population. As a result, few considerations are given to harmonious development of human and nature (except scarcely populated areas, such as gathering residence of Chinese minority groups). After founding of the People's Republic of China, unquantifiable consequences have been aroused during the practice of the concept of “human against nature”. To make matter worst, since reform and opening up in 1980s, China witnessed a rapid economic development.With its ever-increasing demand of energy and resources,it has brought about a huge load on the nature. In recently years, exposed to adverse impact due to excess exploitation of nature, Chinese were compelled to rediscover nature and Scientific Outlook on Development was gradually carried out in national building. All in all,that Africans respect and worship nature reflects the concept of harmonious co-existence between human and nature, which is worth of learning from. 

   Secondly, Africans have a strong sense of family and community, which is fading away in contemporary Chinese who live in urban areas. In Africa, no matter how wealthy or powerful a man is, he must be responsible for his family and relatives. We’ve heard many times that some African government officials must support the whole family and receive many visiting relatives. Our African friends will send money to their families once they receive their salary. My students frequently do the same, “if not, what will they live by?”, though they do not have much money. Such sense of community is “made by god” for it can surpass the crowd inhabited in the same place; it is also made by man, for it can be reflected only by a real person. People come to community center for all kinds of activities for it is the center of society, politics, laws and culture and also the platform of cultural exchange. There is no doubt that in China’s rural areas, people are still bond by family and attach importance to family. However, along with urbanization and materialism, individualism is eroding our sense of family and community. Family, as a fundamental element of social patterns, plays an important role in human development. From an evolutionary perspective, stability of social patterns depends on the status of family. Highlighting and maintaining importance of family is theseond point that China shall learn from Africa.

   Thirdly, women usually enjoy more rights in African countries, which is also worth learning from. Some people who have heard that African women were discriminated would feel weird. But, it is true. Like Chinese women, African women have played an important role in maintaining family and defending their country. Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, President of the African Union Commission, had mentioned historical facts about two African women in her speech given before she took office. In 690AD, a female freedom fighter from North Africa, called Dahia Al-Kahina, bravely commanded the army to fight against Arabians in the fight against Arabian invasion; she’d rather give her life than surrender to Arabians. The city of knowledge, Timbuktu, is named after a woman—Buktu; Sankore mosque in the city is also built by a woman. During the anti-colonial struggle in the 19th century, African women made huge contributions to their nation. Though African women (especially Queen Mother or ladies of the royal family) have played an important role in political system historically, colonial rule completely shut all females out of the politics, depriving them of all opportunities to appear on political stage. 

   As is known to us, women from some European countries experienced long-term discrimination and struggled a lot to gain the voting right. France (1945), Italy (1946) and Belgium (1948) realized general implementation of the system of elections on the basis of equality between men and women within a very long period after formation of modern states. Different from European countries, women could enjoy political rights soon after African countries became independent. It cannot be denied that women are underestimated in certain African countries, among which some practice severe sexism. However, early in 1969, a Liberia female, named Angie Brooks, had been elected as president of the U.N. General Assembly. Shesaid that she is proud of the continent she is in, her motherland and being female. Toro Elizabeth Bagnya Nyabongo, known as “African princess”, has been a Ugandan lawyer, a politician, a diplomatist, a model and an actress. As the first female Ugandan lawyer, she was appointed as Ugandan Foreign Minister in 1974. From 1970s to 1980s, female African ambassadors in Paris attracted attention of other countries. Today, more and more African women are involved in social and political activities, become world-renowned Nobel Prize winners or state leaders. Two excellent females —Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Joyce Banda were respectively elected as President of Liberia and President of Malawi. AliA.Mazrui, a famous African politician, wrote in the late 1980s that “in the future, Africa will have the first female secretary general, whether it will come before or after the first female president of any African country, we will wait and see.” Now, the result has come out. Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma was elected as the president of the African Union Commission.

   It is a unique phenomenon in world politics that women appear on political arena in great numbers. Quite a few African countries, including the African Union, has established laws for proportion of women serving their government offices, and some countries and institutions has laid down strict rules to protect women employment. For  instance, in South Africa, more and more women become civil servants and of 2,382 staff in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, women are 1,300 and men are 1,082. At this point, China cannot bear comparison. Historically, Chinese women have been at disadvantage for a long time. Though the traditional concept that men are superior to women has transformed significantly, women still experience discrimination in many aspects, especially in employment in recent years. As for women’s function in politics, the United Nations' World Conference on Women hosted by China in 1995 passed the Beijing Platform for Action specifying that women’s proportion in all levels of organ of authority shall reach 30% in 2000. However, continuous efforts made by China failed to raise number of women in all levels of organs of authority to that standard.