The ‘Perplexing African in China’: A Reading of Black Ghosts by Ken Kamoche

Abstract

African countries and China have had contact since the late 15th Century. These ties have been strengthened with more studies interrogating what both sides stand to gain. At the center of these ties lie misconceptions, intrigues, and full-blown propaganda, all aimed at some end. This essay looks at how fiction intervenes in examining these ties more closely by focusing on the people-to-people relationships without sidelining the ongoing politico-economic debate. The paper interrogates how the novel digs into the history of the Africa-China engagement and weighs in on the mystery and cover-ups that have clouded it. We concluded that while China is often seen as positioning itself as Africa’s strongest political ally or even a sly colonial power, there is more going on from the exchange of perplexing cultures and secret political and personal deals that may undermine the interests of the ordinary citizens.