Young African expats commemorate Mandela Day

A Mandela commemorative event at The Bookworm/Photo provided by YAPS

By Liang Meilan

In November 2009, The United Nations declared July 18 Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of the South African leader’s contributions to peace and freedom. To commemorate the anti-apartheid leader, who turned 92 on July 18, a group of African expats in Beijing hosted an event to raise awareness of the power each individual has to change the world around him.

Young African Professionals and Students (YAPS), with support from the United Nations Development Programme-China (UNDP China), organized a movie screening and performance at The Bookworm in Sanlitun that was attended by scholars, international relations specialists, government officials and young entrepreneurs.

The event was a valuable opportunity for dialogue between young Africans and people from other cultures. “The theme of the event today is the life of Mandela and what he did for the people of South Africa, which has affected all of us Africans and all people in the world,” said Vimabayi Kajese, YAPS media coordinator.

“I’m very impressed by the impassionate speech given by YAPS’s executive director, Coana Sebastiao,” said one of the attendees, Huang Yixin, a sophomore at Communication University of China. “I very much agree with what he said, that ‘like Mandela, every single one of us has a gift and talent that enables us to make a contribution to the world in a very wonderful way.’”

Sebastiao, paraphrasing Mandela, also said, “Once you discover that gift, do not play small; it does not serve the world. Think big and aim high so that you can share your gift with others.”

More young Africans are coming to China – there are currently about 250,000 Africans in this country – YAPS was founded in 2009 to help these newcomers get better acquainted with life in China.

“Through years of bittersweet experiences here, we recognized the importance of unity and building a centralized platform for networking and information sharing among young Africans in China,” Kajese said. “The platform will surely serve as an important pipeline to position young Africans in China as active participants in the development of Sino-African relations.”

Kajese said the group aims to equip young students with the ability to continue building coalitions when they go back to Africa. While African and Chinese ties have come a long way, there is still work to be done.

Vimabayi Kajese, a 28-year-old woman from Zimbabwe who is the mainland’s first African news anchor on CCTV International, understands the challenges but has also seen the rewards. She said her on-screen presence may help develop cultural bonds between Africans and Chinese.

“In the past, Chinese people didn’t see many Africans,” Kajese said. “They don’t understand the way we talk and our hairstyles and so on. Now, because I’m here, to some extent, it has started dialogue. It’s also good for Africans who come to China, as they will know there is opportunity for them here as there is for any other foreigner.”

“In line with Mr. Mandela’s vision of a society in which all people live together in harmony and with equal opportunities, UNDP strives to empower the world’s poorest and most vulnerable to lead better lives,” said Silvia Morimoto, deputy country director of UNDP China. “I praise YAPS for bringing to light Mandela’s set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life.”