Strength of resonance between Africa, China

The Chinese Dream put forth by President Xi Jinping has captured the hearts and minds of people in China, and to a large extent in Africa. The fervor to embrace the Chinese Dream is understandable, as it seeks to provide a life of prosperity for people in which they can become whatever they choose to be.

The Chinese Dream is perhaps the most relevant in Africa as it seeks new ways to empower people after several years of socio-economic underdevelopment. It is also interesting to note that the Chinese Dream seeks to build on the achievements of the earlier generations of Chinese leaders. There is also a historical trajectory on the implications of the Chinese Dream on the African continent.

Chairman Mao Zedong and his compatriots, notably premier Zhou Enlai laid the foundation for modern China in much the same way African leaders such as Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Kwame Nkurumah of Ghana, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Sam Nujoma of Namibia, Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Milton Obote in Uganda saw off colonialism and instituted self rule. To appreciate the confluence of the Chinese Dream and African aspirations along the same lines, one needs to go back in time and look at how the liberation struggles in China and in Africa have panned out.