Getting the good word out

Many Kenyans are unaware of the benefits China is bringing to their nation, local experts say

"Chinese!" It's common for Chinese people to hear curious Kenyan children excitedly yell that at them.

The scenario may feel like an odd role reversal that shares similarities with what happened in China, especially in the early stages of China's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Workers on a drainage building project at Mathare, in Nairobi. African experts say Chinese should integrate more with local communities to eradicate misconceptions about each other. Xie Songxin / China Daily

Then it was "laowai!", a colloquial term meaning "foreigner" heard by many foreigners, especially non-Asians. (And who still hear it in areas where there is little contact with foreigners.)

Chinese people, most of whom had been isolated from much of the world for decades, were fascinated but the foreigners also inspired fear among some who considered Westerners wolves in their country just to gobble up opportunities that should correspond to them.

Now, it is Chinese who are laowai in Kenya, and sometimes they are subjected to stereotyping themselves.

One of the most curious and innocent is the belief that all Chinese are kung fu experts. When they see a Chinese person, Kenyan children often chant "Jackie Chan", for the Hong Kong-born film star who cut his teeth in the martial arts genre.

Other misconceptions are not as kind: Some claim Chinese snatch job opportunities, or say that Chinese goods are made by children, or that almost all Chinese own ivory.

Language barriers and cultural differences often are cited as a major cause for stereotyping. Many thoughtful Kenyans say sometimes there are other reasons that misconceptions get picked up and twisted.

The lack of Chinese integration with local communities, the absence of Kenyans working as senior executives in Chinese firms, and those firms' poor public relations strategies are cited by some African experts as factors that have led to a poor image of Chinese among some in Kenya.

Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, founder and board chairman of the Sino-Africa Centre of Excellence Foundation, says the relationship between the Chinese and Kenyan governments is great. But greater "deliberate efforts" are needed to develop the relationship at the people-to-people level, the lack of which already has caused damage.

"I think at the government level, what the Kenyan and Chinese governments are doing is critically necessary. It opens up the country (Kenya) for trade. The two governments have done a good job in identifying the critical needs that need to be solved first, because you cannot trade without roads," says Fokuo, a Ghanaian who has been in Kenya for five years, he says.

China is the biggest trade partner and the top source country of direct investment to Kenya. In 2014, trade between the two countries reached more than $5 billion, up 53 percent year-on-year. Contracted investment from China to Kenya increased by 10.2 percent to $592 million. China also get contracts of more than $3.47 billion, representing a historical high of 67.7 percent growth year-on-year.

"I think so far China is providing value to Kenya in infrastructure, that's the point. I think Chinese investors in Kenya are very important," Fokuo says. "For any country that wants economic success and to be an economic power, you cannot do it yourself, you need someone else."

With a concessional loan from Chinese government, for example, the National Youth Service of Kenya managed to import construction machinery badly needed in the country's development. This project alone created job opportunities for more than 15,000 youths.

The 140-megawatt Olkaria IV Geothermal Power Plant built by a Chinese company is expected to bring down the cost of electricity in the country by as much as 50 percent this year, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said when he officially commissioned the project.

Fokuo says he once believed, like many Kenyans, that Chinese companies hire only Chinese people before SACE did a survey on employment.

"We did a survey and found we were wrong. Chinese companies hire 90 percent Kenyans. That's the data. You cannot disapprove it. It's what it is."

He believes one factor that led to misconception is that most Kenyans involved in Chinese infrastructure projects are construction workers and there are very few Kenyan engineers and managers.

"I do believe Chinese companies should do better by hiring local people at a high level. I think if they do that, some of the misconceptions will go away."

He also cites a lack of people-to-people interaction. "The perception from an African perspective is Chinese people are not open to engagement. When we see that, we interpret that as they don't like us and they think badly of us."

While local people are invited to join boards of the chambers of commerce of Western countries, Fokuo says this is less common among Chinese business groups.

When Chinese speak only their own language and don't interact with Kenyans, Fokuo says, it alienates some Kenyans.

Language barriers often are a reality and are not so easy to resolve because many Chinese workers in the country don't speak much English. But Fokuo says it should not be used as an excuse because it is something that with time can be remedied.

Denise Kodhe, director-general of Institute for Democracy & Leadership in Africa, adds: "There is a need for China to reach the grassroots people. There is misunderstanding between the ordinary people and Chinese."

The Nairobi institute is committed to the economic and political development of Africa, according to its website.

Kodhe says misunderstandings form because of a lack of information. "Without proper information, people can create information, and that information can 'come true'. That is the situation China is finding itself in. A lot of communication and socialization should be done."

"The Western media are taking advantage of that and spreading wrong information. Western competitors have always taken advantage of something to penetrate to spoil China, which they see as a competitor."

Meanwhile, Kodhe says the failure to work harder to promote more understanding between Asian cultures and local culture can allow misconceptions to fester.

"Chinese and many Asians always have a long-term strategy. They learn and then do things slowly and well. There is a cultural difference. The trend in Africa is, 'I want it now and not tomorrow'," he says.

"Chinese investors mean well; it's long term. Kenyan people mean well, but it's short term. For the long term, it takes time to be visible," he explains.

Kodhe says that can sow the seeds of misunderstanding. Even long-term efforts "should be visible. Don't forget that the unemployment level in Kenya is very high." When any foreign company comes in, Kenyans "will see if there is a chance for them".

Chinese investors should involve locals at high level as directors or managers when they establish companies, he says, agreeing with Fokuo.

Chinese public relations efforts often don't adequately reflect a positive image of China. "I think Chinese do so much good in Africa. The Africans just don't know about it. We see just the roads, but there is more. I don't think China has done a good job of translating those things that have been done to reach the hearts and minds," Fokuo says.

Fokuo says one example is what Chinese construction workers at the airport did after part of the terminal of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport burned down in 2013. Not only did the workers fight the conflagration, they also worked overtime for three weeks to convert the first floor of a parking building into a temporary terminal and the second floor into an office area for the airport staff. The project cost $1 million and China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation did the reconstruction for free.

He says almost nobody knows what the Chinese did. What he saw when he went through the airport was a big white tent with USAID, which is the US Agency for International Development, printed on it.

Fokuo suggests that Chinese companies increase their exposure in local media, such as magazines and newspapers, through advertising and media relations efforts.

Chinese companies' public relations often fall far behind those of Western companies, which often spend lots of money polishing their image.

More than three decades have passed since China launched its reform and opening-up. With China having developed into the world's second-biggest economic power, fears of lost opportunities have been long forgotten.

Most of the laowai who initially came to China have left, but they did leave a lot to the Chinese people, including experience in business management, marketing concepts and quality control methods, which helped China progress.

"Look at China's development as a country. China develops a lot by learning from other people. China has developed more because it learns from other people's experiences. Why couldn't Kenyans do this?" says Kodhe.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/24/2015 page14)