Are African children being exploited for Chinese entertainment?
A booming industry of videos of Africans speaking Chinese reveals a dark side as some of the videos with racist content spark outrage
WARNING: Some might find the language in this episode upsetting.
In February 2020 a video of African children speaking Chinese went viral. In the clip, the children are seen cheering and dancing while repeating words from an unseen male voice in the background.
Some of the language used in that viral video are offensive and derogatory.
In the short clip, the children, all dressed in similar red costumes with a white dragon on the front pocket, are heard saying in Chinese 鈥淚鈥檓 a black devil, and my IQ is low鈥�.
The video and words the children were made to say sparked outrage around the world.
Over the past few years, video sharing platforms have exploded in popularity. And on Chinese social media, it鈥檚 become big business. An industry has developed around personalised video greetings, which can cost between $10 and $70.
A 大象传媒 investigation has found out how African children are exploited in these videos.
Alan Kasujja speaks to 大象传媒 Africa Eye reporter, Runako Celina, who鈥檚 been part of the team investigating this booming industry.
Host: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja)
Guest: Runako Celina: @RunakoCelina)
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