@alusi
quick observation bakassi boys rightly or wrongly were a vigilante militia group trying to rid their community of corrupt people,murderers,ritualists e.t.c while not supporting their tactics the reason why majority of the nigerians supported them was because they were seen to be doing a good job so its not the same thing as the chinese murderng foreigners,how many foreigners or chinese or whites did bakassi boys kill?

sharia is a religious law and is not bound to a particular state or group of people,it is practised not just in nigeria but in all muslim run countries all round the world so you cant single nigeria out.
the fact that some nigerians are criminals in china or the fact that some work or do business in china does not give the chinese authorities the right to beat them with iron pipes,there are criminals of all nationalities,shaoes and sizes everywhere in the world and im sure all the criminals in china are not nigeria if nothing we know of the chinese triads who are much more deadlier than any nigerian armed robber,i was blaming out high commission for all these before but with your sweeping condemnation of your own fellow nigerian and your attitude to the whole issue i think even we nigerians are our own worst enemies, the funny thing is that nigerians in the united states,united kingdom e.t.c all have this same attitude that its not the cuntry's fault but the fault of nigerians

samparian:

Alusi, i thank you for your honesty in telling everything you know about China. I must agree that Nigerians are the cause of their problems and that majority of Nigerians in Guangzhou are uneducated small boys who don't know the first thing about life and living.
the fact still remains that Ekene was killed by security men, no matter what the chinese say. there are witnesses who will testify to that and there are pictures of his battered head to show that he didnt fall. May he rest in Peace.
I pray our people learn to respect the laws of china.

Right on!!!

Infact, Alusi has hit the point all nigerians living in china should learn.
In my opinion, respect the chinese u will get back your respect in return,though there are still stubborns and trouble ones but i am aware that it is like that in the whole world,majority of chinese will respect u back as u did to them. talk to them with manner,don't shout at them particulary the people into power like guards,police it pains them a lots.To me i think all human being are same just read someone and know how to cope with him or her,chinese are just like our people back home just do the right thing u will not have much problem living i china,the only thing i can say is that when the bad ones cause trouble it affects the innocent guys that has overstayed their visa,because the police will start raiding without knowing who is who as far as your visa is not in order.And another thing i learned in china is that the police men always do raiding whenever our people commit bad things if not i don't think they care much about that visa issue,so our problem is because of out character .some guys just came to china as devil to destroy the good image of the good ones here.

interesting!! loosers

kevchina:

Infact, Alusi has hit the point all nigerians living in china should learn.
In my opinion, respect the chinese u will get back your respect in return,though there are still stubborns and trouble ones but i am aware that it is like that in the whole world,majority of chinese will respect u back as u did to them. talk to them with manner,don't shout at them particulary the people into power like guards,police it pains them a lots.To me i think all human being are same just read someone and know how to cope with him or her,chinese are just like our people back home just do the right thing u will not have much problem living i china,the only thing i can say is that when the bad ones cause trouble it affects the innocent guys that has overstayed their visa,because the police will start raiding without knowing who is who as far as your visa is not in order.And another thing i learned in china is that the police men always do raiding whenever our people commit bad things if not i don't think they care much about that visa issue,so our problem is because of out character .some guys just came to china as devil to destroy the good image of the good ones here.

It is a simple case of " When in Rome, act like the Romans!" here. Majority were not FORCED to move to CHINA, so it only makes sense that they would learn to integrate and live as the chinese out of respect, so they get the same back. It applies everywhere. And if something goes wrong, you can better handle it.

so koloman !! u quite right

britsih couple shagging on the beach in dubia, firstly the police man walked up to them, hey and said do yall mind stop this sh it, they ignored him, well they got arrested, few or couple of months in jail, then await deportation note oyibo

now nigerian man commit the same crime got beaten to his death

by the way who are u!! which state u from

jesus!!! come off that surface damn

sooooo,  British in Dubai ,  Nigerian in Dubai,  I wonder how that ties into the "when you are in rome, act like the romans" idea,  I am sure on some level, your post makes sense to you but you may want to help me out here by playing "connect the dots" on this so I can see how the two are related.

Here are a few questions to help you



1) Do the People of Dubai condone the sort of behaviour you outlined in your original post? I mean do the locals perform sex acts on themselves on public beaches, in broad day light in Dubai?

2) Were the British couple in this case doing exactly what they saw locals around them doing??

3) Why would a Nigerian couple go to Dubai to do the same, knowing the British couple caught doing same were arrested??

4) What does a British couple going to Dubai and then breaking the law have to do with the saying " WHEN YOU ARE IN ROME, ACT AS THE ROMANS DO"?

5) Does a Nigerian couple going to Dubai to do same work??

_lmfao

does this look like the head ofa man who fell down a small flight of stairs?

does it?

what a waste!

what do you say, my people??

As long as we do not have a country that caters to and cares for it's own people, we may NEVER know the truth of how this man died; nor the truth of how the many thousands who die yearly within our own shores, and the other hundreds who have die outside pass. This case is not the first of such and will definitely not be the last.

However, we can continue trying to make an issue of every case without pushing to make sure that we at least discover the root cause and fight to make sure it never happens again, OR we can, as Nigerians, stand up to our governments and demand better treatment for all Nigerians by the Nigerian government. It is not the place of the Chinese government to protect Nigerians and the interest of Nigerians, no matter where we find ourselves on this planet. It is the job of our own government.

Someone might come on here to claim that if this was an american, the story would have been different and that is a fact. Why? Because the American government will 99% of the time swoop in to protect the interest of it's own people. And in our case, we need to learn that these problems, both at home and abroad are related and to better deal, we need to deal with the problem we have at home.

So we can all sit comfortably behind our machines, and try play "pretend coroners" with those pictures, and throw insults at the Chinese government and those who do not agree with our irrational behaviour afterwards; and then wait for the next such case to come up so we can repeat the same game all over again. OR we can sit up deal with the main issue which remains easy and the only solution left for us to try.

Well a lot have been said here on nairaland.Truly i feel for the family of the deceased.However,this is also a lesson to all my ibo,yoruba,edo,itsheke and other naija tribes out there.When you are not in your country,please behave.Humility cost you nothing but awards you attention deserved.

Now as much as i don't want to sound rascist,an average chinese man or woman who is trader is a crook.Take or leave.Even foreigners that travels to china always have one or two nasty things to say about the traders their.
It is true some nigerians without a positive vision,who spent so much to leave the shores of nigeria,often end up creating huge problems for those who have a positive cause.Or do you think it is fun leaving your own country,people and environment for a strange land where they dont speak your language?.It is not easy and it is very challenging.

For my bros and sistas in china,abeg behave.Remember,your actions will determine the treatment to be meted out to others just coming in to china with legit reasons.And before i leave,it is not only Nigerians that are crooked out there,there are many other nationals too.Come to kano state and see how immigration officials hunts down illegal chinese immigrants.You will laugh tire seeing them run.

Nigerians kwenu!!!

Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria! Long live Nigerians and Long Nairalanders!!!
I was truly elated after reading about the action of the Nigerian Government most epecially the Joint Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora over the brutal murder of a Nigerian businessman (Ojide John Ekene) in Guangzhou, China.

As a matter of fact, the action of the House of Representatives should be applauded because of the way and manner the case was handled and atleast justice was meted.

However, the Chinese authorities insisted on paying the sum of N4m as compensation to the family of the deceased even when the deceased family was asking for a higher compensation.

I would also advice that Nigerians living in a place like China should please be more careful and inculcate good manners and avoid arguements with the Chinese because the Chinese authorities said that the sum of N4m is the compensation paid to anybody killed in this manner, i wonder if they are encouraging manslaughter.

Here is the link to the recent publication of the decision of the Joint Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora: http://odili.net/news/source/2008/nov/26/708.html
May the soul of the departed rest in perfect peace, amen.

can you see our negative comment towards fellow Nigerian that was just  brutally murdered in china ,  it will only stop wan deference tribe have they own republic, then Northerner  government and subjet his and Southerners will feel it wan they own brother that speak sam language   , and stand for it citizens as  other country's that  have one interest .

[b]
RIP



On cursory glance, the advice Nigerians should behave themselves while in China, Malaysia or elsewhere seem like a solid one. On second and third glances, however, the advice seem  to morph on the page. Misbehaving and breaking the law are two different things entirely but have been wrapped up as one in the sentiment of the advice.  I feel that Nigerians should behave exactly as they want so long as they do not break the law. Politeness would be nice but rudeness, brashness or arrogance is not against any law I know. That it is reasonable to suggest to a man to take into account the nature of the people he deals with, goes without saying, but it is highly suspect to suggest that if he does not, and harm arises on account, he is at fault. In part, Laws arose to clarify just such grey arias of society. Human rights, especially in terms of commonsense notion, are complex issues since they are based on perspective. However, most humans would accept in this modern world that it is not acceptable for one individual to take the life of another because of a dispute much less organisations of the superstructure. When it does happen, the Courts deal with civil disputes that end in deaths and courts and international laws are supposed to do the same in the case of organisations of the superstructure. 

The flaw in the advice that Nigerians should behave themselves while in foreign lands beyond the call of law or they deserve all they get, arises largely because of two sentiments. The first is CONDITIONING and the second anti-Nigerian feelings.   The first, i base on the concept that many Africans have been conditioned by centuries of oppression to defer to a “higher” none African authority. A pertinent encapsulation would be this: “white/yellow/brown man good and deserving, black man not deserving”.  I mean that Africans tend to not judge other races by uniform standards. Instead, they make excuses for them and wag the finger of accusation at the black man.

Informed by this knowledge, the advice to Nigerians that they should behave themselves while in foreign climate begins to look incomplete. An amended advice should go something like this. While in China or elsewhere do not break the law. However, it is not enough not to break the law. Be additionally informed that the Chinese are a barbaric and primitive people who do not respect human life.



Apart from the above, I think I would advise Nigerians thinking  of  traveling abroad for the first time not to be fooled by the ideas handed to them by the media or misguided relatives who live abroad. People are no more civilised in Europe, America, Asia or china than in Nigeria, their societies are only better organised. In most instances, “civilised” just means more control and better detection. It is dangerous to go abroad with the idea that since they are more developed than we in Africa, my rights will be safeguarded and I will be safe. Nigeria is often a safer place to live in and perhaps because of our cultural softness we’re in many ways more civilised peoples.

Do not act subserviently because this is un-Nigerian, however try to be civil to your fellow human being whoever they may be.
[/b]

I am sorry but let me put some of my inputs into this conversation.

I am an Asian Indian living in the United Kingdom and would like to throw some light on this issue.

But before I say anything LET ME SAY THIS AS A FACT, INDIANS ARE VERY RACIST PEOPLE amongst themselves. PAKISTANIS ARE WORSE and they will pretend to not be racist like you could never imagine.

BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN NIGERIANS OR CHINESE ARE NOT EQUALLY RACIST

1) ABOUT CHINA AND CHINESE _

Firstly - Chinese is one land of people WHO WANT TO DOMINATE, but cant communicate fluently. That is one of the reason they tend to be quiet while their minds are FULL ON RACISTS! My best Chinese friends always ( AND I MEAN 100 per cent consensus atleast amongst my chinese friends) is that Black people ARE ALL UGLY. They will just not say it to a black man or womans face because they are scared of the consequences. Common, they are the masters of the guerilla warfare and are not the ones who can win hands on fights. They have to do things shrewdly.
Chinese people treat Nigerians or Indian or Pakistani businessmen like VIP's in China only because they want their economy to flourish. Trust me they do NOT think highly of any of these races! To them, any race that is on an average darker than them are UGLY , and of lower class.
You would see your best friend -CHINESE if your INDIAN, AFRICAN, PAKISTANI or anything, get them drunk and get them talkin about races and YOU WILL SEE THE VENOM THEY SPURT. e.g If your NIgerian sit with a CHINESE and BITCH ABOUT INDIANS and WATCH WHAT THEY SAY , I am INDIAN so I sit with CHINESE friends and watch while they SPEW SHIT against black people All the time!

2) ABOUT AFRICANS AND NIGERIANS -
Bak to this clan, THEY ARE hugely racist themselves. Every single time I have made good friendship with this clan, they have tried to make use of me. The first two people I lived wtih were Nigerian out here, While one was diplomatic and always got me to shell out money for our night outs or anything else , the other would want the authority at home and get violent and even come to hit me when he got drunk. OTher Nigerians I have met are superficial and are always trying to get something out of the people around them. I have a Nigerian Girlfriend right now and she is the only selfless individual I have seen amongst this clan in a long long time. But then again, when it comes to her personal choice, she states herslef that HAD I NOT BEEN A LIGHT SKINNED ASIAN INDIAN she woudl NEVER and i mean NEVER get together with me, YES, THis is what she says TIME AND AGAIN ,

3) INDIANS & PAKIS -
While I have stated negatives of the two races above, DOES NOT MEAN I AM NOT AWARE OF THE INTENSE RACISM IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN . North and South are completely fucking each others mental frame of mind and making each other feel inferior all the time. ANd guess what ? Since I came from a metropolitan city of Bombay, I had never realised racism and how northies and souhies are at war till I came to the UK, This is because I never saw a world in India beyond this city , My life was centered only OUT THERE>, But when I came here, I saw how NORTHIES treat SOUTHIES like shit, because they are darker, How SOUTHIES as a reflex action like to ascertain their intellectual dominnace as their prized consolation etc.

ALL IN ALL WE ARE ALL HURTING EACH OTHER, I WONT DENY, BUT SURPRISINGLY THIS COUNTRY HAS MADE ME MORE RACIST THAN I EVER THOUGHT I COULD BE,

When I meet new people, if I meet a Paki - since I am light skinned they will ask me if I am from Pakistan, If I say India they actually STOP TALKING AS IF IM INFECTED WITH HIV! !!!!!!

Some Pakis who still make friends will further probe if im from the NORTH OR SOUTH , Since I say NORTH They still relate to me stating they are from the north also, But I can imagine their reactions if I were to ever say I was a light skinned south indian, altho I am not, But there are many south indians who are light skinned that I PERSONALLY KNOW,


AFRICAN TRIBES THEMSELVES are racist amongst themselves. WHo are we kidding? India is the ONLY COUTNRY where PEOPLE OF SUCH DIVERSE COLOUR RANGES live at that RACISM IS INEVITABLE.

But trust me, If you have lived in Mumbai youd never see this as much , Because your mentality is always more open minded, It sbecause you study grow up, live around people of so many religions and communities you never had the time to realise what racismwas all about ,

I am being hoenst to state that while in UK, even I have become a BIG TIME RACIST. IF a south Indian passes by, I ignore them - Just to show my superiority to my Paki or English friends .and honestly its not even my fault.

The first time I got here, theyd ask me INDIA? your so light skinned !!! You are not mixed INDIAN or from somewhere else and when id ask what htey thought indians lukd like they show the Hyderabadis and other Madrasis roaming about, It is the RACIST WORLD that has Made me Racist too,

CHINESE ARE BORN SINCE CHILDHOOD with racism in mind, Apart from Caucasians , they DO NOT THNK HIGHLY OF ANY OTHER RACE! Please do remember this, Your VIP treatment in CHina is only because of hte money your helping them make NOTHING ELSE>

Some Indians may say that Balcks are not goodlooking, but there are also MANY INDIANS who see beauty despite colour! CHINESE WILL NEVER FIND A BLACK PERSON GOODLOOKING >> NEVER!!!!!!!

Dont beleive me ? Go sit with as many chinese one on one sometime, and try probing them. Chinese friends have taken potshots at me also for being Indian in the past, THAT IS ONE RACE THAT SPARES NO ONE, The only reason you think they are quiet is becuase they are Like CATS, they are not physically the most powerful and thereby wait for their chances,

THe reasons CHinese dont say anything to your face is because they cant communicate or cant dare tO!

ALtho I have this immense hatred for Chinese people's attitude and wat happeend to the Nigerian buseinssman, I also know China wouldnt kill a black man in their country wthout a reason . They are too fucking smart and that man must have been upto something,


FOR THOSE CONFUSED< on whose side I am , let me make this clear, EVERY FUCKING RACE IS RACIST ! STOP FREAKIN LYING TO YOURSELVES,

Black or Asian women are NOT bleaching their faces and skins just for the sake of it , they want to be ACCEPTED by their own RACIST men in their own country to begin with !


Every fucking country is racist, we make a BIG ISSUE of whites being racist, because they came, they conquereed and ill treated, If we had the opportunity then, we would DO THE SAME THING! NEVER SAY NEVER. Although now we feel we wouldnt, YOU CAN NEVER SAY NEVER!

Atleast whites are qquietly racist, we are aware and now they are making efforts. So much so, they are willing to have black, asian, chinese spouses.

CHINESE ? Try seeing a chinese with ANYONE except light skinned people , as a partner, YOu wil ALMOST NEVER SEE THIS HAPPENING . I am not counting Indonesian, malaysian or thai people or fillipinos here who are VERY POOR and sometimes just tag on wiht dakrer races for FINANCIAL SECURITY

But they are very racist themselves,

how can we people say we are NOT RACIST and whites are the only racist ones? We are constantly fucking each others minds, some within their own country e.g India , some with their neighbouring coutnries e.g. Pakistan and China, Indonesia, thailand, Malaysia etc.

And the ones that are silently racist - this brakcet comprises of not only Caucaisans but ALSO CHINESE!

CHINESE ARE THE MOST RACIST PEOPEL IN THE WORLD, THey are always calling people darker than them KING KONG< MONKEY< ETC> they dont spare Indians, Africans, Guyanese, or even Egyptian dark races!

Please grow up ! EVERY FUCKING TERRITORY IS RACIST>> DONT POINT AT OTHERS WHEN YOU URSELF ARE SUBCONSCIOUSLY RACIST> THe blacks I know too are always showing off if they are lighter than their other black counterparts, So are the Indians and Pakis !

The world is FULL OF HYPOCRITES AND HOW !

@ errolmiran

In as much as what you say is interesting, I think you're over emphasizing on certain issues like Chinese racism, For example: I am a very sensitive black Nigerian (such that can identify racists by their very first impressions) but I have lived in Asia for about 7 years… and now living with my 19th Chinese girl friend – fiancée actually (excluding the stalkers and all those I had short-term relationships and not counting those I had from other countries like Russians, Kazakstanis, Mongolians, Malaysians and Filipinos, and 1 brit)… If racism was that strong, I wouldn’t have Chinese girls approach me as a total stranger. I speak Chinese, Hindi, Malay and Japanese. I also have over 200 Chinese and Caucasian mix gender friends who are willing to do anything for me – whole heatedly… when I say that, I mean it… I’m sensitive enough to know who’s fake and who’s real. However, I’ve not been in situations where I need anyone to pay my bills. I think this simply depends on how one presents himself to the world… whether you are dark or light skinned, Racism is NOT more powerful than character. This is why Obama could win the US presidential elections despite the number of influential Caucasians who were against it.

I have lived in Malaysia, Singapore, UK, China and even India, I understand what you mean about northern and southern Indians (Tamil), I witnessed racism against southern Indians first hand in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and in Delhi, India… I’ve also observed that southern Chinese (particularly Cantonese people) are far more racist against blacks than northerners… I’m a black Nigerian working as a Software Project manager in local Chinese company, Beijing and on xmas break now (a job that many Caucasians find hard to get in China and also asking me for connections and assistance)… I'll tell you what you perhaps do not realize: 1. China is the least racist country in SE Asia, 2. Chinese racism is stronger and more practiced among Chinese settlements abroad than in china itself. Those settlements abroad (in the UK, US, etc) are dominated by southern Chinese people (Cantonese speakers)…

But since this discussion is about what happened to a black man in China, I will focus on how it is in China. You are right about Nigerians ever thinking of what they can get out of someone / what someone can do for them - it is an attitude that renders me feeling embarrassed almost always. There are many other defects in what anyone would conventionally define as the "Nigerian Peoples' Character Abroad", this is true and there are no two-ways about it. Most Nigerians in China never did a research on the country, never tried an inch close to the mind / culture of Chinese before putting china on their ambition list, they were also never interviewed by the Chinese before they moved to china. They rather just heard someone else say "there is money there" or something similar, This is the huge flaw that puts Nigerians at the risks they face… needing help from anyone who gets close to them and eventually causing friendly people to avoid them.

The Chinese people perceive a gap between us / our culture and theirs … and they have an ancient hardwired conception that every other race operates like them – E.G: Chinese operate in a single culture unit (understanding 1 Chinese person is enough to understand 1 million other Chinese people)… But modern black men operate more by personal principles than a common culture… To make this worse, many blacks (I mean those who visit China in good faith) do not find a way to bridge that simple gap between good personal principles and the Chinese perception of a black man. This is unfortunate. I know I’ve played my part and any Chinese who meets me always wants to meet other blacks in future – expecting them to be the same as me… all I worry about is for them not to meet the wrong ones.

Chinese may be tagged racist but they are also happy people. Unfortunately, many blacks don’t know how to use this advantage to inject a good impression in their minds… There are 6 times as many Chinese people living in Nigeria than Nigerians living in China. The Chinese in Nigeria will never mix up with Nigerians because of this… they are scared; they think Nigerians are too angry looking and / or silly. But if Nigerians in Nigeria cannot connect to the Chinese, at least the Nigerians in China can find it more necessary to positively connect to the Chinese… this is the only way to make it better.

Many places I’ve been to in Beijing, Chinese people take permission from me or my fiancée to take a picture with me… very happily (not to show others that they found a monkey in clothes but to pose that they got close to a black guy – believe it or not I’m sensitive enough to know). This glory may simply be because there are not so many black people in Beijing to spoil the show for me yet. The Chinese national sport is also Basketball (a sport dominated by blacks) and they never miss airing NBA seasons on their national television (CCTV) – NBA is full of blacks and then their famous Yao Ming. I see huge road side ads with Kobe Bryant’s poster in Beijing… if blacks were that ugly to them, they wouldn’t have done this… Chinese people are also getting to love hip-hop and play it often in clubs… several girls also told me they Love Akon… for this I got “free night meals” for other Nigerian visitors who somewhat looked like Akon. Someone also invited me to a show on CCTV… I politely refused – simply because I know whatever I do on TV will create a long lasting impression on the way Chinese viewers see Nigerians. And I don’t think I’m the best of a Nigerian stage talent or appearance to take on this task.

These are all signs that we can connect to them positively. Just remember you are in another person’s country and respect their laws, respect the people and they will respect you back, most importantly, don’t confront them on any issues and try to claim rights lousily. There are no human rights in china and we all know that. Your visa is almost expired, extend it, go to another country and get back to China or simply go home, What is so hard to do in this if you planned your life well before getting to china? Some may think I’m just talking because I'm fortunate not to face what Nigerians face… but no, I faced it too… but I know how to wave it away as nothing… for example:

When I was working my Visa Z, I was too busy to do it myself so I paid agents (even though they demanded for “double price for African passport”). 2 weeks later, they came back and told me it was not possible because I was African, “the government officials rejected blah blah”. I took back my passport and documents, took a leave from work and went to the visa office by myself. Unlike the agents said, those people were very friendly, we smiled with the government officials and instantly became friendly, I got that “2 week stage” completed the same day. Same day. Remember the government is made of human beings who have a brain to think. There is no Policy in China that clearly states that Africans should be exempted from getting visas but it’s just an instruction informally issued to visa agents because of the bad impression Africans have created in China …

If you ask them who said this and that, no one has answers. It’s not Mao Tse Dong, it’s not Mr. Hu Jing Dao, it’s not their foreign affairs minister, so who the hell? The Chinese understand that the US (being their current largest market) is concerned about import / export imbalance between them and china… and US is starting to place embargo on Chinese imported products to boost US GDP and open up another avenue to combat the Global Financial Crisis…. This is the point where china understands how important her relationship with African countries is. Nigeria is currently china’s largest market in Africa so why do you think you don’t deserve better treatment?

I would send this message to Nigerians. Unlike us, Chinese people do not appreciate confrontations and they will do anything to avoid it – including showing you the worst of the racist quality in them. There is nothing to complain about. If you understand the Chinese people well enough to approach them nicely and make fun about everything even when it seems serious, no matter what you look like, you will be able to connect to them and earn the respect you deserve while keeping your own reputation untainted.

Just like I always say to others, You need 3 elements to connect with any race in the world (including Chinese):

A. Impression – how are you dressed? How do you approach others?

B. Communication – do you speak Chinese? Even if you don’t, how do you speak English? Do you put yourself in their shoes to count your English words and speak n a pace they can understand? Or do you just speak that strong hard Nigerian accent and blame them for not understanding? I witnessed this one first hand when I got to the Nigerian embassy. I had to help a Nigerian official to communicate with a Chinese visitor… What kind of impression is this?

C. Consistency: After creating a good impression and creating good communication, can you keep it this way? Or won’t you complain and explode when you have a misunderstanding somewhere?


Well, if you’re not short of any of the above elements, you will not have any problem with the Chinese people (at least those who are a bit closer than just seeing you from a distance)… I hope this helps. R.I.P to the victim.

Long Live Nigerians

Mate, I just wished for you to know, I have NEVER faced trouble having Chinese friends! I have so many Chinese friends I have actually lost count!

My topic was not about how they treat me and my statements were not outputs of self inflicted experiences with Chinese. What I did say is hwo their thought process is like !

Whenever they get drunk and free to speak, they do make racist remarks. Not once have they said anything to me. They will sit with me and bitch about blacks. They will sit with me and bitch about south Indians - trussme, they do fancy some north indians coz they are lighter skinned and thereby I seem to have been spared. However, a person who is racist in front of you could surely be bitching about me at my back . Who knows??

Please understand, my point is not to call Chinese the most racist only ( altho I still do believe it. ITs my personal experience so I have to stick by it). My point was to state that EVERY RACE Is racist - Be it Chinese, Indian( pakistan and bangladesh included), Arabs, and even Africnas.

While India and Africans tend to be racist amongst themselves itself, the others are racist amongst other ethnicities. We cannot deny our countries are racist against each other.

I always tend to feel, while every one is always pointing out at white people about racism, I am always wondering how hypocritical we all are because we are practising racism amongst ourselves all the time.

And just to let you know, I do acknowledge that I have become racist too. I never was. A metropolitan city like Bombay has so many cultures, its hardly possible to bother about north or south indians.

But when I actually came to this country i.e UK - I realised how whites or any other race would ask me "Are you Indian ?" You look Pakistani not Indian,

I always wondered what do they mean since both the races are similar. THen I realised they had stereotyped Indians as the SOUTH INDIANS only and the north Indians or even the light skinned south Indians were thought of as Pakistani all the time.

I am not proud when I say I have become racist. To hang out with my cool friends - white, chinese or arabic, I have to ignore the south INdians all the time because my friends do not think too highly of them. It makes me ashamed because back in my country my best friends were south Indians.

And now , I pretend to be high handed and ignore them.

What my point is that society does make you racist. Some are even racist from young age when they fancy particular colours - its innate for them.

Let us face it, We are ALL RACIST. So why are we always crying CAUCASIANS are RACIST

I see the caucasians making the least racist remarks these days. Sure they maybe racist in their MINDS, but atleast they are learning to keep it to themselves.

The last time I met a Thai girl, she was like OH your not loooking like Indian. You looking Arab. Indians are NOT GOODLOOKING,

I have heard this shit time and again in this country. and the behaviour is making me also start thinking in a particular manner.

Its WRONG, And its also WRONG for people to stop only claiming that WHITES are racist. EVERYONE IS RACIST. So its time to stop pointing fingers only at whites !

Thank you !

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@ errolmiran

In as much as what you say is interesting, I think you're over emphasizing on certain issues like Chinese racism, For example: I am a very sensitive black Nigerian (such that can identify racists by their very first impressions) but I have lived in Asia for about 7 years… and now living with my 19th Chinese girl friend – fiancée actually (excluding the stalkers and all those I had short-term relationships and not counting those I had from other countries like Russians, Kazakstanis, Mongolians, Malaysians and Filipinos, and 1 brit)… If racism was that strong, I wouldn’t have Chinese girls approach me as a total stranger. I speak Chinese, Hindi, Malay and Japanese. I also have over 200 Chinese and Caucasian mix gender friends who are willing to do anything for me – whole heatedly… when I say that, I mean it… I’m sensitive enough to know who’s fake and who’s real. However, I’ve not been in situations where I need anyone to pay my bills. I think this simply depends on how one presents himself to the world… whether you are dark or light skinned, Racism is NOT more powerful than character. This is why Obama could win the US presidential elections despite the number of influential Caucasians who were against it.

I have lived in Malaysia, Singapore, UK, China and even India, I understand what you mean about northern and southern Indians (Tamil), I witnessed racism against southern Indians first hand in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and in Delhi, India… I’ve also observed that southern Chinese (particularly Cantonese people) are far more racist against blacks than northerners… I’m a black Nigerian working as a Software Project manager in local Chinese company, Beijing and on xmas break now (a job that many Caucasians find hard to get in China and also asking me for connections and assistance)… I'll tell you what you perhaps do not realize: 1. China is the least racist country in SE Asia, 2. Chinese racism is stronger and more practiced among Chinese settlements abroad than in china itself. Those settlements abroad (in the UK, US, etc) are dominated by southern Chinese people (Cantonese speakers)…

But since this discussion is about what happened to a black man in China, I will focus on how it is in China. You are right about Nigerians ever thinking of what they can get out of someone / what someone can do for them - it is an attitude that renders me feeling embarrassed almost always. There are many other defects in what anyone would conventionally define as the "Nigerian Peoples' Character Abroad", this is true and there are no two-ways about it. Most Nigerians in China never did a research on the country, never tried an inch close to the mind / culture of Chinese before putting china on their ambition list, they were also never interviewed by the Chinese before they moved to china. They rather just heard someone else say "there is money there" or something similar, This is the huge flaw that puts Nigerians at the risks they face… needing help from anyone who gets close to them and eventually causing friendly people to avoid them.

The Chinese people perceive a gap between us / our culture and theirs … and they have an ancient hardwired conception that every other race operates like them – E.G: Chinese operate in a single culture unit (understanding 1 Chinese person is enough to understand 1 million other Chinese people)… But modern black men operate more by personal principles than a common culture… To make this worse, many blacks (I mean those who visit China in good faith) do not find a way to bridge that simple gap between good personal principles and the Chinese perception of a black man. This is unfortunate. I know I’ve played my part and any Chinese who meets me always wants to meet other blacks in future – expecting them to be the same as me… all I worry about is for them not to meet the wrong ones.

Chinese may be tagged racist but they are also happy people. Unfortunately, many blacks don’t know how to use this advantage to inject a good impression in their minds… There are 6 times as many Chinese people living in Nigeria than Nigerians living in China. The Chinese in Nigeria will never mix up with Nigerians because of this… they are scared; they think Nigerians are too angry looking and / or silly. But if Nigerians in Nigeria cannot connect to the Chinese, at least the Nigerians in China can find it more necessary to positively connect to the Chinese… this is the only way to make it better.

Many places I’ve been to in Beijing, Chinese people take permission from me or my fiancée to take a picture with me… very happily (not to show others that they found a monkey in clothes but to pose that they got close to a black guy – believe it or not I’m sensitive enough to know). This glory may simply be because there are not so many black people in Beijing to spoil the show for me yet. The Chinese national sport is also Basketball (a sport dominated by blacks) and they never miss airing NBA seasons on their national television (CCTV) – NBA is full of blacks and then their famous Yao Ming. I see huge road side ads with Kobe Bryant’s poster in Beijing… if blacks were that ugly to them, they wouldn’t have done this… Chinese people are also getting to love hip-hop and play it often in clubs… several girls also told me they Love Akon… for this I got “free night meals” for other Nigerian visitors who somewhat looked like Akon. Someone also invited me to a show on CCTV… I politely refused – simply because I know whatever I do on TV will create a long lasting impression on the way Chinese viewers see Nigerians. And I don’t think I’m the best of a Nigerian stage talent or appearance to take on this task.

These are all signs that we can connect to them positively. Just remember you are in another person’s country and respect their laws, respect the people and they will respect you back, most importantly, don’t confront them on any issues and try to claim rights lousily. There are no human rights in china and we all know that. Your visa is almost expired, extend it, go to another country and get back to China or simply go home, What is so hard to do in this if you planned your life well before getting to china? Some may think I’m just talking because I'm fortunate not to face what Nigerians face… but no, I faced it too… but I know how to wave it away as nothing… for example:

When I was working my Visa Z, I was too busy to do it myself so I paid agents (even though they demanded for “double price for African passport”). 2 weeks later, they came back and told me it was not possible because I was African, “the government officials rejected blah blah”. I took back my passport and documents, took a leave from work and went to the visa office by myself. Unlike the agents said, those people were very friendly, we smiled with the government officials and instantly became friendly, I got that “2 week stage” completed the same day. Same day. Remember the government is made of human beings who have a brain to think. There is no Policy in China that clearly states that Africans should be exempted from getting visas but it’s just an instruction informally issued to visa agents because of the bad impression Africans have created in China …

If you ask them who said this and that, no one has answers. It’s not Mao Tse Dong, it’s not Mr. Hu Jing Dao, it’s not their foreign affairs minister, so who the hell? The Chinese understand that the US (being their current largest market) is concerned about import / export imbalance between them and china… and US is starting to place embargo on Chinese imported products to boost US GDP and open up another avenue to combat the Global Financial Crisis…. This is the point where china understands how important her relationship with African countries is. Nigeria is currently china’s largest market in Africa so why do you think you don’t deserve better treatment?

I would send this message to Nigerians. Unlike us, Chinese people do not appreciate confrontations and they will do anything to avoid it – including showing you the worst of the racist quality in them. There is nothing to complain about. If you understand the Chinese people well enough to approach them nicely and make fun about everything even when it seems serious, no matter what you look like, you will be able to connect to them and earn the respect you deserve while keeping your own reputation untainted.

Just like I always say to others, You need 3 elements to connect with any race in the world (including Chinese):

A. Impression – how are you dressed? How do you approach others?

B. Communication – do you speak Chinese? Even if you don’t, how do you speak English? Do you put yourself in their shoes to count your English words and speak n a pace they can understand? Or do you just speak that strong hard Nigerian accent and blame them for not understanding? I witnessed this one first hand when I got to the Nigerian embassy. I had to help a Nigerian official to communicate with a Chinese visitor… What kind of impression is this?

C. Consistency: After creating a good impression and creating good communication, can you keep it this way? Or won’t you complain and explode when you have a misunderstanding somewhere?


Well, if you’re not short of any of the above elements, you will not have any problem with the Chinese people (at least those who are a bit closer than just seeing you from a distance)… I hope this helps. R.I.P to the victim.

Long Live Nigerians

Nothing but the truth.

@ errolmiran

I understand your points and that you seem to be spared but congratulations you said you joined the train of racists in the UK. You also don't seem to realise that many Chinese don't distinguish between northern and southern Indian - they just discriminate all as indians and I've witnessed countless times how Punjabis in Malaysia are discriminated by Malaysian Chinese even though their skin colour is lighter than tamils and even some Chinese. This is the same problem distinctive Africans face. Did you know that there are Nigerians that may be lighter in colour than you are? (I don't mean albinos) but there are fair skin Nigerians too. very light colour, only their hair could give you a clue that they are Africans.

Many things you said are true BUT not all races are racists, Just because your Nigerian girlfriend chose you does not mean other Nigerian girls would prefer light Indian over a black man. Yes, some times blacks act silly when they are in the presence of light coloured people. but most of those subconscious reactions are counter-racist and dorky submission to trend set by , not racism. I've seen countless times when a black guy chooses a darker girl and ignores the lighter coloured one. Colour is not everything, A black man has his way to see beauty and you have yours. I tell you this because I understand both Africans and Chinese people much better than to be told. I am a black Nigerian working in China. I also lived in Malaysia (a country I can tag as the most racist country in the world - particularly Chinese being racist against Africans and Indian irrespective of what kind of Indian). You are an Indian in the UK, so You may not understand when I talk about China.

The only thing I'd like you to derive from my long meticulous post is that Character and Personality is Stronger than Racism. That is the positive message I want to reach out to my fellow Nigerians so they can understand the truth and rather be well behaved optimists than furious and hopeless pessimist on this issue. Because it is my experience and if it is possible for me to be so close to Chinese and even be respected by their government, it is possible for another Nigerian to enjoy the same respect and privileges.


Good Luck to all. Long Live Nigerians

if that happen, 24 hour , they will wipe you out. china is a super power. how do you win against china.

Mpele said

Nigerians don't go to China and Europe for business. They go there to steal, albeit 419.

You really are beyond stup.id and ignorant.