Dr Harry Verhoeven on the individual stories behind the Chinese in Africa

Harry Verhoeven has been interviewed for a China Daily (Africa) piece on his research into the individual stories behind the recent trend of large numbers of Chinese people living and working in parts of Africa.

Harry writes, They will return to China having worked in countries with different cultures and systems whether these are political, related to corporate governance or environmental regulations or dealing with trade unions. All this is likely to affect their ideas. For some it will reinforce their existing views but for others it might change their perceptions of the world fundamentally.

The article also touches on Harrys work generally, and his experiences working in this area.

They think I am an old Oxford don with a beard. The British High Commission organized a lunch with some senior ANC people in South Africa recently and when I turned up they thought I was the interpreter. I had to say that I actually was the guy, he recalls.

The full article can be read here: http://africa.chinadaily.com.cn/weekly/2013-11/22/content_17124568.htm