China's stadium diplomacy is a topic that we do not really touch on this podcast but that all changed after hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu read Mr. Hikabwa Decius Chipande's blog post "China’s Stadium Diplomacy: A Zambian Perspective" which was on Football is Coming Home. The hosts inveted Chipande on the pod to discuss his piece, and he graciously agreed. He is studying the social and cultural history of football in Zambia in the 20th century and he is a recipient of the FIFA Hav...
Mar 04, 2014•33 min
Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu enter the exciting filed of sociolinguistics! They ask Ms. Anthonia Akhidenor, a sociolinguist herself with interests in China and other foreign countries’ labor relations with Africa, to talk about her recent article "Code-switching in the conversations of the Chinese trading community in Africa: the case of Botswana," published last December in the journal English Today. PS Sorry for the distortion on the recording!
Feb 19, 2014•40 min
After last week's episode, hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu brought on another person Winslow met at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting last year: Mr. Derek Sheridan, An anthropology PhD student at Brown University, Derek is studying Chinese migration in east Africa. He is interested in broader questions of transnationalism, migration, identity, and more! He also speaks Mandarin after putting in a few years in Taiwan. Derek came on the pod to discuss anthropology, episte...
Feb 12, 2014•1 hr 13 min
Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu wanted to introduce their listeners to Liu Shaonan, an African history PhD student at Michigan State University who is studying the history of Ghana's Chinese diaspora. Originally from China himself, Shaonan talks about Africa-China history, current China-Ghana relations, the importance of Twi, and more. If any of our Chinese listeners are interested in African studies, this episode is a must-listen!
Feb 04, 2014•39 min
Here is an outtake from Episode 18: Oil and Geopolitics - 00:11
Jan 29, 2014•6 min
You wanted South Sudanese voices? We have South Sudanese voi - we have A South Sudanese voice on hand to share her fascinating insights on South Sudan's peace process, China/South Sudan relations, and the future of the young country. Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu had a live discussion with Ms. Natalina Malwal, a representative of the South Sudanese community in the U.S.
Jan 29, 2014•40 min
While Dr. Daniel Large gave an excellent overview of Chinese/South Sudanese history, there was not as much of a discussion on South Sudan's relations with neighboring countries (China is not a neighbor, after all). Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu asked Ms. Lesley Anne Warner, an Africa security specialist, to talk a little more about the particulars of South Sudanese politics and how they relate to its foreign policy, to which she graciously agreed. Despite their best efforts, ther...
Jan 27, 2014•19 min
Here are some outtakes from episode 17: Ruined Holiday - 00:11 Policy Recommendations - 01:01 When - 04:48 Close to the Bone - 07:10 Banter - 14:37
Jan 27, 2014•30 min
Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu continue their discussion of China/South Sudan relations, this time examining the history between both countries. And who better to ask than Dr. Daniel Large, Assistant Professor at Central European University and the Director of the Rift Valley Institute of the Sudan Open Archive. He recently completed his PhD at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. His thesis, "Fantastic Invasions: intervention and the politics of the ...
Jan 25, 2014•1 hr 6 min
Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu start off 2014 by spending a month discussing Chinese relations with South Sudan and some of the current problems facing the world's youngest country. Joining them is Thomas Wheeler, an expert on Chinese security issues in Africa, especially related to involvement in South Sudan. His articles have been published in Global Review, The Diplomat, and more. The thoroughness with which he answers Winslow's questions is worth a listen alone. Happy New Year...
Jan 06, 2014•40 min
In the last show, Cowries and Rice did not manage to have any African perspective on being Black in China versus being African in China. Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu thankfully got in touch with Mr. Kumbukilani Phiri, a Zambian who speaks fluent Mandarin after studying, working, and living in China and who is currently employed at the Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group. He generously offered his thoughts on the matter. Sadly, there were a few technical glitches so they only managed...
Jan 06, 2014•12 min
Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu once again delve into discussions about race in China, and to help guide them through the discussion is Mr. Marketus Presswood, who is pursuing his PhD in Modern Chinese History and has a broad interest in the experience of African-Americans and the African Diaspora as whole in China. Back in July, he wrote a fantastic article for Tea Leaf Nation/The Atlantic called "A Minority in the Middle Kingdom: My Experience Being Black in China," which, well, ...
Dec 23, 2013•1 hr 7 min
Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu ask how Nelson Mandela's recent death is being interpreted in China. Returning to the show is Mr. Bob Wekesa, an expert on African-Chinese media relations who has written a number of articles on the subject. Wekesa is a PhD candidate at Communication University of China and research associate at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Dec 16, 2013•59 min
Hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu (back from vacation) asked Vivian Lu, PhD student at Stanford University's Department of Anthropology, for her thoughts on the Sino-Africa field, whether such a field exists, the importance of fieldwork, and, most importantly, to share some wacky stories from the field.
Dec 09, 2013•51 min
The Cowries and Rice team of Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu were painfully aware that they were discussing the DRC while having no Congolese voices. They were put in touch with Gaius Vagheni Kowene, a Congolese freelance journalist, filmmaker, and blogger. He volunteers in media and communication department at the cultural center Yolé!Africa, in Goma, DR Congo. He is also Goma correspondent of Radio Netherlands Worldwide and works with many local and international news agencies. He shar...
Dec 02, 2013•14 min
So what do Chinese people think about China-Democratic Republic of Congo relations? We are not totally sure, so host Winslow Robertson (Dr. Nkemjika Kalu made a prior commitment) asks Africa-China journalist extraordinaire Hongxiang Huang for his thoughts. Though neither Huang or Winslow are DRC experts, they do try to place Hongxiang's experiences within a DRC framework. Does it actually work? Listen and find out!
Dec 01, 2013•33 min
Continuing in their mad attempt to talk about one country for a whole month, hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu continue their discussion about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this time focusing on the famous Sicomines deal between two large Chinese companies and the Congolese government. They have recruited Ms. Johanna Jansson, a PhD candidate at Roskilde University and the most knowledgable researcher about Sicomines, to talk on the show and share her considerable knowledge. L...
Nov 16, 2013•54 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they bite off more than they could chew and try to talk intelligently about the Democratic Republic of the Congo for an entire month, starting with discussing the idea of the Chinese as foreigner in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This big topic required two guests, and they were lucky to get them: Prof. Laura Seay, Assistant Professor of Government at Colby College and all-around DRC maven; and Jacob Kushner, who just wrote a fantasti...
Nov 15, 2013•49 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they talk about how Chinese people are grappling with China's growing role in African affairs. Their guest this week is Mr. Hongxiang Huang, a freelance journalist who just started a Wits China Africa Reporting Grant and who knows a ton about Chinese public diplomacy. PS Still working on the tech issues, please bear with us!
Nov 01, 2013•41 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they talk about what it is like being an African woman in China. Their guest this week is Ms. Marianne Daka, a Zambian business journalist who recently finished up her M.A. in Business Journalism at Tsinghua University. PS Rated PG-13 for language!
Oct 27, 2013•44 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they look at what the tragic September 21 Westgate attack in Nairobi meant for Chinese-Kenyan relations. Helping them is Mr. Bob Wekesa, a Kenyan PhD candidate (who just defended his proposal) at Communication University of China and visiting researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. An expert on domestic China-Africa media, we asked him to give his thoughts on how the attack was reported in China versus Kenya and ...
Oct 15, 2013•28 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they try and determine some of the major indicators of high-quality China-Africa research. They asked Dr. Yoon Jung Park, the convener/coordinator of the (world-famous) Chinese in Africa/Africans in China (CA/AC) Research Network, to be a guest on the podcast. Dr. Park is currently a freelance researcher. She has affiliations as Senior Research Associate of the Sociology Department at Rhodes University and just finished a Visiting Profes...
Oct 01, 2013•46 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they tackle two topics that Winslow is pretty unfamiliar with: Chinese economics and African employment. They asked Merlin Linehan, who has a background working in international development and finance relating to emerging markets, to be a guest on the podcast. He is the head of China in Africa, which provides clients with high quality business intelligence on Chinese companies operating in Africa. If you you ever asked what China's econ...
Sep 25, 2013•44 min
This is a recording of a lecture by Dr. Yoon Jung Park, entitled "The Chinese, The Taiwanese, 'Fong Kong,' and Labor in South Africa" that took place on September 12, 2013 at the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center. Dr. Park was introduced by the director of the Center, Dr. Harold Scott. Dr. Park's lecture was followed by a question and answer session. Introduction - 0:32 Lecture - 5:21 Questions and answers - 1:01:17
Sep 17, 2013•1 hr 30 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they try and understand the recently released Chinese white paper, China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation (2013). If you are listening to this podcast, we are pretty sure you heard about it. Assisting them is Frances Pontemayor, a Chinese development finance specialist with an interest in Africa-China relations who recently received her Masters in Public Policy from Tsinghua University. If you wanted to know what does this document ...
Sep 16, 2013•48 min
Join your hosts Winslow Robertson and Dr. Nkemjika Kalu as they engage in pseudo-intellectual navel-gazing: whether China is a neocolonial power or not. However, not content to simply discuss this issue as is, they are adding an extra layer of texture by using former Ghanaian President/famous Pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah’s definition of the term "neo-colonialism" from his 1965 book Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of imperialism.
Sep 10, 2013•49 min
The triumphant debut of the Cowries and Rice Podcast, the second-best China-Africa podcast you ever heard! Join host Winslow Robertson and others as they discuss all aspects of the China-Africa relationship. Join host Winslow Robertson with (possibly permanent) co-hosts Dr. Nkemjika Kalu, Elle Wang, and Andy Liu as they discuss perceptions of China-Africa relations.
Sep 03, 2013•1 hr 12 min
