China-Africa Cooperation Through the Lens of Social Media

How China and Africa can create a true and objective image of each other through cross-cultural communication in the era of social media. How to build a more realistic and objective image of China for Africa， especially when Africa has a large young population that see themselves and the world through the lens of social media. It is imperative to understand that means of communication be they in real life or virtual reality they only serve to convey an already existing narrative and reality. In such a case， social media only exists as an interface to access a narrative and perceived realities that are already in place. Such circumstances require that we first examine the current state of China-Africa cooperation cross-cultural communication strategies and public diplomacy practices.

CHINA-AFRICA CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Since the end of the Cold War， China-Africa cooperation has gone through leaps and bounds to reach unprecedented heights. China-Africa cooperation successes have resulted in the emergence of alternative ways of economic and industrial development on the African continent. Main pillars of China-Africa cooperation success are namely： equality and mutual trust in politics， win-win cooperation in economy， mutually enriching cultural exchanges， mutual assistance in security and solidarity， and coordination in international affairs. Relations between China and African nations vary to some degree with some at low-level trade partnerships to those that enjoy comprehensive strategic partnership. Nevertheless， irrespective of the level of relationship between China and African nations there is an urgent need to establish strategies that will help with practice of cross-cultural communications that are relevant to China-Africa cooperation. The proposed cross-cultural communication strategies need to go beyond experience brought by encounters with Western modernity.

People to People Exchange Mechanism （PPEM） was established for this very reason of having cooperation and relations beyond the level of political elite. The inaugural event of the PPEM institution was held in Pretoria， South Africa in the year 2017. The aim of the PPEM establishment was to heighten the understanding between the grassroots on both sides of the China-Africa cooperation. It is for such a reason that at times the PPEM is referred to as a People to People Relations strategy. So far， the PPEM has managed to have far reaching impact among governments and political elite. However， it has been slow at having the desired effect among grassroots on either side of China-Africa cooperation. However， the PPEM made possible exchanges and discussions between entities such as non-governmental organizations， independent cultural institutions， academic institutions and other stakeholders.

PPEM experienced a new wave of studies that went beyond trade， economics and politics in the interplay that went on between Africa and China under the China-Africa cooperation framework. However， this nascent movement tended to rely on third-party references from individuals and institutions outside China-Africa cooperation. The inquiry onto China-Africa cooperation beyond trade and high-level politics was held hostage by perspectives， principles， and other instruments of scholarship that drummed negative narratives towards China and Africa. As a result， conclusions and findings of these studies tended to replicate an imagery of China and Africa wrapped around histories that gave prominence to Western perspectives of modernity. Needless to say， that such a narrative tended to predict a gloomy future for the entire China-Africa cooperation project.

However， there were pockets of successes that consisted scholars who sought to study Chinese and African cultures within their conditions and respect. These scholars used cultural， sociological， linguistics perspectives to find solutions for establishing relevant and functional China-Africa cross-cultural communications strategies. Some even went to an extent of proposing that China and Africa ought to explore cultural similarities as a means to devise means upon which to base cross-cultural communications platform with appeal among grassroots population.

FROM PUBLIC DIPLOMACY TO DIGITAL PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Since the nascence of public diplomacy in the 1960s several nations have come to rely on this tool to promote their foreign policy in foreign shores. Contrary to conventional diplomacy， whose main focus is on high-level political， economic and cultural affairs， public diplomacy aims at winning the hearts and minds across the entire spectrum of a host nation population. In other words， one may state that， conventional diplomacy has more focus towards engaging the state actors and government officials through diplomatic processes. Conversely， public diplomacy is when a State seeks to foster positive cordial feelings in the public of another country in order to establish State-to-people positive relations. The Centre for Public Diplomacy at the University of South Carolina defines public diplomacy as an interactive dimension of diplomacy which is not only global in nature， but also involves a multitude of actors and networks. It serves a key mechanism through which nations foster mutual trust and productive relationships and has become crucial to building a secure global environment. Public diplomacy is therefore defined to include activities that focus on activities such as educational exchange programs for scholars and students， visitor programs， language training， cultural events and exchanges， and radio and television broadcasting. The aim of these activities is to improve the “sending” country’s image as a way to shape the wider policy environment in the “receiving” country.