#19: April Zhu Talks Coronavirus and Sinophobia in Kenya

The Bad Chinese Teacher Podcast

On air March 9th, 2020. Recorded March 7th, 2020.

This week, I sat down with my good friend April Zhu to talk about her recent article for The Elephant on sinophobia and the coronavirus.

Both of these topics have been discussed to the point of exhaustion in recent months (including on this very podcast), but April’s unique position as a Chinese American, Nairobi-based journalist who fluently speaks three languages (English, Mandarin, and Swahili) brings to the table some new points to consider: namely, what does anti-Chinese sentiment actually mean when Chinese people are the ones in power? Where do localized and derogatory-but-maybe-not-actually-racist terms like chinkuu come from, and how do we reconcile with their actually-racist (and actually-Western) roots? And how is a person like April — a person with a Chinese face and name living in Kenya — supposed to feel about it all?

I had such a great time catching up. and picking the brain of one of the smartest people I know, and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. If you’ve ever wondered what anti-Asian racism looks like in a place where Asians are the oppressors, this episode is a must-listen.

April Zhu (朱萸) is a freelance journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work focuses on gender, urban inequality, and China-Kenya as seen from the margin. Her byline has appeared in the South China Morning Post Magazine, CS Monitor, African Arguments, The New Humanitarian, VICE, BRIGHT Magazine, The Elephant, and others. She reports in Swahili and Mandarin and has designed a curriculum for foreigners learning Kenyan Swahili called Swahii, available as an online course. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Studio Art from Wellesley College. Connect with her on Twitter (@aprzhu) and at her website (aprzhu.com).

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