Chinatown, Africa

Truly an inspiring piece. A good representation of vanguard journalism at its best once again.

This is a great installment of Vanguard. It can be taken for granted that Chinatowns are an American thing. Although they are, the ones in America aren't sponsored by the Chinese. This is an interesting look in the concept of Chinatown in which China is urging the population migration.

haha Chinese Karaoke is always entertaining to watch. your pods are always interesting and informative, thanks =D

the progress in Angola is impressive and certainly, doubts will linger in the minds of people. Chinas impressive feat is awe inspiring and is something that other nations should examine closely. The world knows chinas vices and its been dissected and examine for everyones pleasure. Colonialism and capitalism will reinvent itself in so many ways and will always be accompanied with beauty and discontent.
This pod is very informative and it is shot so well.
thank you for sharing it with us and i am so thankful to be informed by this... thank you.

Great as usual. Something I knew nothing about going on in the world. It will be something to watch. You feel for the people that say more controls need to be in place, but at the same time, maybe this is what it takes to get started in a place so in need. It's a dilemma, and I don't know the answer.

Well hopefully with this economic boom in africa that it'll help the people in some way, instead of the countries collapsing because of corruption. It's a great thing that more hospitals are being built, but at what price? since most the nations are stricken with poverty will the people be able to afford it? or because of the economic boom will will the people be able to afford more things like food education health care and so much more. the inflation rates of these countries are ridicules to the point were 80% or more of the people cannot afford to feed their families... So I hope that with the chinese being there that it helps that at the least, or will it throw africa even further into despair, I hope not.

Indeed an interesting pod. The concept of 'Chinatown' might be the colonialism of today. Well anyways, Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It seems like it's only a bad thing to the Americans who still think McCarthyist thoughts. America dips it's fingers in everyone else's business. China should be able to, as well. America needs to be put in it's place, instead of being the big bad world police.

there's chinese in every country in the world! my family is a chinese descendent, but we caim Cambodian because we can't speak chinese.

Mariana's journalism is always worth watching. Heavy on information, and light on "this is good, or that is bad."

Don't confuse a country's desire to obtain your resources with that country desiring to improve your country. The improvements happening in Angola are intended to facilitate the removal of resources. 80,000 Chinese workers need roads, hospitals, and improved ports. When the resources, and the Chinese are gone, Angola will have had little improvement.

I don't see a relationship on behalf of the prosperity for the Angolian people.This is clearly an invasion of Africa.
Great journalism on behalf of a marginalized people.

It's pretty obvious that the chinese aren't doing charity works. It's all about exchange and trading which in a business sense is a pretty fair deal. (natural resource for development/ infrastructure etc.) How much it benefits the Angolian people is really dependent on how their poiticians/rulers make it out to be. The chinese are doing all the works to improve the country, so you can't really blame them. If they come to Africa in the similar approach as (US) AFRICOM, then you'll have something to be worried about.

The pregnant girl couldn't distinguish who the father is because "they all look alike"... ???

On another note, this is truly great journalism, like always Mariana does a great job. I like that it is presents both sides of the situation, the pros and cons.

Wonderful piece of journalism. The Chinese build so quickly---my concern is that these structures are being built poorly and might crumble in a few years' time. The Chinese cut corners on so much, even in their own country, I can't help but be nervous about all this fast building being done on a totally different continent, where a no-contingencies plan is set. Mariana, was there any concern about this issue by the Angolans?

an interesting, eye-opening and somehwat surreal insight....I thought it was really well presented and narrated too.

This piece makes me ask two questions...

1. Are the Chinese doing any better/worse than the Europeans or Americans have done under the guise of development?

2. Who/what was behind 30 years of war in Angola? Was it yet another typical CIA inspired tactic to destabilize a country so that a larger and more powerful country can then come in and offer help in the name of development?

This is a familiar pattern around the world... racial/tribal divisions are created to promote unrest and upheaval in the nation, and then the covert perpetrators ride in on their white horse and carry off the nation's resources in the name of development and salvation...kind of has a Trojan horse ring to it. In the case of Angola, there is a long and bitter history of both enslavement and colonialism. Neither of these oppressive systems have ever produced stable political systems without great effort on the part of the victims.

There is no doubt, however, that the Chinese will indeed build the infrastructure they have promised. Their work ethic is such that what they set out to do, they accomplish. It was Chinese labor that built the transcontinental railroad in the US as well, and that venture was not without its own attendant corruption.

The question of political corruption in Angola is one that the nation's inhabitants will eventually have to settle for themselves. Perhaps prosperity and security will provide the added incentive that makes the inhabitants of this land finally rise up to say enough is enough, and determine for themselves what kind of government they are going to have. We can only hope so.

Good piece Mariana...many thanks

Sure China is so great. Just look at all the progressive things they are doing in Sudan. Barf!

Love your Vanguards.. this was pretty great.. Its really a matter of.. If's and But's... at this point. You can't argue with the sheer infrastructure being created which would have never gotten off the ground if it weren't for the Chinese. On the other hand you question if the motives of China at all include Africa as anything more than a bountiful wasteland to which it can freely take and then not reciprocate.

This does not sound good to me. I suspect China wants to take over Africa's resources.

China, remember?

This is not going to be an easy judgement call on whether China is great or not so great, or even on their suspected underlying motives. Of course China wants/needs resources, and Africa, and Angola in particular, has a long and tortured history of being taken advantage of. I just don't think the colonizers of a bygone era have much right to promulgate suspicions that China may be following in their own historical footsteps. It remains to be seen.

The point is, Africans have got to decide what they want and how they are going to use the payment their leaders have negotiated with China for those resources. This is an opportunity for both sides to get what they need, but if China is better, in the long run, at getting what China needs, then the African people must take their leaders to task for that failure. It remains to be seen.

fantastic. mariana you're incredible.

http://current.com/items/89579681/will_money_solve_africa_s_development_problems...

Hopefully the majority of this revenue produced by these projects will go to education. Notice how the agreement between the governments allowed the chinese to get 70 % of the contracts financed by chinese money? I guess the rape continues. On another hand, why hasn't the USA done anything of this sort? This seems more beneficial than bombing people like we have been for half a century.

So now China is taking a part in Angola perpetuating climate change. All China wants is the resources. This is imperialism without the bombs, but imperialism just the same. Good pod, but don't like China's presence in Africa. Darfur is a good example of why, and oil is part of the genocide there as well.