New Film, Guangzhou Dream Factory, Explores African Migration to China

FEATURING CHRISTIANE BADGLEY – Donald Trump’s business dealings with China and the suspicion that the communist nation is currying favor with the US President is a symptom of China’s importance in world trade today. The Made-in-China label is ubiquitous in all sorts of products, from clothing to electronics, and everything in between. It is no wonder then that the country has become the target of significant immigration of ordinary people searching for opportunity.

A new documentary focuses on African migration to China, specifically to the busy port of Guangzhou. About 500,000 Africans from countries like Ghana and Kenya travel to Guangzhou each year looking to buy and sell products. Many choose to overstay their visas and remain, even raising families and attempting to start a new life.

In our age of globalization and neo-liberal capitalism, the story of Africans in China should not be a surprise. But there are complexities and nuances to why people migrate and Christiane Badgley explores those in a new documentary.

Find out about screenings at www.gzdreamfactory.com.

Christiane Badgley has been producing and editing documentary films for the past twenty years, with much of her work focused on the U.S. criminal justice system and post-colonial African politics and history. Her earlier films include Pipe(line) Dreams: A Journey Along the Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline. She now joins me to discuss her latest documentary, Guangzhou Dream Factory.