China is betting on a new generation of digital influencers and content creators to reshape its image in Africa, which observers have said is a major shift as Beijing looks to refine its “soft power” campaigns.
Advertisement
This new strategy aims to reshape China’s public image by connecting directly with younger audiences through cultural exchange and tourism, showcasing a side of the country rarely seen in traditional news reports.
For the second consecutive year, the Chinese embassy in Kenya is sponsoring influencers to visit China, allowing them to experience the country first-hand to promote cultural, tourism and people-to-people ties. The embassy encouraged Kenyans to follow the influencers’ journey to experience the beauty of China.
Kenyan influencers Betty Kyallo, Mulamwah, Terence Creative and MC Jessy – who have a huge social media following in Kenya – arrived in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, last month for a week-long tour that would also see them visit Fujian province to create content and document their experiences.
Hunan is renowned for its revolutionary history as the home of China’s founding leader Mao Zedong, spicy cuisine and striking scenery like the towering sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Advertisement
Cliff Mboya, a China-Africa expert and postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, viewed the move as “long overdue” and “the next important step in China’s public diplomacy in Kenya”. He believed the strategy would have a greater impact and reach than traditional state-led approaches.