Red Africa: Chinese Soft Power and Europe’s Colonial Legacy
In Red Africa, Domenico Fiormonte reflects on China’s expanding cultural, educational, and economic presence in Africa through firsthand observations from Tanzania. Rather than adopting simplified narratives such as the “debt trap” discourse, the article places China–Africa relations within a broader historical and political context, highlighting the enduring impact of European colonialism and the structure of the global financial system.
About the author
Domenico Fiormonte is Associate Professor of Comparative Literatures at the Department of Humanities, University of Roma Tre. His research focuses on global digital humanities, geopolitics of knowledge and the decolonization of digital media. With Sukanta Chaudhuri and Paola Ricaurte he has edited the Global Debates in the Digital Humanities (Minnesota University Press, 2022). He is currently Research Associate at the University of Dar es Salam, Tanzania.
A thoughtful contribution to ongoing discussions on international cooperation, development, and global power relations in the Global South.
CIDRA (an acronym for Creating a joint Infrastructure for Dialogue, Research and Advocacy between Europe and Africa) aims at building a permanent network of scholarly reflection, joint research,exchange of methodologies, and advocacy to strengthening regional integration andcooperation in and between Africa and Europe.
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