The Shanghai Lockdown’s Viral Trend: ‘African Warrior’ Videos

A couple of weeks into the 2022 Shanghai lockdown, which led to disruptions so far-reaching that the most deeply affected among the city’s 25 million residents briefly feared starvation, a viral trend spread across social media platforms: groups of shirtless African men shouting wishes for an early end to the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns. No to Western Beauty Queens, Yes to “African Wolf Warriors” As lockdowns started around the world in early 2020, I coordinated a video greeting by Miss China World, wishing people around the world an early end to the lockdown and expressing a hope to “meet again soon.” The videos got some attention abroad, and later, in China. There have been several incidents of inappropriate or insensitive representation of Africans and people of color in Chinese media, among them a Chinese New Year Gala skit, a washing powder TV commercial, and the recent viral lockdown meme about “eating the Black neighbor from the seventh floor.” When Western media cover such incidents, Chinese media usually respond that China doesn’t have a problematic racial relations history, and those who criticize or see anything inappropriate in those examples are doing it because of their own negative history and “guilt.” But some experts do see potentially troubling aspects to the viral trend. “They are dressed up in costume, and being ‘made’ to chant stuff I doubt they understand.” Brackeen, the U.S. social media consultant, has researched “blackface” videos in China and found “a reoccurring theme of the perceived backwardness and unintelligence of Black and African people that makes them entertaining and lovable characters. According to Bai Yan, the founder and chair of the China Tourism Journalists Association, “The Chinese public perception of Africa for tourism can be summed up in two key words: backwardness, and a great place to see animals.” Bai continued: “The videos with Africans cheering for China are purely commercial, but they have a positive aspect – they might be planting seeds of interest in the minds of Chinese people who might consider traveling to Africa because the videos have created a positive emotion.” Dr. Shaoming Zhu, the founder and president of the Foundation for Law and International Affairs, said that this viral trend ultimately “could give insight into existing, established perceptions, ideas and opinions – and could help identify areas in which we could do better – by addressing stereotypes, blind spots, and false boundaries.” “People-to-people diplomacy should not be underestimated – it is often the basis for further, deeper exchanges,” Zhu continued.