This article discusses Chinatowns in Africa. There are least three major

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

s in Africa. As former colonies of Europe, the coastal African nations of Madagascar, Mauritius, and South Africa were the main receiving points of Chinese immigrants from the 1890s to the early part of the 20th century. The early Chinese arrived to labour in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

gold mines of South Africa and on the Tananrive Tamatave railway of Madagascar. Many of these Chinese immigrants were exploited. Today, South Africa remains the top African destination for first-generation Chinese-speaking immigrants.

Kenya

In the capital Nairobi, there is a small pocket of Chinese businesses along Argwings Kodhek Road in the Kilimani district, near the Chaka Place shopping center. There is a newer Chinatown with a larger collection of businesses on the former campus of Baraton University's Nairobi extension campus.

Madagascar

Madagascar has received some Chinese immigrants. In Madagascar, there are about 30,000 Chinese, the majority of them came from the

Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...

in Guangdong. A Chinatown, called ''Quartier chinois'', is located in Antananarivo.

Mauritius

The Chinatown or ''Quartier chinois'' is in the city of Port Louis on ''rue Royale''. The Hakka Chinese are the dominant group among the Chinese in Mauritius. The Chinatown of Port Louis is one of the oldest in Africa. In the 1780s, thousands of Chinese migrated to Mauritius and quickly formed a small Chinatown, the "Camp des chinois", in Port Louis. The Chinatown of Port Louis hosts a very popular "Chinese Food and Cultural Festival" every year, which is appreciated by Mauritians of all communities.

Namibia

There is a small Chinese district, supermarket, and arch in Windhoek.

Nigeria

China Town, a Chinese-dominated business arena in the Ojota area of Lagos. The giant shopping centre, which sits on an expanse of land measuring 20,000 square metres, will no longer be for only economic activities. It will also help facilitate robust bilateral relationships between Nigerians and the Chinese people.

South Africa

Inner-city Johannesburg has a Chinatown on Commissioner Street, but a newer Chinatown can be found on Derrick Avenue in the hilly suburb of

Cyrildene Cyrildene () is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, predominantly home to Chinese people. The area is found east of the Johannesburg CBD and is surrounded by the suburbs of Linksfield, Observatory and Bruma. It is noted for a new Chinatown ...

. Most of the inhabitants of the Cyrildene Chinatown are recent immigrants from mainland China. A Chinatown also exists in the city of

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

with the first settlement located in the South End district of the city until the Apartheid government forcibly removed the Chinese from the district. The Chinese were later removed to Kabega Park area. In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s immigrants from Taiwan settled extensively in South Africa. South Africa's first Taiwan-born legislator was elected in the 1980s. After South Africa recognised the People's Republic of China in 1998 large numbers of mainland Chinese immigrated to the country.

South African Chinese Chinese South Africans () are Overseas Chinese who reside in South Africa, including those whose ancestors came to South Africa in the early 20th century until Chinese immigration was banned under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1904. Chinese ind ...

are dispersed throughout South African cities. During the Apartheid regime (1948–93) Chinese South Africans were classified as " Coloureds" or "

Asian South Africans Indian South Africans are South Africans who descend from indentured labourers and free migrants who arrived from British India during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority live in and around the city of Durban, making it one of the l ...

", while certain East Asian nationals (such as Japan and Taiwan) in South Africa were declared ''honorary whites'' and thus avoided most forms of official discriminatory laws (they could live in reserved ''white'' neighborhoods unlike native/black, and ''Asian''- Indian South Africans), since Apartheid created a strict racial segregation system for non-white/European persons (esp. the black majority) in South Africa.

"Africatowns" in China

Africans in Guangzhou Africans in Guangzhou (, more colloquially ) are African immigrants and African Chinese residents of Guangzhou, China. Beginning during the late 1990s economic boom, an influx of thousands of African traders and business people, predominantly ...

, with African expatriates of

African Chinese African Chinese are an ethnic group of Chinese with partial or total ancestry from any of the ethnic groups of Africa. By 2020, there were an estimated 500,000 Africans living in China, with the majority residing in Guangzhou. Education in Chi ...

persons.

References

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External links

Antananrivo Chinatown Gallery
Some photos of Antananrivo's Chinatown

My Johannesburg: The original Chinatown, interview with Ufrieda Ho, Aug 20 2011.
Ethnic enclaves in Africa Africa