Black Ghosts

A Journey into the Lives of Africans in China

By: Noo Saro-Wiwa

Narrated by: Noo Saro-Wiwa

China today is a land of opportunity for African people blocked from commerce with most of Europe and Northern America. It is also an intersection of racism and prejudice.

Noo Saro-Wiwa goes in search of China’s ‘Black Ghosts’, African economic migrants in the People's Republic. Living in clustered communities, they are key to the trade between the continents. Her fascinating encounters include a cardiac surgeon, a drug dealer, a visa overstayer and men married to Chinese women who speak English with Nigerian accents. This is a story of intersecting cultures told with candour and compassion, focusing on the shared humanity between the sojourner and their hosts.

©2023 Noo Saro-Wiwa (P)2023 Canongate Books

Critic reviews

'A gripping examination of a little-known land: the one Africans occupy in China or, more accurately, in Guangdong. Who knew? Noo Saro-Wiwa has found a fine subject and covers it nimbly. This is a revealing book.' (SARA WHEELER)

'Black Ghosts is a marvellous yet unlikely book, travel with a theme, the revelation of modern China by investigating the underclass of African immigrants - highly trained doctors as well as rascals and rappers. Noo Saro-Wiwa is a brave and resourceful traveller-interrogator - outstanding in the so-called travel writing genre.' (PAUL THEROUX)

Black Ghosts

The stories in this book give a true and direct account of African lives in China, vivid yet down to earth.

Supremely well written

It’s a very interesting listen, both enjoyable and educational. But most of all, it’s a very lively portrayal of African experiences in China.

A Vast Generalization

I had to read this book for an international studies class at my college and honestly it was an incredibly hard read. The vast majority of the book spent time over-generalizing both the Chinese and Nigerian expirence. The sheer amount of time spent on gross stereotypes of Chinese and African cultures is staggering. Additionally, the book read as a quasi-ethnographic study, yet the author did not take the time to learn the spoken Chinese language before traveling. If you are looking to learn about Africans in China, look elsewhere.