Framing Chinese Treatment of Africans in Guangzhou

The treatment of Africans in Guangzhou, China in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic – here referred to as the ‘Guangzhou episode’ – generated strong criticisms and made news headlines within and outside Africa. This paper analyses the reportage of the episode in four online African newspapers: two each from Nigeria and Ghana. Specifically, it sheds light on how the episode was framed, comparing coverage between both countries. Using a discourse analysis that prioritizes language, source, and focus, the paper demonstrates that while western media were important influence/source for the newspapers, the African migrants’ experiences in the episode was largely framed within (ahistorical) victimhood. Yet, the idea of ‘African’ migrants had a noticeable Nigerian dimension.