Guangzhou Dream Factory

“Globalism” doesn't just apply to the broader economic relationships between entire nations, but also activities on a more micro level. Filmmaker Christiane Badgley's Guangzhou Dream Factory illustrates how the current economic boom in China has made room for mutually beneficial relationships between Africans (with and without visas) and Chinese in the city of Guangzhou. Africans from many nations have flocked to Guangzhou largely to pursue entrepreneurial dreams, often through purchasing cheaply made products and shipping them to their native countries. In Africa, the goods are then sold for higher prices, ensuring a profit to the exporter, while also undercutting the price of similar products that are made in Nigeria, Kenya, and elsewhere on the continent (the flood of Chinese items is so overwhelming in Africa that even Chinese-made “African-like garb” can be found in shops). The most ambitious exporters fill hundreds of large shipping containers every year, while the more modest sellers send home just a few. The impact of all this activity has had interesting spin-offs: Africans hire Chinese labor, thus adding to China's rising middle class, while a law requiring foreigners to partner with a Chinese citizen when opening a business has resulted in many marriages, solidifying ties between different cultures. And there are now so many Africans living in Guangzhou that they also sell goods and services to one another. This win-win-win scenario is certainly rosy, but the viewer can't help but expect the other shoe to drop here. And it does, when the focus turns toward racism, especially official and unofficial hostility toward Africans in Guangzhou, coupled with police crackdowns on foreigners who have overstayed their visas (those arrested can spend years in prison awaiting a hearing). Some Africans are also duped in rackets that take all their money and leave them stranded. A powerful documentary featuring personal stories that illustrate the complex interrelationships fostered by globalism, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)