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Black Ghosts: A Journey Into the Lives of Africans in China
A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023: TRAVEL
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.
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.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 2, 2023
12 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
About the author
Noo Saro-Wiwa
8 books38 followersNoo Saro-Wiwa is an author and journalist. Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and raised in England, she attended King's College London and Columbia University in New York.
She writes for Condé Nast Traveller magazine, and has contributed book reviews, travel, opinion and analysis articles for The Guardian newspaper, The Financial Times, The Times Literary Supplement, City AM, Chatham House and The New York Times, among others.
Her first book, Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria (Granta), was published to critical acclaim in 2012. Her second book, Black Ghosts, explores the African community in China and was published by Canongate in 2023.
She writes for Condé Nast Traveller magazine, and has contributed book reviews, travel, opinion and analysis articles for The Guardian newspaper, The Financial Times, The Times Literary Supplement, City AM, Chatham House and The New York Times, among others.
Her first book, Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria (Granta), was published to critical acclaim in 2012. Her second book, Black Ghosts, explores the African community in China and was published by Canongate in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 10, 2024
It has been a number of years since I have been to China, but I still remember the first time. It was unlike anything that I had ever experienced, the smells, the mass of people, the food and the mild terror of being driven on the roads was a sensory overload. One thing that I know I didn’t see outside Hong Kong airport was any black people.
It turns out though that there is a fairly large ex-pat community of Africans in parts of China. There are about 20,000 of them living in an area of Guangzhou are from Nigeria, Noo Saro-Wiwa’s original home.
Saro-Wiwa wants to meet these Africans and understand a little of what it is like to live in this country. Navigating the tube she missies out of getting a seat as the Chinese are much more ruthless than her in grabbing them. She finally arrives at Guang Yuanxi Road, the centre of African activity. She was among her people at last.
She takes time to absorb the sights and the smells and spends time watching the Africans and Chinese going about their business. She tries her hand at bartering, but the Chinese stallholders behave very differently to what she is used to and refuse to budge on price.
But she is here to meet the people who are trying to make this country their home. She finds stories of people who are traders, exporters and even the odd drug dealers. She meets Africans who have been residents for years and have even married locals. Even though they are living there the visa requirements for them are quite onerous and any tiny discrepancies can mean deportation and that might come with a five-year ban on returning to China. This has been a big problem for those with financial and family commitments.
The Africans are frequently the recipients of subtle and overt racism from the Chinese and have to be careful not to make a scene. Saro-Wiwa talks to a number of people who have outstayed their visas and who use all manner of methods to stay well under the radar and avoid arrest and deportation.
I thought this was a fascinating book. Saro-Wiwa is an engaging writer who takes time to tease out these Black Ghosts. I liked that she didn’t do much research before going. It meant that each encounter and experience was fresh and surprising to her and also to me as the reader. This is a well-written travel book that has a very different slant to most travel books.
It turns out though that there is a fairly large ex-pat community of Africans in parts of China. There are about 20,000 of them living in an area of Guangzhou are from Nigeria, Noo Saro-Wiwa’s original home.
Saro-Wiwa wants to meet these Africans and understand a little of what it is like to live in this country. Navigating the tube she missies out of getting a seat as the Chinese are much more ruthless than her in grabbing them. She finally arrives at Guang Yuanxi Road, the centre of African activity. She was among her people at last.
She takes time to absorb the sights and the smells and spends time watching the Africans and Chinese going about their business. She tries her hand at bartering, but the Chinese stallholders behave very differently to what she is used to and refuse to budge on price.
But she is here to meet the people who are trying to make this country their home. She finds stories of people who are traders, exporters and even the odd drug dealers. She meets Africans who have been residents for years and have even married locals. Even though they are living there the visa requirements for them are quite onerous and any tiny discrepancies can mean deportation and that might come with a five-year ban on returning to China. This has been a big problem for those with financial and family commitments.
The Africans are frequently the recipients of subtle and overt racism from the Chinese and have to be careful not to make a scene. Saro-Wiwa talks to a number of people who have outstayed their visas and who use all manner of methods to stay well under the radar and avoid arrest and deportation.
I thought this was a fascinating book. Saro-Wiwa is an engaging writer who takes time to tease out these Black Ghosts. I liked that she didn’t do much research before going. It meant that each encounter and experience was fresh and surprising to her and also to me as the reader. This is a well-written travel book that has a very different slant to most travel books.
February 28, 2025
Hmmmm.
On one hand this book was on a topic I literally had zero knowledge on so was an interesting insight. I liked reading the different stories and perspectives of the interviewees. I thought the analysis was a bit surface level (it would have been better to stick to the stories of the people or do better research and analysis).
But the most annoying thing about this book for me was the tone of the writer throughout. It seemed judgemental of literally every ethnicity she mentioned (except white European and including her own Nigerian background), which is an interesting choice for someone whose book is about travel and different cultures. And don’t forget those pesky visa overstayers! At one point she said that she was ‘dying to speak to some Nigerians who weren’t ilegal and hiding from the police’. Grim
I also found it quite irritating that she seemed not to tell the people she was interviewing why she was doing it, tried to obtain information covertly then got annoyed when they didn’t want to tell her their whole life stories?
A lot of potential but not executed so fabulously I would say.
On one hand this book was on a topic I literally had zero knowledge on so was an interesting insight. I liked reading the different stories and perspectives of the interviewees. I thought the analysis was a bit surface level (it would have been better to stick to the stories of the people or do better research and analysis).
But the most annoying thing about this book for me was the tone of the writer throughout. It seemed judgemental of literally every ethnicity she mentioned (except white European and including her own Nigerian background), which is an interesting choice for someone whose book is about travel and different cultures. And don’t forget those pesky visa overstayers! At one point she said that she was ‘dying to speak to some Nigerians who weren’t ilegal and hiding from the police’. Grim
I also found it quite irritating that she seemed not to tell the people she was interviewing why she was doing it, tried to obtain information covertly then got annoyed when they didn’t want to tell her their whole life stories?
A lot of potential but not executed so fabulously I would say.
January 5, 2024
An interesting insight into a topic which I didn't know anything about - Africans living in China. I really enjoyed the section where she spoke to Koffi, who studied at university in China and worked as a doctor there for 10 years. His perspective was really interesting.
I definitely learnt a lot from this book, although as the author says at the end, it was a snapshot of the situation at the time, pre-Covid, and now it looks quite different.
I definitely learnt a lot from this book, although as the author says at the end, it was a snapshot of the situation at the time, pre-Covid, and now it looks quite different.
August 3, 2024
my first dip into travel writing! I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone wanting to do the same. a rich tapestry of travel, history, culture and so many interesting life stories weaved together. I also think the author did a brilliant job at exploring the topic of reality of immigration as a whole and handled the most difficult bits to hear with great sensitivity.
January 27, 2024
This book was truly eye-opening. I’ve never contemplated on the lives of black people in China. It might be rather close-minded to say that I’ve only ever heard accounts from white people in China. I tend to envy the experience of white people in China as an ethnically Chinese person myself, but with a more foreign outlook on the country.
I was born in Australia, and have had the privilege to travel to China once in 2016. As a self-proclaimed banana myself, I found the latter chapters of this book to be the most intriguing.
Listening to what Koffi had to say about his experience in China, the fact that he was able to rise to such a high level in the medical field while speaking Chinese sounded unreal to me. I was blown away by his story.
This book was very well written, it had an almost fictional writing style while being an informative piece of literature on a topic that I had never even considered. The way the author weaves the stories of black people living in China is truly captivating. I greatly appreciate the different narratives the author was able to collect from different types of black people living in China, from the almost bottom of the barrel to the high society flyers. This book is fantastic.
It is a shame that the author was not able to speak more Chinese to pickup on the experiences of locals, but she has managed far more than I thought would have been possible for someone navigating China without the language.
4.5 stars
I was born in Australia, and have had the privilege to travel to China once in 2016. As a self-proclaimed banana myself, I found the latter chapters of this book to be the most intriguing.
Listening to what Koffi had to say about his experience in China, the fact that he was able to rise to such a high level in the medical field while speaking Chinese sounded unreal to me. I was blown away by his story.
This book was very well written, it had an almost fictional writing style while being an informative piece of literature on a topic that I had never even considered. The way the author weaves the stories of black people living in China is truly captivating. I greatly appreciate the different narratives the author was able to collect from different types of black people living in China, from the almost bottom of the barrel to the high society flyers. This book is fantastic.
It is a shame that the author was not able to speak more Chinese to pickup on the experiences of locals, but she has managed far more than I thought would have been possible for someone navigating China without the language.
4.5 stars
November 26, 2023
This was a super interesting exploration of what life is like for black people in China. There was so much I just didn’t know about!
I enjoyed how personal observation was mixed in with first hand accounts from interviews, often with facts and statistics then used to either back these claims up or challenge them. It added personality to this non-fiction, a genre that can feel a little dry.
There were lots of interesting people interviewed throughout this and many I’d love to know more about!
Enlightening; this book really draws attention to the experiences of black people in China. It explores the racism prevalent in both sides and Saro-Wiwa uses her own experiences and observations to cut through this and provide a more balanced point of view.
Really interesting and definitely worth a read. Thank you Canongate for the advance copy in return for an honest review.
I enjoyed how personal observation was mixed in with first hand accounts from interviews, often with facts and statistics then used to either back these claims up or challenge them. It added personality to this non-fiction, a genre that can feel a little dry.
There were lots of interesting people interviewed throughout this and many I’d love to know more about!
Enlightening; this book really draws attention to the experiences of black people in China. It explores the racism prevalent in both sides and Saro-Wiwa uses her own experiences and observations to cut through this and provide a more balanced point of view.
Really interesting and definitely worth a read. Thank you Canongate for the advance copy in return for an honest review.
March 7, 2024
My favorite nonfiction books are the ones that take a topic that was completely off my radar, about which I knew nothing and didn't know I needed to know anything about, and completely enrapture me in their story. Black Ghosts is one of those narratives. I found out about Noo Saro-Wiwa's story of Africans in China through the Africa in China podcast. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Saro-Wiwa herself and brings many of the voices to life.
Those interviewed and the topics cover the broad range of ways in which Africans live and work in China, from a skilled surgeon educated in the country to shrewd wholesale traders on short term visas looking to buy goods for sale back home, to people who are living undocumented and spend their days evading the pervasive authorities. These interviews are woven among Saro-Wiwa's own travel narrative, in which she shows us firsthand what it is like to visit and travel around modern China as a [Nigerian-born Black British] woman who can't quite be put in any familiar box by the Chinese.
Her descriptive, evocative writing definitely makes the book what it is, dry humor infused with a journalist's curiosity. She succeeds in capturing perfectly the kind of culture clash moments that make travel so hilarious and worthwhile, but she also manages to capture so many of China's contradictions.
Those interviewed and the topics cover the broad range of ways in which Africans live and work in China, from a skilled surgeon educated in the country to shrewd wholesale traders on short term visas looking to buy goods for sale back home, to people who are living undocumented and spend their days evading the pervasive authorities. These interviews are woven among Saro-Wiwa's own travel narrative, in which she shows us firsthand what it is like to visit and travel around modern China as a [Nigerian-born Black British] woman who can't quite be put in any familiar box by the Chinese.
Her descriptive, evocative writing definitely makes the book what it is, dry humor infused with a journalist's curiosity. She succeeds in capturing perfectly the kind of culture clash moments that make travel so hilarious and worthwhile, but she also manages to capture so many of China's contradictions.
January 7, 2025
Really enjoyed reading this book. The kind of writing that carries you along because it's engaging yet simple. Great tone, straight but not stiff. I enjoyed how Noo Saro-Wiwa situated herself in the story, constantly reminding us that this is her perspective and yet still managing to tell us about the diverse people she was talking to and the diverse places she was seeing. It was great reading the stories woven with bits about history and policy and other works.
I found it rather funny how affronted and aggravated she was by the Mike and Martin saga (chapter 4) when they turned around on her and started asking questions about her work and life as well. I get that they were probably teasing and enjoying her frustration, but it highlights some questions I have when I read books like these from writers and researchers. They go around pen and paper in hand, camera around their necks, prying into the lives of others, treating their lives like a spectacle, extracting whatever they can from them yet feel frustrated and exposed when that is done back.
Still, this was great a wonderful read. Illuminating. I like it when I see something in a new way from a book and that certainly happened here.
One thing: She wrote quite a bit about taking pictures. It would have been nice to see some of those pictures in the book as well.
I found it rather funny how affronted and aggravated she was by the Mike and Martin saga (chapter 4) when they turned around on her and started asking questions about her work and life as well. I get that they were probably teasing and enjoying her frustration, but it highlights some questions I have when I read books like these from writers and researchers. They go around pen and paper in hand, camera around their necks, prying into the lives of others, treating their lives like a spectacle, extracting whatever they can from them yet feel frustrated and exposed when that is done back.
Still, this was great a wonderful read. Illuminating. I like it when I see something in a new way from a book and that certainly happened here.
One thing: She wrote quite a bit about taking pictures. It would have been nice to see some of those pictures in the book as well.
March 10, 2025
This book explores a fascinating topic with great potential, but unfortunately, the execution falls short.
A significant portion of the book—two full chapters—has little to do with Africans in China, instead reading like a personal travel diary where the author struggles with the language barrier and unfamiliar cultural norms. “It’s hard to travel in China as a foreigner” is unlikely to be news to any of this book’s readers.
When the book does focus on Africans in China, the interactions feel disappointingly shallow. Many accounts revolve around the author being hit on or encountering reluctance to answer her questions, offering very little real insight into African lives in China. Worse, these encounters are often framed with a pretentious tone, as if to reassure the reader that she is different—more sophisticated, more educated than “these other” Nigerians.
Overall, the book feels self-indulgent, under-researched, and superficial. Given the richness of the subject, it’s a missed opportunity.
A significant portion of the book—two full chapters—has little to do with Africans in China, instead reading like a personal travel diary where the author struggles with the language barrier and unfamiliar cultural norms. “It’s hard to travel in China as a foreigner” is unlikely to be news to any of this book’s readers.
When the book does focus on Africans in China, the interactions feel disappointingly shallow. Many accounts revolve around the author being hit on or encountering reluctance to answer her questions, offering very little real insight into African lives in China. Worse, these encounters are often framed with a pretentious tone, as if to reassure the reader that she is different—more sophisticated, more educated than “these other” Nigerians.
Overall, the book feels self-indulgent, under-researched, and superficial. Given the richness of the subject, it’s a missed opportunity.
February 26, 2024
I am so grateful for the library as I don't think I would have come across this book otherwise. I thought it looked it interesting and it did not disappoint.
Until this book, I'd not heard of Guangzhou, let alone that it was home to thousands of African ex-pats. Noo Saro-Wira spent about half a year living there, talking to residents about their lives and I think this is why I loved so much. Saro-Wira is an excellent writer, her writing is without pretension, it is straightforward and well paced. My favourite thing in the whole world is listening to or reading stories of peoples lives, this book has it in spades.
Saro-Wira provides her interviews as-is, she allows people to speak for themselves whilst using their comments and experiences to tell the reader more about the context, how each story is demonstrative of an overall theme.
Until this book, I'd not heard of Guangzhou, let alone that it was home to thousands of African ex-pats. Noo Saro-Wira spent about half a year living there, talking to residents about their lives and I think this is why I loved so much. Saro-Wira is an excellent writer, her writing is without pretension, it is straightforward and well paced. My favourite thing in the whole world is listening to or reading stories of peoples lives, this book has it in spades.
Saro-Wira provides her interviews as-is, she allows people to speak for themselves whilst using their comments and experiences to tell the reader more about the context, how each story is demonstrative of an overall theme.
June 23, 2024
Super interesting and really shows up how race and racism get *super* complicated, and navigating the complexities of being British-Nigerian in China, and the thing that really stood out for me was how actually to understand that you really need to know about the Nigerian civil war and the Republic of Biafra. The extent to which people's internally felt identity depends on intricate histories that outsiders probably wouldn't think to ask about?
One thing that bugged me, the author seemed to spend a lot of time talking to people and only later explaining that she's doing it for a book. She mentioned a few times that people would tell her things, then after she's mentioned that they get more guarded and ghost her. I'm not sure what journalistic ethics rules apply there, but it felt to me like they hadn't really consented to have their stories used this way.
One thing that bugged me, the author seemed to spend a lot of time talking to people and only later explaining that she's doing it for a book. She mentioned a few times that people would tell her things, then after she's mentioned that they get more guarded and ghost her. I'm not sure what journalistic ethics rules apply there, but it felt to me like they hadn't really consented to have their stories used this way.
November 12, 2025
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.
December 22, 2024
4.5 rounded up :)
The author’s conversation with Kofi, the Ghanaian man who trained to become a doctor in China and completely in Mandarin, literally made my jaw drop. Truly an astounding guy!!
This area is something I’d definitely want to learn more about, considering China’s ever-increasing presence in various African countries nowadays, and how locals in all countries feel about it.
The author’s conversation with Kofi, the Ghanaian man who trained to become a doctor in China and completely in Mandarin, literally made my jaw drop. Truly an astounding guy!!
This area is something I’d definitely want to learn more about, considering China’s ever-increasing presence in various African countries nowadays, and how locals in all countries feel about it.
December 17, 2024
this is a book i read for a reading challenge, and i am glad it brought me there! it was a series of interesting stories and facts, though i do somewhat wish there had been a bit more of a throughline. well-narrated and smart!
June 5, 2025
Very refreshing read. The rare travelogue by an African woman. A story that needed to be told. And very well told. Lyrical. And also brutally honest about the racism in China and lived experiences of Africans in China. Essential reading.
December 13, 2025
Interesting but problematic in parts. For example, this author is writing a book for profit but then is really dismissive about some of the people she comes into contact with asking to be paid for their time. Hypocritical much?
January 13, 2024
Interesting insight
March 25, 2024
The most insightful travel writing I've read in a while.
July 20, 2024
Really interesting, loads of stuff I had no idea about!
April 2, 2025
4.5🌟
Very informative and very much met my expectations. I'm really glad I read it☺️
Very informative and very much met my expectations. I'm really glad I read it☺️
April 5, 2025
really interesting premise - i had no clue that china had such a rich african community but overall the execution was quite shallow and surface-level for the most part
May 31, 2025
2.5 stars- really interesting topic but poorly researched, I expected more
August 14, 2025
Good book - like a travel book with a purpose. Easy to read and you learn a bit throughout. Travel books are hard to have a ln arc of a story but given the mission this one has an easier time.
January 15, 2024
Black Ghosts is laugh out loud hilarious. A very enjoyable read. Noo's writing is very clever and captures the essence of various Chinese cultures in a humorous tone. It is also fascinating to learn about the Africans in China and this book takes you on a journey through HK and China wishing you were there yourself. I would thoroughly recommend this book.
May 18, 2025
Black Ghosts follows Saro-Wiwa’s five months travelling around China and answers the overarching question of ‘Why is it in this neighbourhood or area that there’s a lot of Africans residing in?’ Although the answer may be obvious to some, for myself it wasn’t and I learnt quite a lot from what Saro-Wiwa researched and who she interviewed.
For instance, I didn’t know a majority of Africans living in China and Hong Kong were Nigerian. Some worked selling various products to consumers, many were overstayers who couldn’t afford a monthly visa and some had family back home that they rarely saw.
What I loved about the book was the mix of opinions and information poured out into why Africans live and work in sub par conditions in the country. Saro-Wiwa jumps between anecdotes from interviewees who live or have lived in the countries, her own solo travels across the country and seeing comparisons from both Chinese and Nigerian cultures that make her reflect on how places like Guangzhou and Tsim Sha Tsui came to be staple areas where Africans would reside in.
One person who stood out amongst the people Saro-Wiwa interviewed was Koffi, a Ghanaian surgeon and cardiologist. I thank Saro-Wiwa for bringing his story to Black Ghosts because if he hasn’t already, I’d love to read a book written by him as he spoke fluent Mandarin and was there for a lengthy amount of time.
I do wish Saro-Wiwa had the opportunity to speak Mandarin to get more of the local’s opinions and even from some citizens of mixed African and Chinese descent. I feel like there’s a lot to write about from their perspective but what was written in Black Ghosts was great nevertheless.
All in all, Black Ghosts is an extraordinary read that brings a bigger focus to the African community and how they survive in the country night-by-night. It makes readers like myself understand a little more about their presence not only in China, but also in other Asian countries.
For instance, I didn’t know a majority of Africans living in China and Hong Kong were Nigerian. Some worked selling various products to consumers, many were overstayers who couldn’t afford a monthly visa and some had family back home that they rarely saw.
What I loved about the book was the mix of opinions and information poured out into why Africans live and work in sub par conditions in the country. Saro-Wiwa jumps between anecdotes from interviewees who live or have lived in the countries, her own solo travels across the country and seeing comparisons from both Chinese and Nigerian cultures that make her reflect on how places like Guangzhou and Tsim Sha Tsui came to be staple areas where Africans would reside in.
One person who stood out amongst the people Saro-Wiwa interviewed was Koffi, a Ghanaian surgeon and cardiologist. I thank Saro-Wiwa for bringing his story to Black Ghosts because if he hasn’t already, I’d love to read a book written by him as he spoke fluent Mandarin and was there for a lengthy amount of time.
I do wish Saro-Wiwa had the opportunity to speak Mandarin to get more of the local’s opinions and even from some citizens of mixed African and Chinese descent. I feel like there’s a lot to write about from their perspective but what was written in Black Ghosts was great nevertheless.
All in all, Black Ghosts is an extraordinary read that brings a bigger focus to the African community and how they survive in the country night-by-night. It makes readers like myself understand a little more about their presence not only in China, but also in other Asian countries.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2024
Very insightful and eye-opening but the writing style just wasn’t for me.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews