I was in Beijing during the FIFA world cup in 2006. When I entered a super mall in the Beishatan neighborhood, a friendly employee approached me to chat. He could only say "Hello" and I could only say "Nihao".

 

He asked if I came from Meiguo (United States) as it is common for Beijingers to assume most black visitors come from America. I answered no and he wanted to know whether I came from Faguo (France), which was not yet in my vocabulary.

 

I told him I was from Nigeria but he couldn't figure out where it was. He tried to describe Faguo by dribbling tactics since more than half the France 2006 world cup team members were black. At the end I reluctantly agreed to be a Faguo national since my country is equally a football giant.

 

The incident demonstrates the dearth of popular knowledge in China about Africa. This is something the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics can correct.

 

The Games are the biggest sporting event in the world with the unique chance for every sovereign nation to compete and for all the world to follow their favorite sports. More than 200 countries and regions are expected to participate in the Beijing Olympics.

 

An estimated 10,500 athletes will compete in 302 events in 28 sports. The athletes will be accompanied by more than 5,000 officials while over 20,000 journalists will be accredited to cover the Games.

 

The expectations are that the various sporting events at the various cities will be watched live by more than 200,000 people. Those who cannot make it to any of the events are expected to stay glued to their TV sets to watch their favorite athletes compete.

 

There will also be more than 70,000 volunteers, including foreigners, on hand during the events.

 

Indeed China is anticipating hosting an international crowd surpassing anything yet seen during the country's thousands of years of existence.

 

For China and other developing nations, the Beijing Olympics should mean more than the game. What interests me is how many of the team sports enthusiasts in Africa will be able to see the Beijing Olympic events live.

 

I also wonder how many Africans will be included among the overseas volunteers currently being recruited.

 

Unfortunately many Africans who would love to see the Games and the Chinese cities live will not be able to for obvious reasons.

 

In fact, it is important for Africans to attend the Beijing Olympics en masse to register the many countries of Africa on Chinese awareness. Otherwise black Africans will be mostly represented by their emigrated and nationalized brothers and sisters from the US and the Caribbean.

 

The Olympics presents an opportunity to expand the Sino-African relationship. At present contact between Africa and China is dominated by official delegations. Even the Africans attending past Olympics were mostly official government delegates.

 

Ordinary citizens in Africa and China look for opportunities to explore the other side. The Olympics presents this unique opportunity. What is perhaps most necessary for now is to raise the awareness of Africans about the coming Olympics.

 

Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) should be planning promotional events in all the African capitals. This would endear China to many sports enthusiasts from Africa.

 

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) could use the Beijing Olympics to organize events during this period to bring African business people from small and medium scale businesses to China.

 

Ordinary Africans need to see how their Chinese counterparts are growing, need to learn from their Chinese colleagues and need to collaborate for mutual development.

 

Ordinary Chinese deserve to know that Africans love and admire them. China is a dream land for many Africans and many who have already visited look for opportunities to visit again.

 

The culture of China's people is fascinating and its history and achievements are endearing. However all these are known only to a minute fraction of the African people. What is perhaps best known is the anti-China propaganda.

 

The most effective way to counter the propaganda is to provide opportunities for ordinary Africans to experience China.

 

The author, a PhD, is with the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

 

(China Daily May 17, 2007)