Olivia Fifi Gieskes

An Ethnography of aid practices by Chinese medical teams in Rwanda

This research explores practices of Chinese medical teams in Rwanda. Chinese aid in Africa is the subject of many academic and public discussions, and is frequently compared with 'traditional' Western aid. Most interrogations however tend to overlook the more practical questions on how Chinese aid is implemented on an everyday basis. This is particularly the case for Chinese medical cooperation which is one of the oldest forms of Chinese assistance in Africa, and a form of cooperation that is understudied in China-Africa scholarship. There is especially scant knowledge of how local recipients perceive, engage with and respond to Chinese health assistance. 

This research ethnographically explores how socio-cultural practices are used in Chinese medical cooperation with the aim to provide more knowledge on the cultural factors that play a role in Chinese medical cooperation in local Rwandan contexts.