The elusive Chinese Moon Cake

Having been placed in mandatory quarantine by the Coronese (I said I would stop doing this!) government in Guangzhou for nothing more than bearing an African passport, on day 9, I was suddenly released! I believe this sudden release was as a result of African nations and others putting foreign Chinese diplomats on the spot with regards to the issues. However, there are still a few issues that seem to bother me:

Firstly, that clown assistant, whom I mentioned in the previous blog, who 'gifted me sausage' (take your mind out of the gutters!) didn't want to release me after the government order came through as she said that it was too late and nobody was available to pick me up. She expected me to pay for another night. Secondly, after marching down and my company representative fetching me, they continued to spray me as well as my luggage because apparently, even after being in quarantine for 9 days and 4 tests later, you and your luggage still pose a threat... Thirdly, on the first morning of my release, I was told to come downstairs to collect a gift from the local officials. It included, two boxes of cookies and a tray of the elusive Chinese Moon cake - the moistest of all cakes. (head out the gutters!)  For those who don't know, Chinese Moon cake is traditionally made during the mid-autumn festival. It fetches a very high price, up to $10 a slice as a result of its seasonal appearance and expensive lotus paste. This little cake is amazing and I last tasted one about 15 years ago from a lady in my hometown. How I longed for this sticky, moist, petite, little cake (no pun intended). Perhaps my 9 day quarantine was destiny...

The cookies I received from the local officials (Mooncakes in the center).

What a load of crap! Of course it wasn't destiny apart from the fact that everything is. No one, sticky cake can make up for the discrimination and utter close-mindedness of the Guangzhou government. On receiving the gift, I was told by my company that it was a way of apologizing to me... Something that Chinese people never seem to do, which apparently stems from their cultural revolution! To me, It was one whole big media ploy of how the Chinese government has a 'good relationship with its expats'.  On handing me the gifts, they kept trying to take pictures of me. I turned away, signed their forms and took the cookies. A few days later, they were back with two policemen, a security guard, a local official and more gifts. They kept telling me to strike a peace sign whilst holding up one of their bags with a heart on it and every time I refused, they called the security guard to speak to me (they still don't seem to understand that the native African cannot speak Morse code (Ok! it's Mandarin, but I'm angry)). They gave me masks, soap, hand sanitizer, a stretch band and a hoola-hoop which proceeded with a full demonstration of how to wash my hands, put on the mask and use the fitness equipment. 

Before they left, the official said, "Thank you for supporting us." I replied, "There is a difference between support and duress." He smiled and left. My experience was absolutely humiliating but brings me a tenth closer to those South Africans who were detained under the 90 day detention law -  Imagine you were a black South African in 1963 and walking around the local shops. All of a sudden, you are detained and locked away in prison for no reason for 90 days without a lawyer under the 90 day detention law. Then, after you were released you were to stand outside the prison and take a picture with the people that locked you away so that they could show the world how great they are and how much you, the detainee, support their discriminatory and unjust system. I can honestly say how lucky I am to not have experienced this and I do empathize with the many South Africans that did - my little experience has given me a mere taste of what you must have gone through.

What angers me most is how the Chinese government is lying to the rest of the world: There are still Africans being involuntarily tested, not allowed into places and being kicked out of their accommodation. What hurt me most, was not the alien sentiment I felt from the locals or the turning away of people as they walk past you but instead,  as a Muslim myself, it was not being allowed into a local Muslim restaurant, during Ramadaan, whilst other local non-muslims were. I was always taught that Islam means "Peace" and to view other Muslims as brothers and sister before Sunis, Shias, Tabliquees, Soofies and Hanafees etc.  The government gives us foreigners a phone number to call if we face discrimination and I have called many a time, but again, it seems to be one big media ploy - Nothing is ever done, we are still discriminated against. It's all a ploy to make their image look good. I urge you to go onto booking.com and try to find a place to stay in China, book it and see how many of the places will only offer rooms to Chinese mainland nationals or in some cases, after offering it to you, call you once you have booked to tell you that they do not offer it to foreigners as per the order of the Chinese government. How can they be telling the world that there is no discrimination when one can see this on an international platform and they themselves have agreed to testing African people, exclusively?

Whilst my experience thus far has only been in Guangzhou. I have recently been moved out to a smaller city, called Huizhou so that I can commence with  my work. Hopefully the small town sense of community is present here and people look beyond their masks.

Whilst most people are upset at this country for its discriminatory and unjust laws, we should not allow it to consume our thoughts and guide our actions for we cannot be free if our thoughts aren't. "Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus