1. All the people living in a specific locality 

Although there has been very little documentation on the African presence in China, it is known through some sources that the history of such presence began before the 21st Century (Bodomo, 2012). In cities across China, especially on the eastern seaboard, sizeable African communities have emerged since 1997. Bodomo (2012) estimated that there are around 500.000 Africans in China. Among them, there is a large group of around 100,000 Africans in Guangzhou alone and some other cities in China. Hong Kong is one of the cities with a sizeable African community.

Although there is a good amount of Africans in Hong Kong, no data can be found to exactly put these Africans in a number. According to the latest population census of 2011 issued by Hong Kong Government, there was no data on Africans. Africans are categorized as ‘others’ and this category only made up less than 0.4% of the whole population in Hong Kong. In this sense, African population is quite small compared to other minority groups like Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, etc.

The Africans in Hong Kong are mostly known to be living in Tsim Sha Tsui. Bodomo (2012) refers to the Chungking Mansions as the Africans’ nerve center, where a lot of them are either residents or frequent visitors. The limited research on Africans in Hong Kong tends to focus only on this one spot (ChungKing Mansions) on talking about the lives of Africans in Hong Kong. However, the African community has certainly grown beyond it to include many places in Kowloon, the New Territories, and on Hong Kong Island, where many Africans and African businesses can be found. It is said that there is a group of Africans living in Wang Toi Shan located in Pat Heung, Yuen Long and there is an association known as the Akunne African Association whose duty is to assist these Africans to integrate into the community.

Looking at specific places where groups of Africans live, we can certainly say there is an African Community in Hong Kong.

2. A body of people having a religion, a profession, etc. in common (the immigrant community)

According to Bodomo, a community can also be identified or distinguished as a body of people having common purpose of stay, profession or beliefs within the group. In the context of Hong Kong, the African population may seem to have somewhat varied reasons of stay due to Hong Kong’s status as a metropolitan city that attracts immigrants and temporary, or short-stay, visitors. Nevertheless, there is still a pattern that can be found that forms a somewhat loosely-knit African community despite the diversity.

For instance, Africans in Hong Kong may have a commonality in religious beliefs such as Christianity or Islam. Most African countries (except North African) are majorly Christian because of biblical history and the voyages of the missionaries to the continent during the colonial period. In a similar sense, the Islamic African community due to North African countries that have Muslims in majority. Moreover, there is a common economic marketplace, or a nerve center such as Chung King Mansion and Mirador, where the majority of Africans live and hangout. The businesses that are conducted there are also diversified with hip-hop fashion shops, mobile re-sale shops, hairdressers, African restaurants and pubs, etc. In addition, it is worth mentioning that there also exists a subgroup of African musicians that form a rapport in the community. Last but not least, there is also a community of a relatively higher educational class of Africans that consists of educators who have relocated here for educational work/study purposes such as Professors and PhD candidates.

3. Fellowship, similarity

We interpret fellowship to refer to the friendly gathering of people who share common backgrounds, interests, or goals. A quick online search reveals that this certainly exists - there is an official African Community that seeks to provide services for Africans in Hong Kong, including community-building programs such as the African Unity Fotball Cup. Charis’ church also has an African Fellowship that meets weekly for “a time of worship and word, followed by a hot meal”. The message for this fellowship is conducted in English and French, highlighting some kind of shared linguistic background between participants. 

The existence of spaces for more informal gatherings to occur is equally important. Bodomo studies Chungking Mansions as a place of community for Africans. This is a popular spot for Africans because there are restaurants serving African food, and also simply because there are many other African people there. This space facilitates fellowship of African peoples.

4. Membership and shared identity

Membership and shared identity is the sharing of a sense of belonging or personal relatedness to a particular group that one has considered oneself to become a member (McMillan & Chavis. 1986). Having ancestors from Africa, Africans in Hong Kong are from the same origin. They share similar facial features, skin color, culture and values. We can always see that there is a tendency for people with similar identity to come together, for example Asians in America are likely to have their own social circle. Africans here are no exception. Especially when they are the minorities in society, forming a group of their own certainly gives them a feeling of security and unity.