An African and Chinese mixed-race family. Photo: CFP

There is no civilization that has ever existed that abstained from marriage as one of its staples in building a nation.

From time immemorial, marriage in Africa was seen as a sacred affair, one that strengthens relationships that enrich communities.

It was the only institution where new hope and life would be brought forth.

No wonder in many African cultures, the coming of rain, bumper harvests and the birth of a child would be wildly celebrated.

Africa's growing pains

History shows that most marriages in Africa were within communities, sometimes referred to as tribes.

Those marrying outside their ethnicity were considered outcasts, and in most cases, would face the wrath of the community through curses.

Only in special circumstances would the society, after extensive consultations with the ancestors, give the green light to a cross-cultural marriage. In Kenya, for instance, it was unthinkable to see a Kikuyu lady getting married to a Kalenjin man, and vice-versa.

The same was the case with Zimbabwe's Shona tribe intermarrying with a Ndebele.

But later on, the differences within communities, particularly between the pastoralist, would be ironed out through intermarriages.

It is a development elders in the society saw as a way of understanding each other's cultures, and therefore a check on deadly conflicts between two warring communities.

Perhaps this is the model that is today guiding the increased interracial marriages between Chinese and Africans.

Upon their mass arrival in Africa barely a decade ago, the Chinese faced a lot of challenges, most of which were due to cultural misunderstandings.

They were brutally attacked and maimed in Zambia. Some were killed in West Africa and Sudan while others were deported back to their home country.

In some countries in East Africa, they were ridiculed and discriminated against.

It was indeed a cruel experience that almost brought China and Africa at loggerheads, a move that would have ultimately harmed the economic and political relations the two sides were about to enjoy.

A new marriage experience

Ten years later, though, the relationship between China and Africa is flourishing. New Chinese firms are setting up operations in virtually every corner of the continent.

Thousands of Chinese people are streaming into Africa for construction work, an example being the ongoing landmark construction of a standard gauge railway line in Kenya that will, at the end of the day, be linked with Uganda and other East African countries.

The thriving cooperation, many experts say, has been due to increased marriages between Chinese and Africans.

When she arrived in Africa almost eight years ago, Meiying, 32, knew no one. She says her dream was to get to know about the "dark continent."

It was Meiying's hope that one day, some years to come, she would endeavor to talk to different people from North Africa, down to South Africa across East and West Africa for a compelling story that would later be packaged into a book.

"I wanted the world to know about Africa. I wanted to portray Africa as it is and not as is perceived in many quarters of the world," she said.

But many months later, there seemed to be no sign that her book would be out.

"My dream died immediately when I fell in love with a Ugandan man, Jackson Omollo, who happened to be my fixer in East Africa," she said.

"I had already covered a fair share of Nigeria, Ghana, Angola and Kenya. But it was in Kampala, Uganda's capital, where my love for an African man conquered all - we got married."

Omollo, in an email interview, says the marriage opened up his world, to know who the Chinese are.

"For many years, we saw them as superhumans, who have a lot of wealth ...but the truth of the matter is that they are human, just like Africans. They work hard to make a living, just like us."

Omollo's wife agrees, "Africans are not lesser beings. They are loving, caring and hardworking."

This marriage represents a new order that is sweeping across Africa--intermarriages between Chinese and Africans, which historians say would close the gap between the two.

"It is a trend that is growing fast. Though there are few Chinese women in Africa, many African ladies are now getting connected with the Chinese men working or doing business in Africa," says Caroline Mbalula, a culture analyst based in Gauteng, South Africa.

Mbalula, however, observes in a light way that Africa needs more Chinese women.

"Our men need their ladies, too. But, hey, where are they? More Chinese women will bring the mixed marriage balance the continent needs. It will go a long way in solidifying our relations with China," she said.

Work to be done

Indeed, in his book, Ethnic Intermarriages in Times of Social Change, Christiaan Monden says, "From a social cohesion point of view, mixed marriages are important because they link not only two individuals but also the larger groups to which these individuals belong."

"At times, when I walk around with my wife, I am mocked.  Children, too, would tend not to play with my son due to his relatively brown skin color," says Omollo.

However, Omollo says these are teething problems which the society will after some time, get used to.

"It is normal to see such a marriage as going against the grain. But I am glad Africans are increasingly accepting change."

The author is a Nairobi-based freelance writer. mkapchanga@gmail.com