#非洲工作##裸辞##追梦少年##尼日利亚怎么样##国外打拼#
This is the 3,739th real story we have told
I'm Le Fei, a post-95s boy.
I have had a dream of making movies since I was a child, and for the sake of my dream, despite the opposition of my parents, I chose to major in film and television. The works I shot at university have won many awards, which made me full of confidence in my dream, but after graduating, I realized that the reality is very skinny.
In order to pursue my dream, I quit my job in the system and went to Nigeria, Africa. However, as soon as he arrived there, his passport was detained, and after some fruitless negotiations, he was swept away. Now I am struggling to survive, continue to pursue my dream, and work as a logistics and administrative worker in a local Chinese-funded company, with an annual salary of about 200,000 yuan.
But it's a dangerous place, and many of my compatriots leave after not staying for a year, but I have a different idea, this is simply my dream paradise!
(Me after work)
I was born in 1995, an only child, and my hometown is in Yancheng, Jiangsu.
My parents were busy when I was a kid and when I was 9 years old, they sent me to boarding school. When I grew up, I often joked that I was not raised by my parents, but grew up eating cafeteria meals.
Since I was a child, I had to make my own decisions about many things, whether it was study or life, which also created my independent character. When I grew up, I heard from my classmates that there were parents who were very controlling, and I was suddenly glad that I had such parents who dared to let go.
Although I had to try everything on my own in the process of growing up independently, and I had no one to guide me through many detours, I am still grateful for this experience.
Because every time I make a decision, I can fully follow my heart and follow what I want to choose. Those detours have also become valuable experiences and experiences in my life, which continue to push me forward.
When I was a child, I didn't have my parents by my side, so I spent most of my time with the TV, so I watched a lot of TV series and movies with different themes. So, since I was a child, I've always loved things related to movies, and I'm very curious about how those shots and special effects are made.
(Childhood, the first from the right is me)
When I was in high school, I was different from those classmates who were confused about what major to study, and when I was in my second year of high school, I knew what major I wanted to choose in the future, that is, majors related to film and television media.
After my parents found out, they didn't agree at all, they felt that this kind of major had a narrow scope of employment after graduation, and hoped that I could choose a major with a wide range of employment.
But I was determined to tell my parents that if I wasn't allowed to learn, then I would roll up and go home. Later, my parents couldn't screw me, so I chose it myself.
After I was admitted to university, I chose my favorite major in radio and television editing and directing. Because of my love, I studied very seriously and gained a lot of results.
The documentary "Ingenuity Shadow Puppetry", which I participated in as the main creator, was shortlisted for the best documentary unit of the "China College Student Micro Film Creation Competition" and the best documentary unit of the "4th Jiangsu Online Short Film Competition". He also won the Best Popular Work Award in the "Chinese Craftsman" Documentary Competition, and the provincial first prize in the "Jiangsu University Student Art Exhibition Micro Film Exhibition".
My short film "Heartstrings" won the second prize of the 2017 Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education's "Funding from Their Side" Micro Film Competition.
(Me in college)
The most memorable thing during my college years is that as a director, I coordinated and organized the shooting scenes of 200 people, which greatly exercised my communication, organization and coordination skills.
The four years of professional study at university have laid a solid foundation for my professional skills. In the future, being able to make a film on my own has become my biggest goal.
After graduating in 2018, I applied for a job in a company in Hangzhou to do online film work, and my professional ability was further improved, but online movies are not as rigorous as movies in terms of technology and script setting. This kind of creation will only make me farther and farther away from my dream of filming, so I quit my job two years later.
As a result, as soon as I resigned, I encountered the epidemic, so I returned to my hometown Huai'an, and was fortunate to be admitted to the local state-owned cultural unit to engage in literary and artistic directorship.
The job is very leisurely, 9 to 5, and there are not many assessments. However, filming and recording have to follow the aesthetics of the leader, and there is basically no room for their own creation and play, and the salary is very low.
This is still not what I want, I hope that my job can either bring me closer to my movie dream, or it can allow me to earn a lot of money and accumulate capital to work hard to achieve my movie dream.
But I know that during the pandemic, many people were unemployed, and I was lucky to have a stable job. Therefore, during the three years of the epidemic, I worked hard to improve myself while working.
(Photographed when I was working just after graduation)
In the first half of 2023, when I went to the China-Africa Economic and Trade Forum to record a video for the organizing committee, I accidentally learned about Nigeria in Africa and found that Nyllywood there is a popular film industry base in Africa.
Filming in Nyllywood is inexpensive and fast, with an average of one or two weeks to complete. And the output value is not low, only after Hollywood and Bollywood, ranking third in the world, the key is that the profit is very high.
Compared with the high cost and high threshold of Hollywood filmmaking, for a dream young man like me with no qualifications and no background, Nyllywood is undoubtedly the best place for me to realize my movie dream.
So I quit my job in the system and searched the Internet every day for all kinds of information about Nigeria and how to get there.
The hard work paid off, and finally on a social APP, I got in touch with a boss who opened a factory in Nigeria.
I was bent on going there to embrace my dream, so I told the boss that I could go there at my own expense, and I could also help him shoot videos, edits, and make accounts at that time, and he didn't have to pay me a salary, just eat and live, and the boss readily agreed.
(When I was a student)
In October 2023, I went through all the formalities, bought my ticket, and flew to Nigeria alone.
Nigeria has a savannah climate, with an average temperature of about 30 degrees, and the first thing I feel when I arrive here is that it is hot.
Before I came, I thought that this was the blue sky and white cloud savannah, and when I came, I found that the savannah was on the East African side, but I was disappointed, but I was also glad that I came to Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria, where the economy is good, the natural resources are abundant, and it is known as the "Little Shanghai of West Africa".
When I first arrived, I was nervous and excited, thinking that I was one step closer to my dream, but I never thought that I would have a very unpleasant quarrel with my boss that day. Because he asked me to hand over my passport on the grounds that it was to be registered with the immigration office.
As soon as I heard that there was no opinion, I asked him when he would return it to me. As a result, his face instantly became gloomy, and he began to talk about him left and right, and did not reply to me positively.
The first time I came here, I was worried that I would encounter fraud, house arrest and the like, and I would not get a definite reply, and I would not be able to hand over my passport to him, so I kept at the gate of the factory. Later, other colleagues in the factory, seeing that we were at a stalemate, came to do my job.
(Shooting)
On the first day I was here, I didn't know the place well, and I had nowhere to go, so I promised to give it to him first. On the third day, I asked my boss for a passport, but he wouldn't give it to me.
I fought back my anger and told him clearly: "If you don't give me back your passport, our cooperation will stop, and I will not stay with you any longer." ”
The boss was also very polite: "Since you are so difficult to communicate, and it is not easy to cooperate again, you can leave if you want to go." ”
And just like that, I was swept away on my third day in Africa.
In order to survive here, I dare not delay at all. Continue to search the web for other Chinese bosses in Nigeria.
After that, three people were willing to take me in, and I finally chose President Nee. President Ni is the president of the Nigerian Chinese Business and Trade Enterprise Association, the platform is bigger and better, and he also has a Huaxing Art Troupe, which is more in line with my own major.
After talking to President Ni, he called a car to pick me up. When I went to President Nee's place, I helped him make a lot of videos, and he kept his promise to take care of my food and shelter.
(Filmed in Nigeria)
Later, with my professional ability, I took on some commercial shooting, and earned tens of thousands of yuan, and in order to repay President Ni for his kindness, I gave him half of the money I earned.
With the money on my body, I remembered my movie dream again, and found that there are indeed advantages to making movies here, the venue is basically free, the cost of actors is low, the shooting and production cycle is short, and the profit is high. I also did a market analysis and felt that this was a very feasible project.
However, the dream is beautiful, but the reality is very skinny. I estimated the cost, and even if the expenses were not high, I would need at least 500,000 start-up capital. This is undoubtedly a big problem for me in my 20s, and in the face of reality, my dream can only be put on hold for the time being.
Although it was a hit, I didn't want to complain. I understand that the most important thing at the moment is to make money first, and only with money can I have the opportunity to realize my dreams.
In 2023, the local currency, the naira continues to depreciate, and in order to earn money, I want to work part-time to save start-up capital. President Nee was very happy and agreed to let me go.
At this time, there was a Chinese-funded enterprise owner who needed administrative logistics, and thanks to the boss's appreciation, I got this job.
(Group photo with the staff I manage)
The basic employees of the factory are all Nigerians, and there are three ethnic groups in the area: Hausa, Igbo and Iruba. Each ethnic group has its own language, although most speak English. Not only did I have to know English, but I also had to adapt to their different ethnic accents.
The locals who come to the factory to work as basic workers have a low level of education, and their wages are not high, which is about 300 yuan per month when converted into RMB, and less than 200 yuan for new employees. So many people have a problem eating before they come to work.
Once, a black boy who had just been on the job for a few days came to my office because of a meal with his supervisor. According to the regulations, the factory provides employees with one working meal a day, but he feels that one meal a day is not enough.
Because he didn't have the money to buy any more food, he hoped I could provide him with an extra meal. But I refused, because there are more than 1,000 employees in the factory, and if I only provide him with one more meal, others will definitely not agree, and it may cause trouble, so it will be troublesome.
(Group photo with Nigerian school teachers)
Managing employees is a big or small thing, and I have to balance the interests of all employees, but also consider the cost of the boss.
Maybe it's because they're too poor, and the employees still have petty theft. By chance, I found that the employee who sorted out the waste cartons was suspected of taking the cartons to sell them privately, so I asked him to take pictures and send them to the work group to report to the work group every time he finished sorting them, but he didn't take it seriously and still did his own thing. It wasn't until I said that if I didn't do what I was asked to do, I would deduct my salary, and he took it seriously.
Managing the locals is no easy task. Once, because of the salary, another employee ran to the office to make trouble. It is very inconvenient to make money here, unlike domestic transfers, which can be received quickly. Whenever the salary is paid, there are always employees who have not received their money for a long time.
The old employees are used to it and will wait in peace. But the new employees couldn't hold their breath, thinking that they deliberately did not pay them, and often ran to the office to ask for an explanation.
In this case, I had to calm their emotions and tell them the reason so that they could wait a little longer.
(Group photo with local children)
In the face of different employees and different things, sometimes I need to use a gentle attitude and method, and sometimes I have to be ruthless to make a black face in order to make them work well, which also tests my communication skills.
I do administrative logistics management here, including food and accommodation, with an annual salary of about 200,000 yuan, a holiday once a year, and a round-trip ticket to return to China can be reimbursed, and the treatment is good.
But the factory is closed management, and the Chinese are basically not allowed to go out. Because of the frequent occurrence of kidnappings and shootings here, it is also for safety that people are not allowed to go out.
If you want to go out, it's best not to go alone, but with other colleagues, and with real security personnel.
Working and living here is not free, let alone safe, although the income is okay, but the danger and loneliness are not something that everyone can bear, so many people quit after less than a year.
The gap between the rich and the poor in the local area is also very large, and the rich spend a lot of money, and bodyguards, drivers, and nannies are always on hand to serve them.
The poor earn only 6 or 7 yuan a day for work, and in China they can't even buy a breakfast, but they have to get by on these few dollars. Rice and meat are more expensive, and vegetables are even more expensive, so they only have enough money to buy rice, and they have no food to eat, so they can only squeeze some tomato sauce and eat it with rice.
(Alone in Nigeria for the dream)
Poor people who are sick or injured by bruises basically do not see a doctor, because a visit to the hospital costs thousands of yuan, and the sum of several months' wages is not enough.
I remember one time, I had a mouth ulcer, and I just went to the pharmacy to buy some medicine, and it cost more than 200 yuan, which is a month's salary for basic employees.
Fortunately, they have a good mentality, a slow pace of life, slow in everything, and more in the moment.
They also have a lot of fun here, the locals can put anything on their heads, whether it's heavy cement or a big basket of bananas, they can easily handle it, I feel that their cervical spine is really good, and the weight bearing is fantastic.
There is no public transport here, so you can often see a small car with a lot of people crammed on the roof.
Here, I also deeply realized the strength of the motherland. Nigeria was once a British colony, so it is still customary for them to call those who are stronger than them "masters".
There are many factories run by Chinese here, and they also use the word "master" when they call Chinese bosses or managers. When they see Chinese, they will naturally think that the other party is rich and powerful, and they will take the initiative to approach.
(I took a photo with the local students)
They also have a great sense of novelty and curiosity about traditional Chinese culture, especially worship Bruce Lee, and will take the initiative to learn Chinese kung fu, lion dance, table tennis, etc. There are also people who like to learn Chinese, watch Chinese TV dramas, and imitate the dialogues inside.
Seeing so many Chinese elements in such a distant Africa, I am really proud to be Chinese.
After living here for a while, I see more development directions in the future, such as popular short dramas in China, which no one has done here yet, which is a good opportunity.
I now have a job package for food and housing, and I basically have no expenses, and most of my salary can be saved. It is estimated that in 3 to 5 years, I will be able to save enough 1 million to complete the original accumulation of funds.
At that time, I plan to make short dramas and films first, and then slowly expand to the cultural industry such as advertising and talent management. There is a saying in the circle of entrepreneurs: "All industries in China are suitable for redoing in Africa." "I am very confident about the future.
This is the center of African cinema, and a lot of good things have not been explored, and I think the film industry here is a good entry point. In the future, I can move the mature film and television system in China here to form a cultural industry with local characteristics.
(Riding in the country)
The most important thing for me now is to try to make money and save enough money for my start-up. There will definitely be many difficulties on the road to realizing your dreams, but I believe that as long as you keep working hard and persevering in the right direction, it will be a matter of time before you reach your destination.
I also do self-media now, so people often ask me, how can I work here, and what if I am deceived?
I don't think there is such a thing as pie in the sky, don't blindly believe that under the premise that you don't know anything, you can get a high salary abroad, at least you have to know a skill.
If you have skills and confidence in yourself, you are unlikely to be deceived, but you don't need to go to other countries to have skills, and you can get good benefits at home.
If you really want to work abroad, you must go to the formal extranet recruitment platform to check the recruitment information, learn more about the local background and customs, and then consider whether to go, and don't move forward blindly.
We should have the courage to pursue our dreams, but we must also have the wisdom to pursue our dreams, so that we can earn more and go far.
Finally, I want to tell every young person who has a dream, if you have a dream, you should be brave enough to chase it! Don't wait, the young man's head is white.
(Welcome to follow the protagonist)
[Dictation: Le Fei]
[Editor: Mu Lan]
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(*This article is based on the oral statements of the parties, and the authenticity is the responsibility of the oral narrator.) Friendly reminder from this account: Please identify the relevant risks by yourself, and do not blindly follow the trend to make impulsive decisions. ）