On October 1st, 2022, the 2022 Seoul Africa Festival was held at Seoul Forest Park. It was held two years after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The Seoul Africa Festival, which has been held every year since 2016, is one of the largest cultural festivals of the kind in Korea where you can feel the charm of various African cultures. At the festival, famous singers such as MC Jonathan, Harim, 10CM and Greg, as well as esteemed African artists, presented various traditional, modern dances and music, African Got Talent shows, and DJ performances. In addition, at the booths where diverse related organizations such as African countries’ embassies to Korea, African communities, and African museums participate, anyone could enjoy various programs such as cultural hands-on experiences, exhibitions, photo zones, and events. It was an enjoyable function with greater excitement and joy to all the visitors there in that it has not been held for two years. 

The festival also provided the visitors an opportunity to wear many different African countries’ traditional costumes and try playing musical instruments. Visitors were able to taste some traditional food and coffee produced in African countries. Many college students and young people participated in the festival as volunteers and they themselves also actively participated in the festival.

Sam Okyere, a famous entertainer from Ghana, who came to visit the festival, said, “I hope this festival will be an opportunity to make Korean people more familiar with Africa. I’m happy that the event opens again to promote mutual understanding and harmonious life between Korean people and people from African countries.”  

Heo Seong-yong, CSO of African Insight, who hosted the festival, said that he wanted to make this festival an eco-friendly event by holding the festival in a nature-friendly place of Seoul Forest Park. He added that the festival would provide Korean people with a chance to know Africa more, and through this festival, not only African people but also all citizens of the world including Korean people would be able to learn how to live harmoniously together, enjoying the events they prepared. 

The festival showed cultural diversity of each African country, not Africa as a single culture. Although it is regrettable that all the countries in the continent didn’t participate in the festival it has successfully shown how diverse and distinctive their cultures are. It is refreshing that traditional African cultures were combined and displayed with modern and trendy ways such as photo zones, exhibitions, and SNS promotion. Participants in the festival experienced African cultures in person in diverse ways and had a great time communicating with people from other countries of the global community.