[Interview] Mr. Sungyong Heo, Program director of the 2018 Seoul Africa Festival Organizing Committee
[Interview] Mr. Sungyong Heo, Program director of the 2018 Seoul Africa Festival Organizing Committee
Sungyong Heo is program director of the 2018 Seoul Africa Festival and also the Founder of Africa Insight, a Civil Society Organization(CSO) for promoting Africa to the world in the global society. We went to the Festival to meet him at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) on May 19th,ashewasbusyworkingfor the events of the Festival. The Festival had been held for three days, from May 18th to May 20th.
By Cheol Yu, Eunseon Yu
Q1: We are so happy to have an opportunity to look around the Festival today. Could you introduce yourself and explain briefly what you do for the 2018 Seoul Africa Festival?
A1:Thank you for having me today. I am program director of the 2018 Seoul Africa Festival Organizing Committee and work for the program management of the organization and the Festival this year.
Q2: Can you tell us more about the 2018 Seoul Africa Festival?
A2: The 2018 Seoul Africa Festival is now in its third year. In 2015, the Institute of African Studies HK project at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies proposed to hold the Africa Festival, and Africa Insight and World Together jointly hosted the first festival in 2016 at the Cheonggyecheon Square in Seoul, and in 2017 the second festival was held at the DDP padestrian walkway. The Festival aims to promote and introduce the unknown diverse cultures and charms of African countries to Korean people and the global audiences in Korea.
Q3: Thank you so much for your explanation. Can you tell us more about the purpose and the meaning of the festival?
A3: As you know, Africa has already become very close as our neighbor in the current new era of globalization, but we still perceive the African countries as unfamiliar and somewhat different. It made some institutes, including Institute of African Studies at HUFS, Africa Insight and World Together, gather and constitute the Seoul Africa Festival Organizng Committee. We started off working on promoting everything related to the African continent. We set the aim of providing people with precise information and perspectives about true Africa so that Africa may become more familiar to Korean society. We want to create a platform to be a bridge between Korea and Africa.
Q4: As far as I know there are many kinds of festivals for publicizing a variety of different cultures, such as the Korean culture, or cultures from other areas on the globe, in addition to African culture. What do you think makes the Seoul African Festival special or different from other festivals?
A4: Korea is in the process of becoming more diverse in terms of ethnicity, and foreign residents are gradually increasing in Korea. So we have more chances to have contact with cultures from other parts of the world than ever before. Nevertheless, I’m afraid we are still in limited touch with other countries except Asian countries geographically very close. Meanwhile, we are comparably ignorant of people from other parts of the world, like the African continent, and furthermore, even have various prejudices about them. Though some festivals and events with contents about Africa are held in Korea every year, there are not many focusing only on African culture. Though our festival is a relatively young one with not too long of a history, I’m sure, it will soon grow into a really wonderful annual festival.
Q5: What kind of vision do you have for the Seoul Africa Festival?
A5: Well, we have just started the first step, so to speak, but as I said, I think our festival has a definite potential to grow. To do so, we need more support from many people and groups, or organizations of various sectors. To make it happen, we will challenge and make every possible effort to create diverse contents, making the Festival a public platform for every related individual or organization to cooperate with one another.
Q6: Lastly, do you have a message for our readers before we go?
A6: How many countries do you think are on the African continent? Often people mistakenly consider Africa as a whole big country, but it consists of 55 countries. You might have heard about African countries through some fundraising activities or TV documentaries, and so you might have some prejudices about Africa. Those are just a few aspects of Africa that you see on the surface. In reality, it has much more than those superficial things.
Africa is in the progress of economical development, and maturing, preparing for the future. As a new generation, you need to notice and prepare for this change and you should keep an eye on Africa's potential. In years to come, they will have more significance and meaning than now. Though they look unfamiliar or strange now, you will know, as you learn more about Africa and African people, that they are not much different from us and that there are many things we need to learn from them. I hope the WeeklyMonday readers and many young people come to join us at the next year’s Seoul Africa Festival, and meet the culture and people from Africa without any prejudices.
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