A week of Korean feast in Abuja

Members of the diplomatic corps, friends of Korea in Nigeria and lovers of culture and exotic cuisines had a week of treats, starting with the invite-only opening ceremony, held at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp.Those who attended were literally blown out of their seats by the powerful drumming and percussions of the two groups […]

Members of the diplomatic corps, friends of Korea in Nigeria and lovers of culture and exotic cuisines had a week of treats, starting with the invite-only opening ceremony, held at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp.
Those who attended were literally blown out of their seats by the powerful drumming and percussions of the two groups that had been brought all the way from the Asian country.
The Nanta, a group of three power drummers, who “combine traditional Korean percussions, samulnori, with comedy”, that was what the programme brochure said. But the audience had no clear idea what to expect. It turned out to be a mind blowing session. The trio, two men and a woman, had the audience marvelling at their skills, applauding to their feats and being willing be co-opted into the performance by the drummers who despite the language barrier, had the audience in stitches all evening long.
The Yeorang on the other hand, is a quartet of some beautiful Korean women, who use traditional Korean instruments to make sublimes melodies garnished with western flavour. They left the audience sighing longingly for more.
As if sensing the desire for more, the two groups came on stage together and put on yet another breathtaking performance that shot the audience to its feet in a standing ovation.
That was the prelude to the events to follow. The evening poured out into the courtyard of the Congress Hall where a sprawling buffet of Korean cuisines had been laid out.
The guests walked around, sampling the food, having conversations and watching K Pop teams dance on the open air stage that had been erected.
The scene must have pleased the Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Choi Jong-hyun who said, “Last year we had a very successful Korean food week so this year we wanted to build on that success and decided to add the element of Korean music and film. What we want to do is introduce Korean films, music and cuisine to the great people of Nigeria.”
On the significance of the event, he said, “One of my key task as the Korean Ambassador to this great country of Nigeria is to encourage cultural exchange and that is why we had two Nigerian folksongs performed here tonight and we have young Nigerian entertainers who are staging K-  Pop dances, as well as performances from the Abuja International Chorus.”
The events ran all through the week, with many Nigerians enjoying themselves. One of them was Zainab Yunus who said, “This is the first time I am experiencing anything like this and I am glad I came. The performances were simply amazing and the food is just exquisite. I was delighted with this opportunity to encounter Korea and its culture.”