‘Nigeria-Korea cultural ties can only get better’

Mr. Kwon Yong Ik has in the last three and half years served as the Director of the Korean Cultural Centre in Abuja. As he prepares to round up his term in Nigeria, Daily Trust sought to find out his thoughts on cultural ties between Nigeria and Korea and what he has done to promote […]

Mr. Kwon Yong Ik has in the last three and half years served as the Director of the Korean Cultural Centre in Abuja. As he prepares to round up his term in Nigeria, Daily Trust sought to find out his thoughts on cultural ties between Nigeria and Korea and what he has done to promote it.

What has been your impression of Nigeria since you were posted here?
It is amazing how fast time flies by. Already, three and half years have passed since I arrived in this beautiful country of Nigeria as the director of the KCC.
I am terribly sad to say that I will soon have to leave this country, to which I have become so closely attached, on February 24, 2016.
When I was told to go to Abuja three and half years ago, I knew that Nigeria was the most populous country in Africa, with an abundance of natural resources.
As soon as I landed here, however, I discovered that Nigeria was much more than that.
For one thing, Nigeria is endowed with a tremendously rich cultural heritage backed up by the great diversity of its demographics, being composed of more than 250 ethnic groups, which translates into the country’s predominance on the continent in such a broad range of areas including cinema, handicrafts, fashion, and literature to name but a few.
What has never ceased to surprise me personally over the years is the vitality of Nigerian youth, which I have witnessed at various gatherings in and around the KCC, including multiple discussion sessions and reading programs targeting the country’s young population. I have been convinced over and over again that the future of Nigeria is brighter than that of any other country on Earth.
Another thing that has moved me deeply is the open-mindedness of Nigerians to other cultures and their readiness to accept and enjoy them as they are.

What would say is your best memory of Nigeria?
It has been my great privilege to have numerous opportunities to introduce Korean culture to Africa as the head of the very first Korean Cultural Centre in the entire continent.
It is wholly because of stakeholder’s full cooperation that I have been able to make such significant progress in promoting exchanges in culture and arts between our two countries over the past three and half years.
Let me refer to just a few very memorable moments. In 2015, the Nigerian Team won the grand prize at the K-POP WORLD FESTIVAL, which was held in Seoul for the first time.
During the Korean Cultural Week held in November 2015, the Korean performance groups were enthusiastically welcomed by the Noble Heights Academy, a large number of whose students were waiting to get autographs from the performers.
I will never be able to forget the many young Nigerian children training so hard for their taekwondo skills at the taekwondo classes offered by the KCC. And I will always remember the incredible enthusiasm demonstrated by young Nigerian Hanryu (Korean Wave) fans during their incredible performances celebrating the Korea-Nigeria Love Day.
I hope that such successful cultural events and programs will serve as a robust foundation for the enhancement of bilateral relations between our two countries across the board. I am sure that under the leadership of my successor, our bilateral exchanges in culture and arts will continue to expand both in breadth and in depth.
Last but not least, I will always cherish all the sweet memories I have made here in Nigeria with all my dear friends and acquaintances.

A lot has been going on between Nigeria and Korea on the cultural front. What are your impressions of the cultural ties between the two countries?
Ever since its establishment, the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria has developed and launched various programs and events in partnership with Nigerian government agencies, arts and cultural institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
Among the successful projects promoted through bilateral collaboration are the Korea-Nigeria Poetry Festival co-hosted with Arojah Concept, a local theatrical group; the Korea-Nigeria Quiz Competition co-staged with the FCT Secondary Education Board; the Korea-Nigeria Drawing Image Contest co-sponsored with the FCT Universal Education Board; Arts of Friendship, an art exhibition participated in by five countries and co-hosted with the National Gallery of Arts; the Arts Exhibition for Students with Disability co-organized with Helping Hands, a local NGO; and the Korean Ambassador Taekwondo Championship co-hosted with the Nigerian Taekwondo Federation.
In addition, the KCC Nigeria is striving to expand bilateral exchanges in arts and culture through mutual visits between arts and cultural agencies and organizations of the two countries and the conclusion of MOUs in various fields.

And how would you assess Nigerians reception to the Korean Cultural Centre since it was opened?
It was in May 2010 that the Korean government opened the first KCC on the African continent in Abuja. The decision was based on the judgement of the Korean government that Nigeria was a leading country in Africa in a number of areas including economy, culture and sports, and that the establishment of a cultural centre in the country would make a significant contribution to enhancing friendly relations between the two countries.
Many Nigerians are studying the Korean language and learning Taekwondo at the centre. It also offers young students in primary and secondary schools opportunities to learn and experience a foreign culture firsthand.  Many who know of the centre never miss out on chances to enjoy Korean movies on the Korean Movie Screening Day held each month. Citizens also visit the centre frequently to use the library or simply relax inside the facility.
As a result, the number of visitors to the centre rose by 2,251, i.e. an increase of 35%, from 6,336 in 2014 to 8,587 in 2015.
The centre also helps citizens of Abuja suffering from a shortage of arts and cultural infrastructure to satisfy their need for arts and culture. A large number of local arts and cultural organizations use the centre’s facilities. Indeed, the centre is always open to them.

There is a new man coming to take your place. Based on your experiences, what would you like your successor as the KCCN Director to do?
My successor served as both first KCC director in Kazakhstan and director of KCC in Poland. He has in-depth understanding and extensive experiences in various aspects of culture and arts. Therefore, I expect him to demonstrate impressive leadership in the increase of exchanges in culture and arts between our two countries.
Personally, I would like him to place particular focus on two aspects where I wanted to make further progress. First, since culture thrives only on active exchanges and communications, I would like my successor to expand collaborative programmes and promote exchanges so that a larger number of people in our two countries can have first-hand experiences of each other’s culture and arts; through this, our two countries will surely be able to boost friendly relations.
Second, I expect KCCN under my successor’s to launch an incubation programme aimed at discovering young Nigerian artists with great potential and doing its best to foster their creative talents while continuing to develop diverse educational programs for young Nigerian students for the purpose of teaching them the supreme value of culture and arts from the educators’ perspective.