By Prisca Sam-Duru

The Koreans in Nigeria have not only mastered the art of entertaining any audience any day, they have also learned how to get to the hearts of their audience. Their participation in diverse cultural and entertainment events in the country attests to this fact.

Recently, they stole the show as well as the hearts of the field-filled audience at a cultural event held at the Children Play Ground Banana Island Lagos.

Tagged, “Banana Island multicultural festival”, the independence celebration treat had a team of Korean hard-hitting dancers known as I.O.F, a Korean break-dance crew known to infuse Korean tradition with stylish athletic moves. The I.O.F members who flew in from South Korea put up very thrilling performance; twice at the festival. As if they knew that the audience would be hungry for more, the six-man crew led by Park Seung-Gu had prepared a second performance. And on each occasion, a mere introduction of the Korean team was greeted with a thunderous ovation, ushering in the energetic dancers on stage. Their diverse dance steps and choreography like the ones done with heads spinning on the floor, were simply entrancing.

The festival, a one-day event that started at ten in the morning and ended at 9 P.M., had Korean Cultural Centre serving in the forefront to represent South Korea in its designated booth. The show which also had dance troupes representing, South Korea, Ghana, South Africa, Philippine, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and many others showcasing their cultures, created an amazing opportunity for countries across the globe and Nigeria to strengthen cultural ties as well as mutual existence.

The festival also featured performances representing the Igbo, Calabar, Yoruba, North, etc.The idea of the multicultural festival is to celebrate Nigeria’s independence using a spectacular platform to showcase cultures, promote unity and peace.

For the 63rd Independence, the festival had as theme, ‘A New Season’ which is a reflection of the spirit of hope and optimism for a better Nigeria.

Prior to the performances, family members who arrived in droves relished a variety of cuisine and assortment of drinks, during a food tasting experience by the exhibiting states and countries.The South Korean exhibition stand was a delight to a great number of festival enthusiasts who trooped there to  enjoy the culinary experience. Their Booth which brought in so much Korean culture for the maximum pleasure of all was divided into two sections – the Korean food experience area and the Korean culture experience space.

While reflecting on the whole cultural fiesta, the Director of the Korean Cultural Centre, Kim Chang-Ki, restated how the festival aligns with the Korean Cultural Centre’s goals. “We want to promote Korean culture in Nigeria. We invited the Korean performance team to Nigeria for this festival. By promoting Korean culture through its food, we hope to share the awesome Korean experience. I think many Nigerians love Korean food, music and drama. We also know that Nigerians love dancing and they are very dynamic. “As a Cultural Centre, we saw the Banana Island Multicultural festival as an opportunity to celebrate the many cultures within the Banana Island. We also saw it as an opportunity to bring the Korean wave to Lagos since it doesn’t have a Korean cultural centre. The whole aim of KCCN is to create a mutually beneficial bond between Nigeria and Korea, creating awareness and a lasting relationship, both at the grassroots and on an international front. This opportunity provided a place to do that,” he stated.

Speaking further he said, “In the K-Food experience area, we served eight (8) Korean dishes very popular thanks to Korean drama. The dishes are namely – Yangnyeom Chicken Boneless, Kimchi Fried Rice, Bulgogi Gimbab, and much more.”

Along with these dishes, Kim Chang-Ki, disclosed that, “We also had various Korean snacks and drinks to share. In the K- Culture experience area, visitors could make inquiries about the Centre’s activities, about Korea and also find out more about Busan’s Bid Candidacy for World Expo 2030. We also had (TAL) mask painting and Hanbok wearing as some activities for participants.  We are truly grateful to have so many people turn up to experience the culture, there was a massive influx of both Nigerians and foreigners to our booth. We wish all Nigerians happy Independence Day