K-Pop Festival 2023: An Alchemy of Two Cultures

Yinka Olatunbosun

Nigeria and South Korea may seem far apart in geographic location but the blend of two cultures that held the Lagos audience spellbound was remarkable. The K-pop festival was recently unleashed in Lagos at the Terra Arena, Victoria Island Lagos. The festival organised by the Korean Cultural Centre in collaboration with Terra Kulture to keep up with its annual tradition of deepening cultural diplomacy by celebrating the best of dancers- and this year, singers as well.

This edition featured dance and singing contest, parading 20 finalists from the rigorous selection process. It was an opportunity for the contestants to showcase their artistry using the Korean songs as the medium of artistic expression. Songs from K-pop icons such as BTS, Kai, Hwasa, Bae Suji among others in the hot playlist. Despite the language barrier for some in the audience, the energy of the show proved to be infectious with every pitch and dance.

In his opening speech, the South Korean ambassador to Nigeria, Kim Young Choe expressed his gratitude to partners and commended the contestants, describing Nigeria as Africa’s superpower in creativity.

“About twenty teams succeeded in reaching the finals for this competition through practice and team work. I will like to convey my congratulations to all competition participants for being able to perform in front of you. The winners will be able to visit Korea by the invitation of the Korean government. Korea has developed mutually benefiting relationships with Nigeria ever since we tied diplomatic relations in 1980. Korea and Nigeria have helped each other when we are in need. Naturally, Nigeria became one of the key partners to Korea when it comes to relations in West Africa.’’

In his goodwill message, a member of the House of Representative, Kayode Akiolu celebrated the talented Nigerian youths.

“I am glad that everyone here has chosen a right path in life. Entertainment is a major industry in the world. We in Nigeria should be very happy. We are lucky to have a youth population just as Korea. I visited Korea this year through the invitation of the Korean foundation and I notice something: almost 75% of Korean children are in school. By the special grace of God, as a young parliamentarian, I intend to move the motion that every Nigerian child must be educated. When I look at young people doing something positive for themselves, I know Nigeria has a bright future.’’

In the end, the winners were announced after the well-paced performances. Olonade Joseph (singing) and Team Triumphant X (dance) won the third prize of N200,000; Joy Ossai (singing) and Team Switch won the second prize of N300,000 while Joy Malik (singing) and Team Royal (dance) secured the first prize worth of N500,000.  

One of the highlights of the K-pop festival was the majestic performance by the famed South Korean choreographer and dancer, Jay Kim who was also one of the judges at the show. Kim glided effortlessly across the stage like a true marvel as he moved rhythmically to the enveloping sound, making him the final act on stage.