Memories of Kenya

Written and photographed by Kim Seunghan

First Steps in the Newly Emerging World

I viewed Kenya as one of many indistinguishable African countries until about a year ago, when I was selected by the Foreign Ministry to work in the Korean Embassy in Kenya as a program officer for public diplomacy. At first, the challenge of being dispatched to Kenya gave me a lot of stress. I was afraid of being attacked by terrorists, since terrorists had attacked one of the biggest shopping malls in Nairobi. I had a prejudice that Kenya would be far behind civilization, leaving me to survive in the wild. My real, invaluable experiences in Kenya brought me to a newly broadened perspective and corrected my prejudice, which stemmed mostly from the misleading sensationalism of the mass media.

“Heart-to-Heart” in Public Diplomacy

One of the major jobs of the Korean Embassy is supporting pro-Korean collaborators in the fields of culture, including music. The embassy’s efforts account for the fact that more and more Kenyan citizens have begun to recognize the presence of Korea on the world stage and to care for Korean culture. I experienced that care firsthand when I got the opportunity to join the wedding of a Kenyan celebrity who received credentials as a Korean goodwill ambassador. As a delegate of the Korean Embassy, I gave him a wedding gift and offered a congratulatory statement. In telling the story of how he came to care for Korea, he expressed his sincere appreciation to the Korean Embassy. All the wedding guests joined the bride and groom and danced joyfully together. Ultimately, public diplomacy is a heart-to-heart between cultures.

Signs of the Korean Wave in Kenya

My primary assignment required me to promote Korean culture in Kenya to stimulate solidarity between the two countries. Among many other projects, I was responsible for a Korean film festival in Nairobi. The festival enabled me to recognize the popularity of Korean films in Kenya, as nearly 1,200 Kenyan citizens gathered to watch the films. With the momentum from that popularity, the Korean Embassy embraced the challenge of launching Korean film festivals in Mombasa and Kisumu. A highlight for me was the audience reaction to the sad ending of “Miracle in Cell No. 7” (7번방의 선물). I was thrilled when they cried out for an encore of the film. I believe that in the long run, the Korean Wave will prosper in central Kenya.

The New Korean Wave

As program officer for public diplomacy, my goal was to help people know more about Korea. After the success of major events like the film festival, I am sure that more Kenyans developed a deeper interest in and better understanding of Korea. I hope my work will contribute to the creation of a new Korean Wave in the future.