The Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria has hosted “South Korea Culture Day” at the 2016 Calabar Carnival to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Korean embassy’s relocation to Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.

The Calabar Carnival Commission designated Dec. 26 as “South Korea Culture Day” at the festival and invited the Bongsan Mask Dance-Drama Preservation Society to put on a performance there. The troupe gave a special performance during the Carnival Kings & Queens competition at a stadium in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State in Nigeria.

The annual carnival has been held since 2004 in Calabar along the southeastern coastal region of Nigeria. In 2016, artists from 10 countries, including Korea, Spain, South Africa, Turkey and Mexico, were invited. Some one million visitors, consisting of both locals and tourists, enjoyed the event.



On Dec. 28, the 17-member troupe staged a samulnori percussion show (사물놀이), a bongsan talchum traditional mask dance (봉산탈춤), and a sajachum lion dance (사자춤) during the street parade, the biggest event at the carnival. The crowd enjoyed the traditional humor and jokes, with many great acclamations.



“It is our pleasure to invite performers of the bongsan talchum, one of Korea's intangible cultural assets, to Nigeria,“ said Gabe Onah, chairman of the Calabar Carnival Commission. “The audience was especially drawn to the bongsan talchum and to the sajachum,” he added.

The Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria plans to organize performers for festivals held in other major cities across Nigeria, such as Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kaduna.

By Director Han Sungrae of the Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria,
Kim Young Shin, Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria
hsr6406@korea.kr