By Honorary Reporter Oluwatobi Tedunjaiye and Nnamdi Excel from Nigeria


The popularity of K-pop, K-dramas and Korean stars is no longer limited to Asian and Western countries and has spread to Africa.

In 2010, the Korean drama "Boys over Flowers" hit the Nigerian market along with other popular titles like "Jumong," "City Hunter" and "A Man Called God." Every Nigerian girl wanted her own prince like Geum Jan-di did in "Boys" and every Nigerian boy wanted to go under cover like Choi Kang-ta in "City Hunter." This was just the start of the Hallyu boom in Nigeria as many more romantic and action-packed Korean dramas entered the nation. 

Korean dramas were initially considered unique in Nigeria, certainly different from Chinese movies featuring Jet Li but nonetheless captivating. By 2014, Nigerians were running online pages to connect fellow aficionados of Korean dramas. 


Shortly after K-dramas grew popular, the megahit "Gangnam Style" entered the pop music world. The song boosted further interest in K-pop and the discovery of a plethora of related groups. For diehard drama fans, K-pop was initially on the soundtracks of K-dramas before being performed by boy or girl groups. Diving into K-pop led to the rise of groups like Wonder Girls, Big Bang and BTS and newer ones like Blackpink and Twice. K-pop is now a hit genre to many Nigerians.

Just this year, a K-pop dance competition organized by the Korean Cultural Center was held in Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city, and the turnout was amazing as groups of girls and boys and even schools participated. The country's eighth K-pop Dance Competition was held at Tolulope Odugbemi Hall of the University of Lagos on July 13, with reactions amazing as always. 


8th K-pop Dance Competition in Nigeria electrifies crowd

The long-awaited K-pop Dance Competition in Nigeria was spot on, as fans of Hallyu (Korean Wave) crowded Tolulope Odugbemi Hall of the University of Lagos. This year's event also marked the first time the competition was held in Lagos, the country's most populous city, thus giving K-pop fans there the feel of the Korean Wave. The audience displayed high enthusiasm and passion for Hallyu as an ad-lib on Hallyu, writing and fashion sense were displayed by the projector.

The event kicked off with the introduction of distinguished guests from both countries including Korean Ambassador to Nigeria Lee In Tae, K-pop dance instructors Park Young-hyun and Kang Ji Won, and Lagos police chief Zubairu Muazi.

The ambassador opened the event with an introductory speech, followed by a congratulatory message from the university's dean of student affairs and the showing of an inspirational video with a message from K-pop stars to their fans. The two dance instructors then gave a brief performance.

Finally, it was time to get down to the business of the day that everyone eagerly awaited. The dance performance was divided into two segments with a guest appearance and performance by Northsidekingzscrew, the winner of last year's competition, in between segments.

The first five dance crews to perform were Rich Company from Kano: J Race from Jos; Octopus Dance Zone from Portharcourt; S.O.C from Sokoto; and YDance Nation from Lagos. The second group comprised D'Generals and D'Brainy both from Portharcourt, Dance X Int'l from Calabar, Elite Dance Crew from Lagos and Isaiah 54 from Katsina. These groups wowed the crowd by displaying their dance prowess, skills, style and flexibility.

Following the performance by the crews and before the announcement of the results, a show featured the fusion of the traditional Korean drum janggju and Nigerian jangu-gu drumming. The performers played the janggju with a touch of traditional African music, style and language, thus creating an innovative combination of music from both countries.

Finally, the eighth K-pop Dance Competition in Nigeria reached its climax as the judges decided on the winners.

Though each group performed beautifully, only one could leave with the grand prize. That group was Octopus Dance Zone; a six-boy dance crew from Portharcourt who received a cash prize of NGN 500,000 (KRW 1.95 million) and an LG Xboom OK99 speaker, followed by runner-up D'Brainy (NGN 300,000 or KRW 1.17 million, LG Xboom OK75 speaker) and third-place finisher Isaiah 54 (NGN 200,000 or KRW 781,760, LG Xboom OK55 speaker). The audience was also not left out as the first 500 fans received K-pop T-shirts as gifts.

Octopus Dance Zone, as the winner of the competition, earned the right to enter the qualifiers of the KBS World K-pop Festival in Korea on Oct. 11 in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.