By Honorary Reporter Meryem Qozbour from Morocco

Photo = Youthpia, Morocorea

This work is part of the project Youthpia and Morocorea that seeks to connect Korea and Morocco.

Youthpia is an education project that seeks to form a cultural connection between Korea and Morocco through volunteering. Founder Hong You-ran is a Korean who fell in love with the North African country because of the classic novella "The Little Prince" and while traveling the Sahara Desert.

The following are excerpts from an interview with Hong on the project and its activities.

Please introduce yourself. 
My name is Hong You-ran and my Moroccan name is Fatima. I worked as a teacher for eight years and dreamed of doing something to build a better future. One day, I quit my job because I wasn't in control of my life though I was doing something I liked. So I traveled to discover what I really wanted to do. Following my heart, I started Youthpia and met good people, and this eventually led me to start Morocorea.

What about Morocco interested you?
I've loved the novella "The Little Prince" since childhood, so I really wanted to go to the Sahara Desert, where the story is set. I fell in love with Morocco while exploring the desert.

Tell us about Youthpia.
This is an education project in Morocco. While traveling the Sahara Desert, I met bright and innocent children who made me dream again about creating a better future. So I began Youthpia in the hope of creating a happy youth utopia by combining the happiness, dreams and ideals of many youths. For about three months last year, I offered physical and art education and built a small playground for children. I also did a bit of medical assistance for people in the Sahara who lacked proper pharmacies or hospitals. I want to continue this project to tell children that they can dream and be part of a much wider world.

Members of Morocorea pose for a group photo.

What are the project's events in Korea and Morocco?
I met a great artist and project manager this year and formed the team Morocorea together. We were going to go to Morocco and create a community art workshop but had to go online due to COVID-19. Morocorea is a community art project allowing Moroccan children and people to experience Korean culture while establishing a communication channel between both countries. This project offers experiences in Korean culture and art and introduces cultural art education for children from culturally disadvantaged areas. We use Korean culture and art in education to develop traditional content for Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and find a sustainable competitive edge.

What are your plans in Morocco?
When the COVID-19 situation gets better, I will visit Morocco with my team to proceed with the project. We'll go to Essaouira and draw stuff from both cultures as murals. We will hold a workshop on Hanbok and casual fashion in Casablanca with a Moroccan fashion designer. In Merzouga, we will go to the institution that implemented Youthpia and conduct art education, and do the latter in Meknes and Khenifra as well. I also want to visit other Moroccan cities to do activities.

What do you want this project to do for Korean-Moroccan relations?
I hope that Moroccans learn more about Korea while participating in our project and that Koreans learn more about Morocco through our Morocorea project. In the end, I hope that the two countries grow more friendly and interactive with each other.

This mural is a work produced from the project Youthpia. The Morocoreateam is one of the “2020 KF Public Diplomacy Projects” supproted by Korea Foundation.

enny0611@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.