By Honorary Reporter Ngoufan Isaac Junior from Cameroon

The Cameroonian preliminaries of the K-pop World Festival on July 12 was held at Hotel Mont Febe Yaounde in the African country's capital of Yaounde. The annual competition is hosted by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, KBS, and Korea's overseas diplomatic missions.

Debuting in 2011, the festival held preliminaries in 16 countries with more than 3,000 contestants, with the winner earning the chance to compete in the finals in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province.

Two Korean jury members -- Yoon Ji-hye from the charity organization Good Neighbors and Nam Hyun-jung from the Korea International Cooperation Agency -- were joined in Yaounde by Cameroonian judges Sapouma Loung Issac Fernand, a conductor of an orchestra, and Tabe E. Enogbe, a producer at Cameroon Radio Television. An official from the Cameroonian Ministry of Arts and Culture was also there.

The competition began after a welcoming speech from Korean Ambassador to Cameroon Nam Ki-wook. Twelve teams competed in the vocal and dance categories, with the latter seeing four soloists and two groups. With a blazing light on stage, the audience sang and danced with the performers, who were full of energy and passion for K-pop.

In the vocal category, Ole Min Tsa won first place, Magwet Zibi Marie France second and Athem Ebai third. In dance, I surprisingly won first, followed by the crews Kamaria in second and Malyka third. 

As a Korean culture enthusiast, this victory meant a lot to me. I practiced day and night to earn the opportunity to visit Korea, meet my favorite idols and perform on stage like them.

In last year's preliminaries, my team placed second but I entered the competition as a soloist this year with the support of my team members. I chose a song by Taemin of SHINee due to the powerful choreography and positive message of the lyrics. I experienced an unforgettable moment as my friends shouted my name during the performance like they do at concerts.

At the closing ceremony, the ambassador emphasized the significance of cultural exchange between Cameroon and Korea, saying this event encouraged better understanding between cultures and the long-term development of bilateral relations.

msjeon22@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.