Festival to celebrate Zim-Korea relations

THE vibrant cultural ties between Zimbabwe and Korea are set to be celebrated in style next week at the 2024 K-pop Festival to be held at The Venue in Avondale.

THE vibrant cultural ties between Zimbabwe and Korea are set to be celebrated in style next week at the 2024 K-pop Festival to be held at The Venue in Avondale.

The May 22 festival will be held under the theme, Show Me Your K.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Zimbabwe-Korea diplomatic relations which were established in 1994.

The festival will not only be a celebration of this milestone but also a prelude to the Korea-Africa Summit to be held in Seoul this June, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been invited.

The one-day extravaganza promises to be a feast for the senses, featuring a fusion of Korean and African music, dance and cultural showcases.

The Korean embassy told NewsDay Life & Style that preparations for the festival were in full swing, adding that the festival sought to highlight the growing interest in K-pop and Korean culture among Zimbabwean youth.

“Right now we are planning on inviting the Tourism minister as our guest of honour, as well as other diplomatic communities.

“We have shared diplomatic relations since 1994, a 30th year of diplomatic relations, thus we want to celebrate big. There is a growing interest in K-culture, especially K-pop among the Zimbabwean youth and we want to provide an opportunity for them to come and experience K-pop performances. There will also be the Korea-Africa Summit in June, where we want to celebrate the harmony of Korea and African culture with dance performances prior to the summit,” the embassy said.

The event will run from 4pm to 6pm.

The embassy added: “Expect high-energy routines by Salt and Light and Extreme Dreamers. A unique Korean song performance using traditional Korean instruments will add a cultural twist, while a special collaboration between local artistes John Cole and Hope Masike will blend Zimbabwean and Korean musical styles.”

Among musical performances, there will be displays of Korean food products and exhibits from Korean agricultural co-operation organisations.

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