- Hi guys.
So today I am going to be discussing
a topic that I find really interesting,
which is perceptions of
Africa or Africans in Korea,
but before we get into it,
make sure you check out
my instagram @HEYSARAHTOYIN
and also you can check out
the blog sarahtoyin.com.
Okay, so, when I lived
in Korea, I don't know,
there were a lot of things
I came across in Korea
in terms of their perceptions of Africans,
but it's not just, this
is not exclusive to Korea
to be fair, because even in England,
there's people that have made
the most ignorant statements
I've ever heard in my entire life
about the continent of Africa.
Korea is a very homogeneous society.
Almost everyone in Korea is Korean.
There are Africans.
So I'm going to talk about
the experiences that I've had
with Koreans' perceptions of Africans.
So the first one is when
I first started my school,
I was introduced to the
school and I was just sitting at my desk,
and some of the first graders
knocked on my door and
was like "Africa saram hahaha."
They were laughing so much.
Now the issue is not that they
thought I was from Africa.
The issue was that they were laughing.
I was actually like, what's funny?
Africa saram, what is funny about that?
So why would first
graders think it's funny
to be from Africa?
Where do they get that from?
That was my first like, what?
When I was teaching in Korea as well,
there was a black boy in the book.
I think they were trying
to make it diverse,
but some of the students
were laughing at him.
And I'm over here being
like, what's funny?
Because I'm black as well,
and they'll be like, "oh, nothing."
That was my first encounter,
and I was a bit like,
"oh, that's a shame."
They're first graders and second graders,
where'd they learn that from?
So, when I was in Korea
and I went to the dentist,
sitting in the reception
area there's a tv,
and lo and behold  what comes on the tv.
Was it an ActionAid or a Red
Cross advert where the African
children have fly on their eye?
Every time I see those things, I'm like,
so how can you film a child
with flies on their eyes?
And they be like, "this
child in Africa needs water."
It was that sort of ad and I was like,
if I am in Korea, in a homogenous society,
and that is all I keep
seeing about Africa,
I'm just gonna assume
that that's the whole
of the whole entire continent.
Of all the countries on the continent.
That's what I'm gonna think.
And I remember seeing that
advert and being like,
what in the world?
What's the point of this
playing this in the dentist?
Now, another time, my
landlords lived next door to me
and they had a son who spoke English,
'cause that was his degree.
So he's Christian.
So, I'm Christian and
the family was Christian,
and he's going on a mission
trip to South Africa.
Or, I remember was a mission trip,
or it had something to do with their
church,
and I was like,
"Aw, okay, that's amazing,
"I would love to go to South Africa."
Oh my goodness, I was like,
"Oh my gosh, she's gonna enjoy it so much,
"it's gonna be sunny."
I think around that time
it was winter in Korea,
and I was like, "you're
gonna enjoy it so much."
And he was looking at
me like he was nervous.
He was looking like he was a bit anxious,
and he was like "yeah, yeah."
And I was like "okay, enjoy!"
When he comes back, I'm like,
"how'd you find it, did
you love it, how was it?"
And he was like, "I am so shocked."
He said, "I though it was
going to be like a jungle."
I remember all I could do was laugh.
I was like, what?
A jungle?
He literally said to me,
"It was like Europe!
"It seemed like Europe!"
He thought he was gonna land
and there'd just be jungle.
Monkey and tiger.
I was thinking, come on.
(laughs)
I remember just laughing,
and I just didn't know what to say.
I was like, no, of
course it's not a jungle.
And he was like, yeah.
And I remember thinking,
maybe I should have
educated him a bit more,
but all I could do was laugh.
I felt so bad because I was just laughing,
but I laugh in nervous situations,
so when I don't really
know what to say, I laugh.
It was interesting to
see people's perceptions.
Now, there's also another time when,
it was in my English
textbook for teaching.
Normally, in these books,
there's a video clip,
an animation that's played,
and in this, there was an African child
with green leaves around
their waist, like skirts.
Like a skirt.
That was their clothes,
they didn't have clothes
I just didn't know how to express myself.
I didn't know how to
explain it to my co-teachers
that this doesn't make any sense.
To them, it was fine.
So I was so upset, and I
was looking in the book,
to find an email to email,
like the people who created the book,
'cause they have their names,
but there was no email,
and I'm just being like,
I'm so done with this.
If I went back, I would have
made a bit more of an effort
to be like, look, this
don't make no sense.
You're teaching these children
things that's incorrect.
Let's just say they're
third and fourth graders,
that's their perception of Africa.
That they walk around with leaf skirts.
And I remember just
thinking, this is ridiculous.
Now, I remember being so upset.
Now, what I will say is,
there are people that are
changing the perception of Africa.
And there's one guy called Sam--
I don't want to say his name wrong,
I know I'm gonna say his name wrong--
Sam Okyere, I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm just gonna call him Sam.
He's a Ghanaian, and I
believe he came as a student,
he's literally fluent in Korean,
and he basically does acting and modelling
and all that good stuff.
And he's basically
become a TV personality.
And it's because of
that, people know Ghana.
He's put Ghana on the map, I will say.
I remember being in my class,
and then my co-teacher used a clip of him
and some other foreigners
that was in a show,
and they were like, Sam! Sam Okyere!
I think they even asked me if I knew him.
And like, if I was from
his country, Ghana,
And I was like, no, I don't know him.
They were like, "Sam good!"
They really liked him.
I remember thinking, okay.
To be fair, this requires
more Africans to learn Korean,
to really be able to relate
and to speak to them.
Like culture exchange, basically,
rather than them making assumptions
based on ActionAid or Red Cross ads.
But what I feel like,
there are more Koreans
learning more about
Africa, but to what extent,
I don't know.
I mean, it's not all bad perceptions.
There were times when,
there's twice in my area,
two men that were Korean
came up to me once,
these are different
times, and they were like,
"Are you Nigerian?"
And I remember looking at them like,
and I was like, yeah,
and they were like, "good!
"Nigeria good!
"Ah, we know Nigerians
that work in Hyundai!"
They spoke really well of them,
and also one time, we
went to a language exchange,
and there were Hyundai interns,
and they were literally like,
"Oh, yeah, some of the
Nigerians in our office
"are really, really nice!"
Okay, alright, alright.
Naija for life (joking about)
So I was like, okay, great, but I realise
it's just because they met them,
meeting them is cultural
exchange, basically.
Yeah, I just find it
incredibly interesting.
The thing is, it's different,
because whenever people
ask me where I'm from,
I just said I was from England.
I do feel like perceptions are changing.
They do have like, a Seoul
African-- is it a festival?
That they do.
And there are quite a lot of
African students in Korea.
So, yeah!
It's quite encouraging.
I dunno, what do you guys think about it?
How do you feel, like,
it could be improved?
Do you have any experience
with going to Korea
and being African, whether
it be student, or working?
Yeah, how do you feel about it?
I'm really interested to know,
I find this topic so interesting.
Okay, well, see you in my next video!
Bye!
(upbeat outro music)
