How di love of Korean drama dey change lives for Nigeria

Faith Oshoko

Broadcast Journalist, BBC News Pidgin

Nigeria don get full blown Korean community for di kontri and most of dem no even be Asian.

Di boom of Korean culture wey include Kdrama and Kpop don create a set of community for Nigeria and oda parts of di world wey no only like Korean content but also dey create businesses dem from di mata.

From food, to beauty to even tips on how to travel go di kontri, and di language, di kain market wey dey get love for Korean culture plenti well-well.

One of di pipo wey don take beta advantage of dis new market as e dey grow na Adora Precious.

How Adora love of Korean dramas change her life

Adora wey be entrepreneur chook hand for many tins in di Korean space.

She tell BBC Pidgin say she dey sell food, teach di language and been even organize of di Korean community for Nigeria jolly wey dem call “Hallyu Korean Community Hangout”.

She say di way wey she enta inside di Korean space na wen she start to de watch kdrama.

“When I dey secondary school, I go come house make we all come watch Kdrama, afta sometime I come see say dis language dey nice, come decide say I wan understand wetin dem dey tok, na how I start to dey learn di language”.

Adora reveal say she use di internet to sabi some of wetin she know as well as some mobile apps wey connect am to South Korean natives dem.

She don also become part of di community inside K-culture wey dey run continuous Korean content like skits for her Tik-tok, Instagram and Youtube.

Now she don use Korean take “meet ogbonge pipo, work with di KCCN for Nigeria on one project as well as be Honorary Korean reporter”.

Adora Pecious win di 2021 Kim Sae Jung speech contest for 2021 wey suppose carry her go Korea, she say, “na coronavirus no make me go ooo”.

How di Korean fan Community for Nigeria dey arrange demselves

On August 20, plenty Korean enthusiasts gada for Lagos to jolly inside di Korean Culture Festival wey di theme na “Seoul of Lagos”.

Na one of di festivals wey Korean fans dey use gbadun dia love for di Asian kontri culture.

Oda fans dey organize wetin dem call hangout once in a while to take jolly with oda Korean fans.

Pesin from di event, comment say, “na one of di events wey I do enta wey dem neva call me mumu sake of say I like Korean culture”.

All dis events dey separate from di ones wey di official arm of Korean cultural ministry wey dem dey call di Korean Cultural Centre of Nigeria dey handle.

Di Korean Culture and Information Service dey run ova 27 Cultural centres around the world wey dey promote Kpop and Kdrama, teach Korean Language, Culture, Taekwando and dey also give scholarships for foreigners to come learn from dem.

Wetin happun for di 'Seoul of Lagos'?

Di event introduce some Korean content creators wey don turn like celebrity for di community.

Some dance groups also follow dance for insde di event for di day.

Dem include Michelle Okonkwo wey don become internet celeb for di Nigeria Korean community for doing Korean dance covers.

Anoda celebrity wey dey of note na Praise for BBNaija wey gbab award from di KCCN for im Korean Pop dance skills.

Dem also get the merch for Kpop stans, wey be pipo wey like Kpop groups like BTS, Girls Generation, Stray Kidz among odas.

E also bin get Korean Karaoke. Karaoke dey important in the social life of Koreans sotay dem be popular, afta school or afta work activity wey pipo dey take blow out steam.

Some kdrama fans also use di opportunity tok tok about dia favorite Kdramas wey don comot in recent times.

One of di biggest tins wey carry pipo come dis event na di food, cos pipo come to chop Korean food.

And dis na where Adora bin show herself for di event as di Ibadan based woman bin prepare all kindof Korean food like Kimchi (fermented cabbage in pepper), Kimbap (rice roll with vegetable and meat and egg) and Tteobokkki (wey be rice cake).

Challenges wey di Korean community for Nigeria dey face

Many pipo for dis community don face backlash wen e come to weda di study of di Korean language or dia love of Korean drama or kpop.

From “wetin you wan use di language take do” to “Korean language dey sound dumb”, to “las-las afta you follow Oppa finish na Nigerian you go still end up with”, many people get different experiences.

Adora reveal how dat one affect her Korean learning journey, “at some point me sef come dey ask myself say wetin I dey use dis Korean do sef, but I thank God say I push to continue because wetin Korean don help me do for dis life ehn….I no fit start to dey tok am”.

Even with di 2021 banger wey di Korean drama series Squid Game wey comot for Netflix bring for Korean entertainment, howeva e no really do much to boost Korean community for Nigeria.

Dis na as di majority of fans for Nigeria still be female and di success of Squid Game no flow enta oda Kdramas.

Howeva pipo like Adora still dey look di future with her Korean love with hope.

She wan travel go South Korea las-las. She say “I get two options for wetin I wan do wen I go Korea. Na either I go Korea to further my studies or I go go there do tourism. Go see all di places wey we don dey see from inside our dramas”.