Gwangju International Community Week 2022: An Event by and for the Community

An Event by and for the Community

By Karina Prananto

It is only a few weeks away from one of the biggest events organized by the Gwangju International Center. Gwangju International Day (or GIC Day) this year has been elevated to Gwangju International Community Week, which will be held from October 11–16 around the Asia Culture Center (ACC) and the Gwangju International Center (GIC). It will also be held at the same time as the Chungjang World Festival of Recollection and the first Buskers World Cup. From many visitors’ feedback in the past, they enjoyed the event so much that they requested the GIC to make the event longer, so the event was extended from one day to seven days, from afternoon until evening. We are hoping more people will have the chance to join and enjoy the event fully.

This year’s GIC Day is also special because the international communities themselves have been invited to help plan the event – called the GIC Week Planning Team – which were recruited in May. As representatives of their respective countries, their main work will be to invite their embassies to come to Gwangju as well as to plan the several programs for the event. They will learn how to plan a big, international event, as well as to broaden their network. It will be an experience they will never forget.

Some countries you might know have a big community in Gwangju, but many others also have made Gwangju their home, so come on by to get to know them better! Each day, a different country or continent is featured to help you fully immerse yourself in the culture that they will proudly present to Gwangju residents. With Africa (October 11), Southeast Asia (October 12), Central Asia (October 13), and Arab countries (October 14) all included, let’s celebrate what makes Gwangju unique: its openness and welcoming attitude to foreign communities! Please come and enjoy the Mandinka band “TEKERE” from the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Syrian traditional dance performances, and other cultural events on Culture Night during the National Day event.

Taking place for two days, this is the time when you get the opportunity to try different kinds of food and experience cultures from diverse countries around the world. Divided into zones which I am sure many of the international residents are familiar with, there will be the Global Food Zone, the Global Culture Zone, and the Global Community Zone. Also invited this year are foreign embassies and international organizations related to the planning team mentioned above, so look out for those, too. Also, when you arrive at the venue, make sure you get a GIC Week Passport containing the event information and a place for collecting raffle stamps. Only 200 brochures will be made, so make sure you get one!

To fully enjoy the event, we suggest you join the “World Tour Inside Gwangju” tour event, where you can visit Koryo Saram Village and Asian marts (the term used for supermarkets selling groceries from Southeast Asia). The tour will be held on October 15. A 10,000-won lunch fee is required and a maximum number of 20 seats are available.

While it is definitely fun to come and participate in the event, the real work that the organizers must do at the end is cleaning up, (e.g., separating garbage). One event that is held for six hours can produce hundreds of kilograms of trash, so the event plans to go green this time. No disposable containers or paper cups! If you plan to eat at the event, please bring a closed container or tumbler on your own to help make a difference by producing less trash. If you come with your own container for food, you will get a 5,000won gift card that you can use for buying food at any country’s food booth. Your own tumbler is required for beverages. Bonus points if you bring your own cutlery as well! A small act like this can help protect the environment!

So, I hope you are as excited to come as the GIC is to plan the event and hope to see you all there!

Photographs courtesy of the GIC, Kim Hillel Yunkyoung and Park Tae-sang.

Karina Prananto is from Jakarta, Indonesia, and has been involved with the Gwangju News since 2007. She is a special-needs mother and loves Harry Potter, dinosaurs, watching true crime documentaries, and traveling with her family.