Korean Cultural Center in Egypt Marks 10th Anniversary

On the 10th anniversary of its establishment in Egypt, the Korean Cultural Center (KCC), in cooperation with the Opera House, intends to organize a cultural week that includes many events and activities during the period from September 22 to 28.

Titled K-Sound, the packed Korea culture week will provide the Egyptian people an opportunity to explore various aspects of the Korean culture, including traditional and modern dance performances, music as well as interactive workshops. 

The culture week will be opened with a concert by the Korean group "LEENALCHI" on September 22 at the Opera House’s Main Hall at 8 pm. Meanwhile, the Opera House’s Music Library will host an exhibition of traditional musical instruments. The KCC will also host Arirang Art Workshops at its premises in Dokki from September 23 to 26. The workshops will provide the participants training on performing the iconic folk song "Arirang", as well as hands-on training on designing the traditional Korean fan.

The "LEENALCHI" group, which was named after a famous singer who lived in Korea during the 19th century, consists of 6 artists; three singers, two bassists, and a drummer. The group, which was founded in 2019, was influenced by the "Pansori" performance, South Korea’s authentic musical storytelling that was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, which mainly performed by a vocalist and a drummer. Inspired by Korean musical heritage, the "LEENALCHI" group presents distinctive and captivating rhythms which have attracted millions of fans in Korea and in many countries around the world. Despite its young age, the Korean group has participated in many Korean, Asian and European music festivals.

The culture week will be wrapped up with traditional Korean music performances on September 28 at the Opera House’s Small Hall. The concert will include a performance by a group of Egyptian amateur musicians who will showcase their skills in playing traditional musical instruments, after participating in the Gugak Academy. The Gugak Academy hosted by the Academy of Arts over two weeks is an introductory course that offer its participants basic skills for performing traditional Korean music instruments. The closing concert will also include Arirang performance that will showcase the Korea’s rich cultural heritage and its vibrant cultural legacy.     

For his part, Oh Sung-ho, Director of the Center, expressed his happiness at celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Center, noting that it will be a runup to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Egypt next year. 

'The Korea Culture Week serves as an opportunity to showcase achievements of our shared journey since the opening of the KCC in 2014, as well as our commitment to enhance cultural understanding between the two countries’, KCC Director added.