KOREA FOUNDATION

Jeju Island is one of Korea’s most popular tourist destinations with its scenic beauty and plenteous sightseeing and entertainment sites. The island is home to various themed museums, and the Museum of African Art at the Jungmun Tourist Complex in Seogwipo City stands out among them, well-loved and unwaveringly supported by tourists.

The reddish yellow color of the building’s clay exterior imparts the sense that visitors are entering an unfamiliar time and space. Stepping inside, they encounter the appeals of the African continent as they are welcomed by zebra, elephant, and lion models. The building was modeled after the Great Mosque of Djenné in the Republic of Mali in West Africa. A beautiful and grand architectural structure, the mosque has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Trees and soil are an abundant motif in the museum, present everywhere from the exterior of the building to the interior decoration and the artifacts and relics on display in the exhibition halls. Visitors are able to appreciate and experience the cultures and ways of life of Africans in diverse ways and learn how they take their necessities from nature and lead lives in a joyful manner.

The museum stages performances of African native artists three times a day (when operation is not restricted due to COVID-19 social distancing measures) and conducts an educational program focused on the myths, history, and literature of the continent. The museum also exhibits paintings, crafts, and media artworks imbued with the unique sensitivity that stems from the natural environment and tradition of Africa. As the visitors look around the museum, they will be able to expand their notion of Africa from a vaguely imagined land of sweltering heat with endless plains and wild beasts into a continent of vigorous life.

Written by Kim Moonyoung
Illustrated by EEWHA

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