KOREA FOUNDATION

On a sunny day in February, the World Activity Class, together with the children of Guro District Children’s Center, learned about and experienced the cultures of Azerbaijan and Ghana. The class first learned about Azerbaijan, the “Land of the Fire” that was also the first place in the world where petroleum was discovered. In Azerbaijan and many other countries in West and Central Asia, the New Year begins on the spring equinox in March. To introduce Novruz, the Azerbaijani New Year’s Day, Ms. Ilahas Hagverdiyeva joined the class as “teacher for the day.” Clad in her country’s traditional costume, she taught the children how to put golden stickers on eggs, which symbolize fertility in her home country. The Novruz holiday is similar to the US’s Halloween, she said, in which Azerbaijani children tour the houses in their neighborhood to collect cookies.
  Ms. Anita Adomako, a volunteer from Ghana, expertly introduced her country’s many faces to the children. Because she currently lives in Gangwon-do, Ms. Adomako had to wake up as early as 4 a.m. to reach the venue in Seoul on time. As if in appreciation of her enthusiasm, the children paid close attention to each word of Ms. Adomako’s explanation of her home country. They were highly eager to master the making of Ghanaian traditional beads bracelets using Adinkra, which are symbols that represent the long history and spirit of Ghana and the African continent as a whole. The children learned about the meanings and importance of the Adinkra symbols as they made the bracelets.

KFVN Reporter Hyemi Kim