[EYE] He left his coronary heart in Africa

In 2008, as a 25-year-old college scholar, Steven Heo boarded a aircraft certain for Tanzania, searching for a rare expertise earlier than commencement.

Nonetheless, what was meant to be a one-year keep changed into a life-changing journey that reshaped the trail of the philosophy and psychology main.

Now in his early 40s, Heo leads Africa Perception, a Seoul-based nonprofit devoted to selling cultural understanding and combating stereotypes, whereas fostering cultural alternate between Korea and Africa.

In an interview with The Korea Herald, he recalled his first journey and the way it sparked his love for Africa.

As a volunteer despatched by help group Good Neighbors, he was stationed in Tegeta, a district of former capital Dar es Salaam on Tanzania’s japanese coast, the place he helped construct a vocational coaching heart, carrying bricks and portray partitions. As soon as the middle was accomplished, he taught college students fundamental laptop expertise, beginning with how you can activate the pc and use the mouse and keyboard.

Though he went there to assist folks, it wasn’t a one-way affect, he stated.

“They weren’t wealthier than me, however they at all times needed to share one thing with me. They have been extremely humane,” he stated, sitting in his small however cozy workplace, adorned with picket collectible figurines from Africa, flags and a map of the continent.

“Tanzanian folks celebrated when one thing good occurred round them and cried collectively in instances of sorrow. When issues arose, they needed to resolve them collectively,” he continued.

“In Korea, I used to be somebody who averted taking losses and centered alone pursuits. However there, I discovered how you can stay along with others.”

After a yr in Tanzania, he had fashioned bonds with the folks there. Listening to about accidents to his colleagues brought on by poor infrastructure and infants dying from ailments like malaria saddened him deeply.

He needed to assist the folks he had come to know and take care of, but in addition realized this may not be a easy job.

“At first, I believed I could possibly be like Superman – somebody from a well-off nation with a very good training who might remedy their issues,” he stated. “However as time went on, I spotted their issues weren’t that easy. Constructing a college may enhance academic alternatives, but it surely doesn’t essentially remedy all of the neighborhood’s issues.”

A number of years after coming back from Tanzania, he discovered a technique to return to Africa by a two-year abroad volunteer program, which might substitute his necessary navy service.

This time, he was stationed in Senegal’s Kaffrine, a city 4 hours from the capital metropolis, with an identical job — educating laptop expertise, together with Microsoft Workplace, to aspiring lecturers there.

Throughout his two-year keep, his love for the continent grew even deeper. He additionally started to develop a clearer understanding of how you can tackle native challenges.

Regardless of the astronomical quantities of cash poured into the event of the African continent by prosperous international locations and worldwide organizations, the area had seen solely modest progress, as famous by many economists. What Heo noticed was a lack of information hindering many help packages from making significant and lasting adjustments for the African folks and their circumstances.

“If you wish to assist somebody, you could perceive their wants, tradition and surroundings. With out that, good intentions don’t at all times result in good outcomes,” he defined.

Heo gave some examples that he noticed.

A college was constructed with a funds of tens of hundreds of {dollars} by a global group in Senegal. Nonetheless, when visiting the college after two years, it was discovered to be not in operation, and all of the objects in it had been stolen. In one other case, a village the place folks primarily used bicycles to get round was given 10 bikes by a non-profit group to enhance mobility. However a yr later, all of the bikes have been damaged, left unrepaired, and ultimately deserted.

“The planning was fallacious from the outset,” he stated.

Heo cited extra complicated incidents.

When worldwide organizations or non-profits promote their campaigns, they typically use movies of poor African youngsters operating round with out footwear, which prompts folks and firms in developed international locations to ship footwear and garments indiscriminately. Whereas these contributions are praised of their dwelling international locations, they’ll trigger sudden issues in Africa.

The donated objects could be exploited by corrupt customs officers and regional leaders for private achieve. Worse, when these items flood the marketplace for free or at low costs, they undercut native companies, inflicting regional shoe markets to break down. With no income to be made, native economies stay incapable of manufacturing footwear, shirts and even socks on their very own, even after a long time.

“This disrupts the commercial ecosystem and makes them reliant on outdoors help,” he stated.

Africa Perception

When he returned to Korea, Heo needed his fellow Koreans to realize a extra correct understanding of the African continent.

“There may be little or no financial, cultural and human alternate between Korea and Africa. The shortage of interplay leads many Koreans to nonetheless see Africa solely as a spot in want of enlightenment and help, or as a harmful place.”

Heo’s want to vary issues led him to determine Africa Perception in 2013. The group has held campaigns in opposition to “poverty porn” to enhance the picture of African areas. It has offered training to assist Koreans higher perceive the continent, and has hosted an annual occasion referred to as the Seoul Africa Competition to advertise cultural alternate.

Final yr, round 50,000 folks attended the pageant, with greater than 500 Africans from about 30 international locations participating to advertise their cultures and benefit from the festivities. This yr, the pageant can be held at Banpo Hangang Park on Oct. 12.

One Togolese participant within the pageant shared with Heo that, regardless of being extremely educated and holding a doctoral diploma, many Koreans nonetheless view him as a pitiable individual from a poor nation just because he’s from Africa. He expressed gratitude for the pageant, saying it had comforted him, and thanked Heo for advocating on behalf of Africans.

Why ought to Koreans take note of Africa? Heo defined it from a number of views.

“To start with, it is about humanity. As Koreans, we have now an obligation to offer again to the worldwide neighborhood, simply as we obtained important help from many international locations throughout our growth course of,” he stated.

“We additionally share an identical historical past. We’ve skilled invasion, the challenges of rising from poverty, dictatorship and civil struggle. These experiences allow us to deeply perceive Africa and cooperate with them sincerely.”

He stated higher understanding is just not just for the good thing about Africa — additionally it is important for Korea, economically and culturally.

“Many economists spotlight Africa as a area with rising economies, and so the continent is usually a strategic (financial) companion for Korea,” he stated. “Culturally, Africa nonetheless retains values that we have now misplaced – resembling purity, humanity and a human-centered sense of neighborhood — as human alienation arises in some prosperous international locations.”

A decade has handed since he based Africa Perception. As he appears forward to the subsequent decade, he stays dedicated to holding on to the recollections and experiences he had as a younger volunteer in Africa.

“In an period the place numbers matter — whether or not it is the variety of sponsors, individuals or the scale of the funds — these issues could possibly be thought of essential,” he stated. “Nonetheless, my objective is to repeatedly replicate on one of the best ways to genuinely assist the African folks, with whom I’ve shared my coronary heart and tears,” he added.