Seoul, Republic of Korea, June 4, 2024— The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) hosted an immersive exhibit on the sidelines of the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, spotlighting the evolving dynamics of Korea-Africa relations. This multi-faceted exhibit was a joint effort between GGGI, Desiego Art Gallery, Harmony in Symbols Collective, Korea-Africa Foundation Youth Supporters, Yonsei African Student Association, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies’ Asaphilosope. It aimed to amplify shared values through artistic expression, academic discourse, and green growth narratives between Korea and Africa.

 Held in parallel with the exhibit were two high-level forums that steered the discourse towards catalyzing green growth in Africa through an enhanced Korea-Africa partnership. The High-level Forums on “Accelerating Access to Green and Climate Finance for Africa: Pioneering Korea-Africa Partneships” and “Enhancing Sustainability and Global Collaboration on Plastics” offered a strategic platform and facilitated dialogue on forging mutual, beneficial, and sustainable long-term cooperative relations between the two regions—paving the way for Africa’s green transition.

 Visitors to the exhibit were invited to discover the variety of projects GGGI operates in Africa, particularly those funded by the Republic of Korea. From pioneering green energy agricultural initiatives to supporting the design and construction of green airports, GGGI showcased its role as a trusted partner in Africa’s green growth journey.

 “The Korea-Africa Summit GGGI high-level Forums stand as a vibrant testament to the power of collaboration, showcasing how art, culture, and academics can create opportunities for collaboration and foster a deeper understanding between diverse communities. By uniting these elements, we not only celebrate our shared values but also strengthen our collective resolve to address global challenges, including climate change,”addedDr. Malle Fofana, regional director of Africa at GGGI.

 A highlight of the exhibit was the artistic collaboration between Gallery Desiego and the Harmony in Symbols Collective, facilitated by GGGI. Gallery Desiego featured “African Impact,” a collection by Rwandan and Ugandan artist Wandulu Timothy, which explored African history, society, and culture. The artist, Wandulu Timothy commented, “As a creative, this exhibition is a unique opportunity to share with the global community the common shared and lived experiences, growing and learning from our histories and memories in Africa.” In parallel, the Harmony in Symbols Collective presented Korean artists’ reinterpretations of Ghanaian Adinkra symbols, fostering a cultural dialogue and partnership between Korea and Africa.

 University groups actively engaged in promoting Korea-Africa collaborations. The Yonsei African Student Association, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies’ Asaphilosope, and the Korea-Africa Foundation Youth Supporters showcased their initiatives through interactive booths. These booths featured traditional African sculptures, interactive maps of Africa, and detailed presentations on Korea-Africa academic partnerships, highlighting the educational and cultural exchanges between the regions.

 About the Korea-Africa Summit

The Korea-Africa Summit 2024 is aimed at fostering mutual, beneficial, and sustainable long-term cooperative relations between Korea and Africa. It is part of Korea’s efforts to build closer relationships with African countries across various sectors including economic, cultural, and particularly the developmental sector. The Korea-Africa Summit 2024 will take place in Seoul, Korea from June 4-5, 2024, and will be held under the theme: “The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity.” Learn More about the Summit at: Main > 2024 Korea-Africa Summit (2024rokasummit.kr) 

About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was founded as a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. GGGI supports its Member States in transitioning their economies toward a green growth model that simultaneously achieves poverty reduction, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic growth. With 48 Member States and over 24 Partner countries and regional integration organizations in the process of accession, GGGI delivers programs and projects in over 51 countries. These initiatives encompass developing innovative green growth solutions, technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and assistance in building a pipeline of bankable green investment projects, project financing, investments, and knowledge sharing. GGGI’s work contributes to its Member States’ efforts to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals and the Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. 

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For more information, visit:  https://gggi.org

 About African Impact (GGGI X Wandulu Timothy)

The exhibition ‘African Impact’ expresses historicalness as much as possible by mixing different genres of art. Everything is created, arises, and manifests all at once. The distinctions for convenience can be cut and harvested. They can be separated from the whole and exploited. Humans have been playing God with this for a long time. Now humanity pays the price for that. Again, humans must be included in the universe and embrace the whole. The trace of the uncut world is found in Africa. It is not original or primitive. You must feel the continuous flow of the whole, without all distinctions and divisions. It is to be found not in speaking, not in hearing, not in seeing, not in eating or smelling, but in the continuous feeling of the whole. It is the only clue to sustainable development for nature on a global scale.

Wandulu Timothy, a multi-disciplinary artist who stays across Africa, says that his art is about time. His figures capture time in nature, in society, and in the world around them. It’s a wholeness that emerges from the unconscious without intention, a temporality that is created by the interweaving of materials across the figures, not for reasons.

 For more information or media interviews

(GGGI Seoul HQ)
Mona Laczo, Communications & Knowledge Sharing Unit Head
+82 10 9530 0358
mona.laczo@gggi.org