Korean Wave meets Ubuntu

CELEBRATION: K-CULTURE FESTIVAL LIGHTS UP STAGE

- Thami Kwazi

The Korean Wave, or Hallyu, has firmly made its way into South Africa, and if Saturday night's festival in Pretoria is anything to go by, the love affair is only growing stronger.

From Korean dramas and food to fashion and music, South Africans of all ages and races are embracing the vibrancy of Korean culture while weaving it beautifully into their own.

This weekend, more than 8,000 people packed into the SunBet Arena in Pretoria for the Ubuntu with Korean Culture Festival, a one-day cultural extravaganza celebrating South Africa's presidency of the G20 Summit, the first ever hosted on African soil.

The festival drew a clear line between two powerful cultural values: Ubuntu, the South African philosophy of "I am because you are," and Korea's deeply rooted sense of community and interconnectedness. Both principles found harmony in a night filled with music, food, fashion and shared joy.