Seodo turns Africa Day stage into celebration of rhythm, coexistence

Korean traditional musician brings together African percussion, K-pop and samulnori under ‘Neorang Narang' concept

Seodo Band performs during Africa Day 2026 in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)

When performers stepped off the stage and into the audience during the finale of the 2026 Africa Day in Seoul on Wednesday, the moment symbolized exactly what performance director Seodo had envisioned — the dissolving of boundaries through music, rhythm and shared experience.

Serving as the overall director of this year's Africa Day, the leader of the Korean gugak band crafted a collaborative production under the theme "Neorang Narang" ("You and I"), bringing together African traditional performers, Korean samulnori artists and K-pop musicians in a performance centered on cultural harmony. Samulnori is a traditional Korean percussion genre performed with four instruments

"It was my first time directing a performance, and there were as many as 19 people on stage," Seodo said. "But everyone involved was such an incredible artist that we were able to happily create cultural exchange together."

The director's note for the production, hosted by the African Group of Ambassadors in the Republic of Korea, The Korea Herald and the Korea-Africa Foundation, explained his thinking.

It said the production aimed to portray Africa and Korea "breaking down the boundaries of culture and borders to become connected as one existence," eventually transforming the venue into "a giant shared space of hospitality and solidarity."

The 35-minute performance was divided into two sections — "Awakening" and "Pann." The first highlighted the dynamism of African culture through African percussion, dance group Koule Kan, and Fatou of Blackswan.

Audience members move closer to the stage as Seodo Band performs during Africa Day 2026 held in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)

The second half introduced the Korean traditional concept of "pann," a communal and open gathering space where people freely interact and participate together. Through collaborative performances between Koule Kan, samulnori performers and Seodo Band, the show explored rhythmic exchanges between Korean and African traditions.

The finale featured all performers descending into the audience while Seodo Band performed "Ganggangsullae," a traditional Korean circle dance recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, allowing ambassadors and guests from 20 countries to join the celebration directly.

Seodo said that one of the key focuses of the production was creating natural harmony rather than forcing differences to stand out.

"We tried not to make people too conscious of each other's differences," he said. "We kept bringing natural elements together, and that itself became rhythm."