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Broadcaster Sam Okyere. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] Ghanaian-born broadcaster Sam Okyere shared his stance regarding the racial discrimination controversy surrounding the Uijeongbu High School graduation photos.

On the 13th (local time), Okyere appeared on the BBC Sounds program 'Focus on Africa' in the UK and spoke about the recent racial discrimination controversy involving Uijeongbu High School in South Korea.

In the interview, Okyere began by saying, "Although there are many countries in Africa, I felt there is a lack of awareness and interest in those differences."

He continued, "When I attended school in Korea, I was almost the only Black person on campus, but in recent years, there have been many people from African countries such as Liberia, Ghana, and Uganda. Africans do not know much about Korea, and Koreans have few opportunities to learn about African culture, so to bridge the gap, many of us have entered the entertainment industry."

He added, "Most of my Korean friends said their image of Black people came from movies or dramas. Koreans have limited opportunities to learn about the diversity of Africa, so they tend to accept the portrayal of Black people in media such as TV as is. However, this is not something unique to Korea."

A parody of the funeral culture in Ghana where Uijeongbu High School students play lively music and dance during funerals. Photo by Uijeongbu High School Student Council, captured from Facebook.

Okyere also explained why he criticized the Uijeongbu High School students for imitating the Ghanaian funeral dance team 'Gwan-gak Sonyeondan' (Coffin Dance) in their graduation photos.

He said, "I understand that the students did not use blackface with the intention to demean. However, I wanted to point out that blackface has a historical context that many Black people and multicultural countries avoid. But since this context is unfamiliar in Korea, there was much controversy and most reactions were of misunderstanding."

He continued, "When I initially raised the issue, there were very meaningful conversations between some Koreans and me. But wherever you go, there are people who feel uncomfortable, and negative voices tend to be louder, which led to the controversy."

He added, "Koreans do not know the history of blackface, so they do not understand why it is offensive. Instead of trying to understand the essence, they asked why it was done since it was a parody. Because there were people who wanted to learn the real story behind it, I am doing this interview now."

Regarding past criticism over his gesture of pulling his eyes on a broadcast, Okyere said, "I was talking about Spain's 'Ugly Face Contest' and tried to distort my face as much as possible. I had no intention to imitate or demean Koreans. Living and working in Korea, I have no reason to belittle Koreans. But I understand why some people perceive it negatively."

Earlier, the Uijeongbu High School Student Council posted on SNS on the 3rd a photo from the '2020 Uijeongbu High School Graduation Photo Collection' imitating Ghana's funeral culture with the 'Gwan-gak Sonyeondan' graduation photo.

In response, on the 6th, Okyere wrote on his SNS, "I understand imitating the culture, but is it really necessary to paint your face? From our Black people's perspective, it is a very unpleasant act. Please stop."

Some netizens criticized this, saying, "They did not intend to demean, so why accuse the students of racial discrimination?"

Later, on the 7th, Okyere apologized through his SNS, saying, "I am sorry for causing controversy because of the photos and posts I shared."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.