The Institute of French and African Studies at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), headed by Professor Jo Hwa-rim, opened the first session of an outreach humanities lecture series aimed at broadening local high school students' understanding of Africa, a continent unfamiliar to many of us.

The JBNU Institute of French and African Studies held the first lecture on the 29th in the audiovisual hall of Hanil High School in Jeonju under the theme 'First Encounters with Africa: Stories of an Unfamiliar World We Did Not Know.' The lecture series will run for five sessions through November 25.

Aimed at students and teachers in the Jeonbuk region interested in Africa and the humanities, the program features domestic experts on Africa as speakers. They examine contemporary Africa from political, social, and cultural perspectives and offer discussions that enable a deeper, more multifaceted understanding of a continent that has been unfamiliar to many.

In the first lecture, Seo Sang-hyun, Research Fellow at the Africa Center of Korea University's Institute for Asian Studies, delivered a talk titled 'Understanding Africa — Misconceptions and Truths.' Drawing on his extensive research experience on Africa, Research Fellow Seo introduced political, social, and cultural changes on the continent and the realities behind them, engaging with the students.

The lecture series was planned as part of the Humanities and Social Sciences 3.0 (HK3.0) project in which the JBNU Institute of French and African Studies is participating. The initiative aims to share the university's humanities achievements with the local community, broaden the intersection between scholarship and society, and cultivate a regional humanities ecosystem.

The Institute expects the lecture series to provide an opportunity to move beyond fixed stereotypes and fragmented images of Africa, enabling understanding of the continent's multilayered character where different histories and ways of life coexist. Furthermore, it anticipates that the program will connect local youth to the world through the humanities and serve as a learning platform to broaden their perspectives toward unfamiliar worlds.

Professor Jo Hwa-rim, Director of the Institute, said, 'I hope that this outreach humanities program for students and teachers in the Jeonbuk region will broaden understanding of Africa and deepen participants' perspectives on the world. We will continue various knowledge-sharing activities that connect the local community and the humanities.'