An academic forum exploring how African popular culture reveals diverse social voices and, in relation to power, forms new cultural spaces was held at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU).

The Institute of French and African Studies at JBNU (President Yang Oh-bong), directed by Professor Cho Hwa-rim, held a national academic conference on October 2 in Seminar Room 1 of the JBNU Convention Center under the theme "African Popular Culture and Power: Reconfiguring Voices and Spaces."

The conference was planned to view African popular culture not merely as cultural expression but as a sphere that produces social and political meanings and influence, and to explore from multiple angles the interaction between popular culture and power.

Participants analyzed how power is represented and negotiated across varied cultural domains, the forms of resistance to it, and patterns of repurposing existing cultures and meanings. They discussed how popular culture reconfigures diverse social voices and spaces.

They also shared key achievements and trends in domestic and international research on African popular culture and explored the possibility of expanding research through interdisciplinary exchange and cooperation.

The conference was conducted as part of the Humanities Korea 3.0 (HK3.0) project in which the institute participates. Based on the discussions, the institute plans to broaden the foundation for domestic research on African popular culture and to continue scholarly exchanges and collaborative research in related fields.

Director Cho Hwa-rim said, "This conference provided an opportunity to engage deeply with African popular culture from diverse perspectives and to widen the horizons of domestic African studies. We will continue to strengthen humanistic imagination and international solidarity to deepen and disseminate African research and to contribute to civic education and cultural exchange in Korean society."