Gwangju International Center offers free lecture series in English Saturday
The Gwangju International Center offers a free lecture in English every Saturday at 4 p.m. for foreign residents of the southwestern city of Gwangju
For its newly announced November schedule, lectures cover topics ranging from international and racial relations to culture and travel.
On Nov. 4, Javid Gulistani, an Afghani grad student at Chonnam National University, speaks on “Korea in Fear, Afghanistan on Fire.”
The topic the following week is titled “The Other Foreigners: Lives and Realities of Migrant Workers in South Korea.” The speaker, Daniel Corks, is a lecturer at Dongshin University, as well as a research fellow at the Korea Human Rights Foundation and the human rights editor of Korea Expose.
On Nov. 18, youth camp participants from the 2017 Asia Culture Forum will speak on the topic “A Culture City Made by New Generation.”
The Asia Culture Forum is co-organized by the Gwangju International Center and runs from Nov. 13 to 15. The youth camp gives a chance for local and international university students to explore cultural topics.
The final November lecture on Nov. 25 invites French travel YouTuber Lea Moreau to speak on “How to Study While Traveling the World.”
The center was founded in 1999 and the talk series started in 2003.
Previous guest lecturers include Rwandan Ambassador to Korea Emma Francoise Isumbingabo and Neil P. George and Matt Root, directors of the 2017 documentary film “After the Sewol.”
Among other lecturers was Washington-based investigative journalist Tim Shorrock who was awarded honorary Gwangju citizenship in May 2015 for his role in “globalizing the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.”
“It’s meant to be mostly volunteer, as we don’t really have the resources to invite someone who needs a big speaker fee,” Anastasia Traynin, coordinator for the talk program, told The Korea Times. “We usually go with someone from the Gwangju and Jeolla community. It’s expanded a lot over the years. In previous years there weren’t as many international people in Gwangju, but the community has grown and we have a lot more voices to share.”
The center is located near exit 4 of Geumnamno 4-ga Station on the Gwangju Metro.
Visit facebook.com/GICTalk for information on upcoming talks or gic.or.kr for more about the center and its events.