Steven Heo, founder of Africa Insight, poses for a photograph at his office in Seoul. (Im Se-joon/The Korea Herald)

In 2008, as a 25-year-old university student, Steven Heo boarded a plane bound for Tanzania, seeking an extraordinary experience before graduation.

However, what was meant to be a one-year stay turned into a life-changing journey that reshaped the path of the philosophy and psychology major.

Now in his early 40s, Heo leads Africa Insight, a Seoul-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting cultural understanding and combating stereotypes, while fostering cultural exchange between Korea and Africa.

In an interview with The Korea Herald, he recalled his first trip and how it sparked his love for Africa.

As a volunteer sent by non-profit organization Good Neighbors, he was stationed in Tegeta, a district of former capital Dar es Salaam on Tanzania's eastern coast, where he helped build a vocational training center, carrying bricks and painting walls. Once the center was completed, he taught students basic computer skills, starting with how to turn on the computer and use the mouse and keyboard.

Although he went there to help people, it wasn't a one-way influence, he said.

“They weren’t wealthier than me, but they always wanted to share something with me. They were incredibly humane,” he said, sitting in his small but cozy office, adorned with wooden figurines from Africa, flags and a map of the continent.

“Tanzanian people celebrated when something good happened around them and cried together in times of sorrow. When problems arose, they wanted to solve them together,” he continued.

“In Korea, I was someone who avoided taking losses and focused on my own interests. But there, I learned how to live together with others.”

After a year in Tanzania, he had formed bonds with the people there. Hearing about injuries to his colleagues caused by poor infrastructure and babies dying from diseases like malaria saddened him deeply.

He wanted to help the people he had come to know and care for, but also realized this would not be a simple task.

“In the beginning, I thought I could be like Superman – someone from a well-off country with a good education who could solve their problems,” he said. “But as time went on, I realized their problems weren’t that simple. Building a school might increase educational opportunities, but it doesn’t fundamentally solve all the community’s problems.”

Steven Heo, founder of Africa Insight, poses for a photograph at his office in Seoul. (Im Se-joon/The Korea Herald)

Several years after returning from Tanzania, he found a way to return to Africa through a two-year overseas volunteer program, which could replace his mandatory military service.

This time, he was stationed in Senegal’s Kaffrine, a town four hours from the capital city, with a similar job -- teaching computer skills, including Microsoft Office, to aspiring teachers there.

During his two-year stay, his love for the continent grew even deeper. He also began to develop a clearer understanding of how to address local challenges.

Despite the astronomical amounts of money poured into the development of the African continent by affluent countries and international organizations, the region had seen only modest progress, as noted by many economists. What Heo observed was a lack of understanding hindering many aid programs from making meaningful and lasting changes for the African people and their circumstances.

“If you want to help someone, you need to understand their needs, culture and environment. Without that, good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes,” he explained.

Heo gave some examples that he saw.

A school was built with a budget of tens of thousands of dollars by an international organization in one African country. However, when visiting the school after two years, it was found to be no longer in operation, and all the items in it had been stolen. In another case, a village where people mainly used bicycles to get around was given 10 motorcycles by a non-profit organization to improve mobility. But a year later, all the motorcycles were broken, left unrepaired, and eventually abandoned.

“The planning was wrong from the outset," he said.

Heo cited more complex incidents.

When international organizations or non-profits promote their campaigns, they often use videos of poor African children running around without shoes, which prompts people and companies in developed countries to send shoes and clothes indiscriminately. While these contributions are praised in their home countries, they can cause unexpected problems in Africa.

The donated items can be exploited by corrupt customs officers and regional leaders for personal gain. Worse, when these goods flood the market for free or at low prices, they undercut local businesses, causing regional shoe markets to collapse. With no profits to be made, local economies remain incapable of producing shoes, shirts or even socks on their own, even after decades.

“This disrupts the industrial ecosystem and makes them reliant on outside aid,” he said.

Africa Insight

When he returned to Korea, Heo wanted his fellow Koreans to gain a more accurate understanding of the African continent.

“There is very little economic, cultural and human exchange between Korea and Africa. The lack of interaction leads many Koreans to still see Africa only as a place in need of enlightenment and assistance, or as a dangerous place.”

Heo's desire to change things led him to establish Africa Insight in 2013. The organization has held campaigns against "poverty porn" to improve the image of African regions. It has provided education to help Koreans better understand the continent, and has hosted an annual event called the Seoul Africa Festival to promote cultural exchange.

Last year, around 50,000 people attended the festival, with more than 500 Africans from about 30 countries taking part to promote their cultures and enjoy the festivities. This year, the festival will be held at Banpo Hangang Park on Oct. 12.

One Togolese participant in the festival shared with Heo that, despite being highly educated and holding a doctoral degree, many Koreans still view him as a pitiable person from a poor country simply because he is from Africa. He expressed gratitude for the festival, saying it had comforted him, and thanked Heo for advocating on behalf of Africans.

The 2022 Seoul Africa Festival was held at Seoul Forest Park on October 1, 2022. (Africa Insight)

Why should Koreans pay attention to Africa? Heo explained it from multiple perspectives.

“First of all, it's about humanity. As Koreans, we have an obligation to give back to the global community, just as we received significant support from many countries during our development process,” he said.

“We also share a similar history. We’ve experienced invasion, the challenges of growing from poverty, dictatorship and civil war. These experiences enable us to deeply understand Africa and cooperate with them sincerely.”

He said greater understanding is not only for the benefit of Africa -- it is also essential for Korea, economically and culturally.

“Many economists highlight Africa as a region with rising economies, and so the continent can be a strategic (economic) partner for Korea,” he said. “Culturally, Africa still retains values that we have lost – such as purity, humanity and a human-centered sense of community -- as human alienation arises in some affluent countries.”

A decade has passed since he founded Africa Insight. As he looks ahead to the next decade, he remains committed to holding on to the memories and experiences he had as a young volunteer in Africa.

"In an era where numbers matter -- whether it's the number of sponsors, participants or the size of the budget -- those things could be considered important," he said. "However, my goal is to continually reflect on the best way to genuinely cooperate with the African people, with whom I have shared my heart and tears," he added.

The 2022 Seoul Africa Festival was held at Seoul Forest Park on October 1, 2022. (Africa Insight)