Discovering Africa with Professor Lim Ki-dae from the French Department
Learn about Professor Lim’s academic background and the importance of Maghreb
Reporter Kang Hyun-gi
kangcandace@naver.com
Professor Lim Ki-dae, who is well-known in Korea as a researcher of the Maghreb region, says that it is important to break the stereotype that North Africa is part of the Arab and Islamic cultures, and instead says that students should properly study the history and culture of North Africa. Currently, there are BUFSians who are worried about their own major or career path. The Woeseong Times took the opportunity to interview and introduce professor Lim Ki-dae, while giving information to students interested in French and African studies.
Q. Please introduce yourself to all BUFSians.
Hello, BUFSians. I am currently working at the Mediterranean Regional Institute of Foreign Studies at BUFS and also work in the French Department as a professor. I have done a lot of research around the Mediterranean, and so I created an African Research Center. Therefore, I am engaged in a lot of Africa-related activities, including working as Head of the African Research Center, the editor-in-chief of the Korean French Society, and the editor-in-chief of the Korean African Society. I also opened an African course in liberal arts for the first time in BUFS. I am trying to spread people’s understanding of Africa. The world Is not just comprised of Europe, the U.S., Japan, and China, but also Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Africa is such a large continent with a large population. I have a lot to say about Africa, it is a very important continent in various ways. I also help students to get jobs in Africa.
Q. Since you are a professor in the French Department, what do you think is the strength of the French language?
Actually, French was once a world-leading language like English. Currently, it is behind English, however, it is still considered an important international language and so it is seen as the second most important language, after English, in many international organizations. The main language of the recent Beijing Olympics was also French. French is spoken in various international organizations such as FIFA, the OECD, the EU and UNESCO. If you can speak French, you can understand the world in various ways. Recently, South Korea has been working hard to develop relations with Africa, and French will be very useful in the near future for that reason as well.
Q. Tell us about how you started studying about Africa and the importance of Maghreb.
I decided to study North Africa more deeply, since that is where my academic interest has remained for a long time. Listening to the actual voices of local people in Maghreb, they deny the view that their only religion is Islam and that they have become ‘Arabized’. While studying the history and culture of the Maghreb region, I realized how narrow the international community views this region. In addition to the unique culture of Africa, the Berber community of Sahara is closely related to Africa. There are actually a lot of Korean companies in the Maghreb region. I think that if we do not understand the region properly, there will be no real exchange or any trade. After feeling the need to study the Maghreb region, I decided to make a Maghreb research lab at the university in the future to explore the region.
I was able to travel around the Sahara Desert and some regions where even locals cannot easily go. I met numerous people at those research sites, listened to their opinions, and I got a lot of photographic materials from there. Usually, people think that the Berbers in Maghreb are Arabs. However, I could see that the Berbers are very strong, and they are very proud to identify themselves as Berbers. They strongly refuse to consider themselves Arabs. The Berbers have not accepted Islam directly, but rather they have absorbed aspects of Islam based on their civilization to create their own differentiated culture. The “Arab Spring” anti-government protests that shook the entire Middle East, including the North Africa Berbers, in 2010 was also the result of their inner emotions. I learned that we have to see and study Berbers from their own history and culture of North Africa, not from the perspective of Islam and Arabia. In particular, in recent years, national resistance movements continue to take place, mainly in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, and they are getting stronger. I felt like I need to continue studying about the Maghreb after listening to the people and seeing the social atmosphere in person, maybe because I had a genuine intellectual curiosity as a scholar. However, I also think that it is definitely a necessary area of study when considering the national economy.
Algeria is the country where most Korean companies have entered the African continent and I have seen many Korean companies in Algeria that put little effort into communicating with the local people. It seems like they just want to sell more products. If this continues, the relationship will become weaker and Korean companies will lose the trust of the local people. In order to achieve more successful results in the long run, they must be able to see the Berbers, those are spread throughout Algeria and the Maghreb region, from the right perspective. I have always wondered why people studying African studies do not pay attention to the Berber language of North Africa. Studying Berber in North Africa can not only give you uniqueness, but it can also give you an opportunity when governments or businesses enter North Africa. When I went to Algeria with students, those students strongly realized that the Berber language was just as important as Arabic. Even though I had a hard time in Algeria in the past, the experience was a lot of help academically.
Q. Are there any regions you think that play the most important role in Africa?
Africa is a fairly large continent. There are many very important countries. Recently, President Moon Jae-in visited Egypt. Additionally, Algeria, Morocco, Kenya, and Senegal are also important countries. I think these countries are slowly becoming recognized in Korea. A lot of Korean companies are starting to enter Africa. BUFSians are interested in foreign countries, however, to be honest, few are interested in Africa. In fact, since South Korea is currently putting a lot of effort into Africa, Africa is also a very important country in Korea. I think students should start paying more attention to Africa.
Q. You received a degree in this field, even though you were already studying French. Is there anything you want to say about this to BUFSians who are thinking about their career or their own major?
Let’s be honest, no one lives their whole life with just one major. This world does not require that you only study one major currently. It is a generation and society that demands talented people in various fields. In addition to that, if there is a field you really want to study, studying hard when you are young is not a loss, but it is a period of discovering new things. It will be a period for building a successful life in the future. I think this challenge is very helpful in the long run.
Q. Lastly, please give some advice to BUFSians who are interested in studying French and about Africa.
I studied for many years in France and there were many people of color. To be honest, I was not interested in them at first. As time passed, my perspective changed. I started to realize that Africa had been colonized in the past like Korea, and after this realization, I became interested in Africa and wanted to know more about the continent and its people. I also realized how short-sighted I had been living in the world. It was a great realization and change for me. In addition, first of all, there is a lot to do in Africa. I wish people would think about how many things they can do in Africa. I hope BUFSians know that they can go to Africa and live in abundance rather than just focusing on advanced countries. In 2050, Africa will be the second largest continent in terms of population right after Asia. In ten or 15 years, Africa will be transformed into a completely different continent from now.