African residents of Korea to hold football tournament during Chuseok holiday

A team of Ethiopian residents of Korea poses at the KAFCON 2022 tournament in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 14, 2022. Courtesy of KAFCON organizing committee

Foreign residents from eight African countries will compete in the second edition of the Korea Africa Cup of Nation (KAFCON) on Oct. 2.

KAFCON 2023 is organized by Afro Entertainment with support by Africa Insight. The primary objective is to foster unity among Africans residing in Korea through the power of sports. It is also intended to promote Africa's image in Korea.

"The main goal of KAFCON is to create an atmosphere for Africans to come together and engage a passion we truly love," KAFCON organizing committee chairperson Edmond Atemnkeng, a naturalized Korean originally from Cameroon who has been living in Korea for almost two decades, told The Korea Times.

He said the idea for the tournament was born almost five years ago, when they held a tournament participated by four teams of Cameroonian residents. The organizers decided to extend the tournament to countries across Africa for last year's event, which received support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government through the 2022 Foreign Resident Community Cultural Event Support Program. The team from Gambia won the trophy.

"KAFCON 2022 initially was planned to have only eight teams, but due to the amount of interest, we were forced to field 16 teams," he said. "This year unfortunately we don’t have any official sponsors but however we agreed to still struggle to organize something for the African community in Korea."

KAFCON 2023 will see a total of eight teams representing Gambia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Gabon, Ghana and South Africa. The teams will be divided into two pools of four teams. To advance to the semifinals and ultimately the finals, each team will compete in three games. The top two teams with the highest points from each pool will qualify for the semifinals and then finals.

“The KAFCON tournament last year was an unforgettable experience," said Tesfaye Fentaw, captain of the Ethiopian team. "The tournament showcased the immense talent and passion for soccer that exists across the African continent, and it was an incredible opportunity for us to compete at such a unique event. Our team felt an overwhelming sense of unity and camaraderie among the various nations, fostering a true spirit of African brotherhood. While we may not have claimed the championship, the memories and lessons learned from KAFCON will stay with us.”

The first match starts at 10 a.m. at Cheonan Football Center in South Chungcheong Province.

Visit fb.com/AfroEntertainmentSK or africainsight.org for more information.

Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative, and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.