VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) is urging the Korean Ministry of Education to revise biased descriptions of Africa in elementary school textbooks. Current content focuses mainly on negative themes such as poverty and civil war while overlooking Africa’s growth, cultural diversity, and cooperation with Korea. VANK warns that such portrayals risk instilling a distorted worldview in future generations and conflict with Korea’s expanding engagement with Africa, including over 1 trillion KRW in Official Development Assistance (ODA).
VANK analyzed textbooks from five major publishers and identified three key issues: the lack of positive narratives about Africa’s development, the oversimplification of 54 countries into a single stereotype, and the exclusion of Korea-Africa exchange cases. The organization is calling for comprehensive revisions, including more balanced content and stronger global citizenship education.
Through its “Correcting African Misrepresentation in Textbooks” campaign, along with a petition on the Woollim policy platform, VANK plans to continue monitoring middle and high school textbooks and raise awareness of Africa’s true image as a partner in global growth and cooperation.