The Great Journey
What Has VANK Done So Far for Africa?
Before launching the “We Are Global Ubuntu Ambassadors!” campaign,
Efforts have been made to correct narrow views of Africaand to widely promote the continent’s diversity.
🤖 Africa Through the Eyes of Generative AI: A Biased Reflection?
Today, a single question can lead us to countless answers.
But can we trust that the answers generatedby AIare truly fair?
When you search for “Africa” using generative AI, the results are often limited to images of poverty, hunger, conflict, jungles, and tribes.But this is not the fullpicture
of a continent home to 1.4 billion people.
VANK has long worked to correct distortions about Korea in generative AI systems. Now, going beyond Korea, we are launching a global campaign with Yonhap News to expose and correct AI bias and fragmented views about Africa.
We aim to challenge the widespread misconceptions about Africa in AI models by providing high-quality, diverse data that better reflects the reality of the continent.
To shift the foundation of generative AI
—from bias to accuracy and diversity—we need your support!
📖 Campaign to Redefine Africa in Korea
In Korean elementary school textbooks, Africa is still often portrayed through fixed images of poverty, hunger, and civil war.
Textbooks are a child’s starting point for understanding the world. When filled with fragmented or distorted information, they can plant harmful stereotypes at an early age.
In response, VANK is actively requesting corrections from the Ministry of Education and textbook publishers, and is leading a national campaign
to improve awareness of Africa.
To ensure education based on accurate information and fair perspectives,
now is the time for all of us to rewrite the story of Africa.
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🌍 Global Campaign to Improve Perceptions of Africa
Western media still often portrays Africa as a continent of hunger, war, and poverty.In reality, Africa is rapidly growing
—9 out of the top 20 countries in real GDP growth
are in Africa.
It is a continent of incredible diversity and dynamism, home to over 3,000 ethnic groups and more than 2,000 languages..
In 2015, a global social media movement began with the hashtag
#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou, challenging narrow portrayals of Africa.
Building on that spirit, VANK is launching a citizen-driven social media campaign
: #Unlearn Africa #Relearn Africato widely share Africa’s beauty, modernity, and rich cultural values.
Moving forward, VANK also plans to analyze the bias in Africa-related content on foreign country information sites and encyclopedias, and launch follow-up campaigns to correct and improve that information.
🗺️ A World Map With Africa at the Center
Traditional world maps distort our view—enlarging Europe and North America, while shrinking Africa. In reality, Africa is massive—comparable in size to China, India, the U.S., and most of Europe combined.
However, Africa is a vast continent roughly the size of China, India, the United States, and Europe combined, and it possesses
more cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversitythan any other continent in the world .
To help shift global perceptions, VANK has created a new
“Africa-Centered World Map” based on the Robinson projection,This is more than just a change in geographic positioning—
t represents a bold rethinking of how we view the world itself.
Notably, the bottom section of the map includes the names, capitals, populations, and land areas of all 54 African countries, providing a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the continent’s true scope and reality.
Through this map, we can go beyond prejudice,
engage in genuine dialogue and empathy, and become true friends of Africa!
📲 Changing Perceptions: From Policy to Public Engagement
VANK is actively working to correct misconceptions about Africa through a wide range of initiatives
—from policy proposals to public engagement.
Through its national policy platforms, Ullim and Yeollim, VANK is advocating for institutional changes
such as the correction of distorted portrayals of Africa in elementary school textbooks and the renaming of “African Swine Fever (ASF)” 등
to avoid misleading terminology.
On social media, including its official Instagram account (@vank_prkorea), VANK has shared street interviews on perceptions of Africa and videos introducing Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls (Victoria Falls). These contents aim to highlight Africa’s cultural diversity and modernity, encouraging people to see the continent not through prejudice, but through a lens of solidarity.
VANK will continue to drive change in perceptions of Africa through policies, education, media, and social media—engaging in action for a more informed and respectful global understanding.