Artists perform during Africa Day 2026 at Grand Hyatt Seoul on Wednesday. (Sanjay Kumar/ The Korea Herald) Diplomats from more than 50 nations gathered Wednesday to celebrate Africa Day 2026, experiencing growing cultural ties between Africa, Korea, and the broader international community.Africa Day commemorates the founding of the Organization of African Unity — now the African Union — in 1963, marking liberation, unity and cultural heritage on the continent.This year’s event, jointly hosted by the African Group of Ambassadors, the Korea-Africa Foundation, and Herald Media Group, featured cultural performances, a Korea-Africa fashion show, networking sessions, and diplomatic exchanges at Grand Hyatt Seoul.In addition to African diplomats, envoys and representatives from other regions including Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, underscored broad international interest.“Africa Day is a festival of colors that reflects the dazzling diversity of Africa,” German Ambassador to Korea Georg Wilfried Schmidt told The Korea Herald.“Whether in the fields of economy, culture or nature, having a strong partnership with Africa is always rewarding,” Schmidt added.Envoys cited the gathering as a platform for cultural exchange through music, fashion, and interaction between diplomats and Korean participants.Several diplomats said that while Korea has helped popularize K-culture globally, Africa Day provided an opportunity to introduce the growing influence of African culture through music, art, design and fashion.“I particularly admired the fashion show, which reflected the distinct cultural identities and traditions represented across the African continent,” Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to South Korea Pathma Naathan told The Korea Herald.He also praised the inaugural Korea-Africa Contribution Award, calling Chairman Jung Won-ju’s recognition “a notable moment” reflecting both sides’ commitment to strengthening partnerships through business and institutional cooperation.“African Group of Ambassadors or AGA has been widely praised by members of the diplomatic circuit from across the world for creating a cultural platform connecting A-culture and K-culture between Africa and Korea,” Nkubito Manzi Bakuramutsa, ambassador of Rwanda to Korea and the chair of the African Group of Ambassadors' committee, told The Korea Herald after the event.Attendees also noted the presence of business leaders, cultural organizations and Korean attendees from diverse professional backgrounds, saying the event strengthened people-to-people connections.They added that the broad participation of embassies and people from different walks of life attests to the increasing cultural cooperation and public diplomacy for international understanding and deeper Africa-Korea relations.