African countries remain largely absent from [K-pop] world-tour schedules. āItās something we as fans in Nigeria constantly question,ā Yusuf told me. āThe fan base and the community is getting bigger and bigger in Africa, but every year we donāt get listed for concerts. We donāt really know the reason behind it.ā Yusufās frustration echoes a wider sentiment expressed by fans online across Reddit and Facebook. āI guess Africa is not part of the world,ā one Facebook fan wrote in a discussionĀ about the lack of K-pop concerts in the continent. āIt's not that we don't have the infrastructure, but it comes across as āThank you for supporting us, but the company/organisers say we shouldn't tour you guys,āā Reddit user Tiny_Ad6695 postedĀ on the kpop_uncensored subreddit last year.Ā
In our latest, Tabby Kibugi reports on K-pop fandom in Kenya, Nigeria, and other African nations. As fannish interest skyrockets and fan-led gatherings are popping up at a rapid pace, the industry continues to ignore African fans, rarely scheduling concerts or official events there.
Read the whole piece or listen to an audio version:
While the K-pop industry largely ignores them, fans in Kenya and Nigeria create K-pop communities for themselves.
