Pape San

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください**
“Before coming to Japan and Korea for an internship, I wasn’t sure how people would see a black guy like me in public places, like onsen (hot spring or public bath), or in the streets. That stressed me out a bit. Also, I noticed a lack of information on the web about life here as a foreigner (at least in French). So I started my own YouTube channel to show my experiences in Asia, because there aren’t so many foreigners here and a lot of people in France, where I’m from, are quite curious. I thought, why not make the path easier for other people to come here?

“When people ask me why I’m vlogging, I tell them that the Internet is a very powerful tool and we can change people’s minds about a lot of things. I want to use this platform to change people’s minds about black people. That’s my main goal. My girlfriend, who’s Korean, also has the same goal.

She told me, even though it’s not so obvious in Korea, some people do look down on foreigners, especially black people. I think it’s because of skin color—the more you’re tanned means the harder you study and work.

“I want to change that perception. By interviewing different foreigners, not just black people, I hope to raise awareness on this matter. Even though me and my guests laugh a lot in my videos, it’s my hope to show something deeper and make people understand that we have to effect change. Today, after a year of doing this, I realize there’s a huge demand for this kind of content based on the reactions of French people on my YouTube channel. They always ask for more. They’re hungry to know what it’s like out here.”

(To watch Pape San’s YouTube videos, click here.)