Last Friday, the walls of Montezuma Hall were plastered with papersigns reading, “Afio Mai,” “Eniluan Dehena Metachu,” “Bienvenue” and”Tervetuola.” Although foreign to most eyes, the signs all meant onething: Welcome.
Students of many cultures came to the hall to take part in the47th annual International Peace Village. The event, organized by theSan Diego State International Student Association (ISA), was designedto promote cultural awareness and understanding.
Along with music and singing, the fair showcased several danceperformances. The performances included a demonstration on theBrazilian martial art Capoeira, a Filipino dance, Arab dancing and asalsa dance. In addition, the Indian Student Association put on anIndian fashion show.
More than 30 booths providing information on individual countrieslined the hall, manned with students and other individuals of thosecultures. There, students roamed from booth to booth to check outwhat each country had to offer, such as books, art, ethnic foods andother cultural items.
At the Israel booth, staffed by student Seth Rosenzweig, a Hebrewversion of The Cat in the Hat was on display, as well as photos fromhis seven-year stay in Israel. Yarmulkes (traditional Jewish caps)were on display as well.
“I think the biggest challenge as to why people don’t understandeach other is the lack of knowledge,” Rosenzweig said. “An event likethis helps educate students about various cultures throughout theworld.”
Rosenzweig works at Hillel, an on-campus Jewish organization thatis part of the Jewish Student Union.
Undeclared freshman Sahar Jaberi managed a table that displayedart from Iran. Jaberi is a member of the Iranian Scholars.
Many of the objects at the table depicted elements of the Iranianculture. One such element was a golden bowl made to hold sugar,decorated with images of the Persian palace, Persepolis.
“I think it’s underrepresented,” Jaberi said. “There is so much to[the Iranian] culture and we need to share that.”
Maggie Loukanova, an English literature junior who staffed theBulgaria booth, said she provided students with information to givethem a better picture of the country.
“We wanted to familiarize people with what it looks like, atleast, so they don’t think it’s some awkward, abstract country,”Loukanova said.
The booth exhibited customary Bulgarian cookware, dishes andfoods, and presented students with an overview of typical Bulgarianlife.
Over at the United Kingdom booth, students had the opportunity tolearn about how typical U.K. citizens live. They could also readfacts about haggis, a traditional Scottish food.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” U.K. booth operator Mike Wilson said.”If people want to learn about other countries, they can come here tofind out.”
Joanna Chan, president of the ISA, said she expects even morebooths at next year’s fair. Chan also called the event a “success,”noting that most students made an effort to discover differentcultures.
“If they didn’t walk away from the booths learning something, atleast they talked with people from other cultures and hopefully theylearned something from that,” Chan said.
