Get your own Free Home PageAn old saying maintains that all politics is local.
Edem Kaley, a native of Ghana and a member of the International Club, might change that just a bit to "peace in the world starts at the local level."
Kaley spoke vigorously and cogently about peace during the International Day celebration March 24 in the BLS Auditorium.
"Where is the hope for our world?" he asked. "It is within the hearts and minds of our communities, familes and every individual. We can all make a contribution."
Similarly, Pascal Nzabonimpa, a native of Rwanda, site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the world in recent years, spoke about peace being a communal effort.
"Who can solve the problem of war?" Nzabonimpa asked. "We ourselves can if we share together... It will not be necessary to have guns and bombs. We will be people with dignity."
While Kaley and Nzabonimpa sounded out the most prevalent theme for this year’s nearly four-hour performance -- the March 23 show was exactly three hours -- Dr. Ann Pember, who heads the ESL program at Smith, sounded the reaction of most in attendance.
"There were nearly 1,000 people here today and that’s by far the largest crowd we’ve ever had," Pember said. "We had the largest group of parents we‘ve ever had. That‘s really important because it shows a sense of community. I really get all choked up when I see these young people from all over the world walk out with the flags because it’s magnificent.
"We saw our first dance from an African country (Ghana). In fact, our African contingent is our fastest-growing group."
In all 30 countries were represented.
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