Mainframe Studios hosted the Des Moines Peace Day International Festival on Sept. 21. The annual festival is run by the Iowa Resource for International Service, a non-profit that brings students, journalists, government leaders and other professionals to Iowa from all around the world.
At the event, IRIS’s students ran different activities, including origami and photo booths. According to IRIS’s website, “This also provides our Youth and Exchange Study (YES) Students with an opportunity to share their culture while also meeting the community of Des Moines.”
Activities at the festival also featured henna and art. Ethan Jayne, a community member of the Des Moines metropolitan area, went to the henna booth.
“It was really cool that they [IRIS] gave an opportunity to participate in other cultures, like with the henna and origami stands,” Jayne said. “They didn’t charge for anything, so everyone was able to try it out.”
At the event, Ring in Peace, a group that advocates for global peace, handed out free bells at their stand. The group handed out bells to be rung each day at noon with the intention of promoting world peace.
“It’s a really nice way to have a reminder every day, with the bell ringing, to keep [peace] in mind and that we are still fighting for peace and equality worldwide,” Jayne said. “It’s really easy to become complacent in the world today, so it’s nice to have that daily reminder.”
The festival also featured dance performances by local diverse dance groups, including Ishara Dance Des Moines, an Indian dance group. Ishara Dance Des Moines discussed the history of Indian dance during their routine, specifically how Indian dance was before and after British colonial rule.
“In the time when people couldn’t read, dance became a moving story book,” one of the Ishara dancers said.
Rwandan, North Brazilian, Bosnian, Mexican and Chinese dance groups also showcased routines.
To Jayne, the festival was a great chance to learn about other cultures.
“I feel like, especially since I grew up in a very small town in Iowa, I’ve never gotten that experience,” Jayne said. “It’s nice to see that even with all the hate going around in the world, people are still eager to share that part of themselves and be proud.”
Del Christensen, the executive director of IRIS, helps organize the Peace Day international festival each year.
“We’ve held this event for 11 years now, but this is the third at Mainframe Studios,” Christensen said. “It used to be at Raccoon River park, but the event got rained out a couple times, so I decided to move it inside. Plus, Mainframe Studios is a great venue.”
IRIS’s annual event recognizes the United Nations’ International Peace Day, which falls on Sept. 21 each year, Christensen said.
“The key to peace building is getting people from the U.S. to meet with people from other countries,” Christensen said. “And what better way to do that than through cultural immersion, like dance?”
IRIS has been involved with Drake University in the past, including in 2011, when IRIS organized a trip for the Drake football team to play in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl in Tanzania, Christensen said. Drake’s team won against an all-star football team from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico.
While the team was in Tanzania, the players volunteered their time for service projects in Moshi, Tanzania.
Christensen always looks forward to organizing the International Peace Day festival each year.
“It’s always fun organizing the broader international festivals like this, because it gives me a chance to meet with all the different Iowa organizations that are doing so many cultural aspects within the state of Iowa, which is always amazing within this little state here,” Christensen said.
