One World Celebration warms the winter with diverse events and discussions

One World Celebration warms the winter with diverse events and discussionsFebruary 17, 2003Megan Feringtonmafering@syr.edu

A time for sharing the food, music, art and viewpoints of many of the world’s cultures begins Feb. 18 with the One World Celebration, which runs through March 5.

During the weeklong event, various campus groups are encouraged to host activities that highlight and promote the diversity of SU and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The SU chapter of Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars sponsors the campus celebration by bringing the events together under the One World title.

“This year’s One World Celebration events promise to provide a distraction from the winter months with a host of creative and informative activities,” says Thomas V. Wolfe, dean of Hendricks Chapel and chair of the One World Celebration Planning Committee.

The celebration begins Feb. 18 at 5 p.m. with the Opening Ceremony in Hendricks Chapel, which will feature a Parade of Cultures and the recitation of the One World Declaration. The ceremony will also feature student performances by Korean drummers and ribbon dancers along with Spanish guitar music and traditional Iranian and Indian music. During the festivities, participants are encouraged to wear traditional clothing and costumes that represent their native cultures. A reception will be held immediately after the ceremony in the Noble room of Hendricks Chapel.

“The One World Celebration is a wonderful way to learn from the gift of diversity we have within our own university community,” says Wolfe. His committee has organized a broad range of activities under the One World umbrella.

The celebration will include a variety of discussions on cultures and conflicts around the world:

• The Syracuse University Forum will hold a discussion of “War and the Many Faces of Civil Liberties” Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in Studio A of Newhouse II.
• The military conflicts in post-Soviet republics and the territories’ progress over the last several years will be presented during “Undeclared War: Khojaly Massacre of 1992” Feb. 25 at noon in Eggers Hall, Room 341.

Several films will also be presented during the Celebration, including screenings from Feb. 21-23 that are part of “Illuminating Oppression: A Film Festival on Human Rights in South Asia.” One of these will be the premiere screening of “North of 49,” SU professors Richard Breyer and David Coryell’s documentary on the burning of a Sikh Temple north of Syracuse after 9/11. The premiere will be Feb. 22 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Room 254 of Newhouse II.

Musical events have been planned throughout the One World Celebration as well:

• The San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet will perform Feb. 25. at 8 p.m in Hendricks Chapel.
• “An International Celebration of Mardi Gras” will be held March 1-2 from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. at Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion. Participants are invited to enjoy an evening of ice skating to a mixture of jazz and international music with prizes for the best Mardi Gras costumes. International snacks will be served.

For more information on One World events contact Janis Gray at jsgray@syr.edu.