Published: September 27, 2008 06:46 pm      

Northside Christian celebrates International Festival with food, music and crafts

Amy Ruff tells a story of a young woman who came to Southern Indiana from Asia and never spoke a word of English for two years. Because she could not communicate, she knew almost no one.

Out of a desire to make sure internationals have a place to feel connected, Northside Christian Church made it one of its missions to reach out to other cultures in New Albany.

That mission kicked off this weekend with the first-ever International Festival “6,912 Languages, 7 Continents, 1 Love.”

“We have so many internationals in our own backyard, and our goal was to reach out to them,” said Ruff, who is one of three coordinators for the event. “We thought this was a great way to get that started.”

The festival, which was held from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. today, features 16 artists performing dances and music from across the globe.

In addition to a petting zoo and camel rides, eight area ethnic food vendors had booths, and there were also seven cultural booths. At the World Market, people could buy items from various countries around the world, including several from Africa and South America.

Many of the people from the booths are originally from the countries they represent.

Arezu Elias, a massage therapist in Kentucky, also sells crafts from her native Bolivia and sends the money back to the artisans.

“My life here is a lot better than it is for people back there, and I want to give back to them,” she said.

Vendors were required to pay a $100 deposit and then could keep anything they made from their sales.

While the event was aimed at showcasing various cultures from within New Albany and Louisville, it also attracted people from around the world.

Valentin Syniy is president of Tavrisky Christian Institute, a cultural exchange program between missionaries in

the United States and Ukraine. He took the opportunity to educate others about Ukraine, while learning about the United States. He is spending five days in Indiana meeting with Christian business leaders and hosting a booth at Northside.

“It’s our desire to be self-sufficient. We want to show churches in Ukraine that it is not just about receiving but also giving,” Syniy said through Yuriy Mark, who was translating. “Just because we are from a poorer country does not mean we cannot give to others.”

Those who turned out for the festival’s opening talked about the importance of learning about other parts of the world.

“We love these things,” said Daryn Kennedy of Greenville. “I think it’s so important for us to learn about other cultures.”

Church member Darren Staley said the booths and entertainment helped to broaden his perspective of the world.

Louis Defreeze of Louisville echoed those comments. He came to watch his son perform as part of River City Drum Corp, a group of children who are trained in African drumming techniques, but he stayed to visit the booths.

“You need to understand what other cultures are like, not just in the United States, but around the world,” he said.

Northside Pastor George Ross and New Albany Mayor Doug England delivered opening remarks. England predicted the event would eventually outgrow the Northside parking lot.

“It’s going to be a very good event,” he said. “It’s going to continue to grow.”

Ruff said Northside averages 5,500 people per week who attend at least one weekend service. She hoped that all of those people plus others from the community would stop by for at least part of the festival.

“We hope it makes people aware of the diversity that exists in New Albany,” said Abby Clark, who also attends Northside.