{"id":25262,"date":"2015-09-08T09:22:18","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T13:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=25262"},"modified":"2016-07-19T11:14:13","modified_gmt":"2016-07-19T15:14:13","slug":"new-director-a-colombian-native-and-emu-alumnus-now-at-the-helm-of-popular-harrisonburg-international-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2015\/new-director-a-colombian-native-and-emu-alumnus-now-at-the-helm-of-popular-harrisonburg-international-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"New director, a Colombian native and EMU alumnus, now at the helm of popular Harrisonburg International Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boris Ozuna, the new director of Harrisonburg’s International Festival<\/a>, got his first taste of community organizing as a child in Sincelejo, Colombia. His mother was involved in justice work with the group that would become Sembrandopaz<\/a>, a regional peacebuilding and human development organization now led by Ricardo Esquivia, one of the original strategic planners for Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ozuna, who immigrated to the United States to study peace and development at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), honors his origins in his new role with the festival, slated for Saturday, Sept. 26, at Hillandale Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat better way to help build bridges than organizing this event?\u201d he says. \u201cThe festival is like a big wedding \u2026 where the whole town decides to get married.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0From Colombia to The Fairfield Center<\/h3>\n

Ozuna shares a similar background with many of Harrisonburg\u2019s expatriate residents, who have fled war, famine, political or religious persecution.<\/p>\n

\u201cColombia has been at war,\u201d says Ozuna. This background prompted him to think about building peace and local initiatives in his hometown, which led him to EMU and, after graduation, to three years of working for literacy and homeless centers in Washington D.C. Last summer, he and his wife returned to Harrisonburg to be near family and continue his education at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shortly after his return, he was hired by The Fairfield Center<\/a> to take over for Vaunda Brown, who had directed the festival for 17 years.<\/p>\n

Ozuna’s background as an immigrant gives him insight into coordinating the various cultural groups participating in the festival. While the community was \u201copen and responsive\u201d when he first came to Harrisonburg, he found it difficult to identify his role here. That is something he hopes to provide through the festival \u2013 roles in which people can be helpful and connected, and still celebrate their separate identities.<\/p>\n

Identity is enriched by cultural engagement<\/h3>\n
\"internationalfestival-19_web\"<\/a>
Artwork crafted by participants hangs on a line during the 2014 festival. (Photo by Michael Sheeler)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDifferences can either threaten us or awaken curiosity,\u201d says Ozuna. Ideally, he says, by engaging with other cultures, our own identity is enriched and strengthened.<\/p>\n

Ozuna stresses the importance of valuing people’s identities and backgrounds while inviting them to join a larger network. Eighteen years ago, the festival was started as a reconciliation effort to promote tolerance within the community. \u201cWe invite people to bring and share [cultural] symbols that help them to celebrate with and respect others.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the day-long free event, attendees will encounter a reggae band, Aztec dancers honoring the earth, a global fashion show, local artists, and different kinds of food, among \u201cmany other surprises,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ozuna hopes this will be a \u201cjoyful experience\u201d for both educating and forming relationships throughout the community. The new director is \u201cmostly open to learning from the festival this year \u2026 and building a good experience with the people who have made the festival happen these last 18 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

EMU is both a sponsor of the event and a contributor. Matthew Freed<\/a>, recycling crew leader, explains that his department has donated the use of recycling bicycles<\/a> for about eight years. Members of the Earthkeepers Club<\/a> typically volunteer to collect and sort recyclable materials at the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a beautiful festival,\u201d says Freed. \u201cHarrisonburg is a diverse city to begin with, so having a festival celebrating the different cultures within Harrisonburg is a great idea. It is a great learning experience and eye-opening to see all the different backgrounds folks have from the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volunteer opportunities<\/h3>\n

Volunteer opportunities include setting up, parking cars, helping with various duties at the event, promoting the festival through social media, or providing monetary support. To learn more, visit the festival\u2019s online sign-up site<\/a> or email Heidi Jablonski at volunteerhif@fairfieldcenter.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boris Ozuna, the new director of Harrisonburg’s International Festival, got his first taste of community organizing as a child in Sincelejo, Colombia. His mother was involved in justice work with ... read more about New director, a Colombian native and EMU alumnus, now at the helm of popular Harrisonburg International Festival<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12503,264,14145,5708],"tags":[17002,6795,5944,15104],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-25262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cjp","category-graduate-programs","category-peacebuilding-and-development","category-sustainability","tag-boris-ozuna","tag-diversity","tag-giving","tag-harrisonburg-international-festival"],"yoast_head":"\nNew director, a Colombian native and EMU alumnus, now at the helm of popular Harrisonburg International Festival - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2015\/new-director-a-colombian-native-and-emu-alumnus-now-at-the-helm-of-popular-harrisonburg-international-festival\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New director, a Colombian native and EMU alumnus, now at the helm of popular Harrisonburg International Festival - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boris Ozuna, the new director of Harrisonburg’s International Festival, got his first taste of community organizing as a child in Sincelejo, Colombia. 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