The Fanshawe College Rotaract Club organized a walk for peace across the city of London, from the East Lions Community Centre to the college’s main campus. The walk was meant to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Peace, which happens each year on Sept. 21. This year marked its 25th anniversary.

“In our diversity we can come together and build peace, embrace peace, and accept peace,” said Akindele Ogunoiki, the club’s president.

The walk began at the community centre, where a small but energetic group of Rotaract Club members gathered together. They wore pink t-shirts, which they had made for the event, and carried white and pink balloons. They handed out water to keep the group hydrated on their 3.3 kilometre walk in the sun.

As they began to march, they played songs related to peace through a large Bluetooth boombox.

At the front of the crowd, two members carried a large banner, emblazoned with the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace: “Cultivating a Culture of Peace.”

Along the way, the diverse group stopped to share stories of peace from their home countries and call for an end to global conflict.

“If you have witnessed war before, you don’t want war–the repetition of war, ever again,” said one member, from Nigeria, during his speech. 

“Particularly in Colombia, we have been living in an armed conflict for more than 60 years,” said another. “Our neighbouring country Venezuela, lives in a political turmoil that has produced displacement, and continues to bring displacement to many, many people who have to migrate, leave their homes, abandon everything they have–and that’s one of the worst types of violence you can imagine.” 

Other speeches along the way alluded to current conflicts around the world, like the expanding Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Russo-Ukrainian war. Taking no sides in any conflict, their message was simply: peace.

“No one, on this planet, should die because of war,” said a club member from Zimbabwe during her speech. “We should all talk, rather than yell and scream, and bomb one another.”

As the group reached their destination at Fanshawe’s main campus, they stayed in front of the main doors, playing music and continuing to speak as students came and went. At the end, members thanked each other for coming out.

“In our own little way, I hope this small thing that we did has an impact on those people who are at war.”