The Brief

The Rotary Sculpture Garden in Joplin unveiled a new “May Peace Prevail on Earth” peace pole displaying messages in eight languagesThe dedication coincides with the International Day of Friendship and joins more than 200,000 identical poles across the globe.The pole represents Rotary’s commitment to positive peace and connects the local Joplin community to a worldwide movement for unity and understanding.

JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) — The Rotary Sculpture Garden in Joplin dedicated a new peace pole this morning, adding its voice to a global movement promoting unity and understanding across cultures and borders.

The pole displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight languages: English, Spanish, German, Osage, Mandarin, Hindi, Vietnamese, and Yiddish. The dedication marks the International Day of Friendship and joins more than 200,000 identical poles installed worldwide.

Wally Boss, president of the Rotary Sculpture Garden, said the pole represents more than a symbolic gesture. “We have over 36,000 clubs in over 200 countries all around the world. And this is a way to talk about positive peace, a way of looking at things that are not negative or not fighting with each other, but looking for positive kind of things,” Boss said.

The selection of languages reflects Joplin’s growing international community and its connections beyond city borders. Boss emphasized that the eight languages were chosen specifically to resonate with the local population while signaling broader global ties.

“Languages that would connect to the local community. Everything from Yiddish to Osage to Hindi to English and German and a few others. But we wanted to get something that says we’re not just ourselves by here. We’re connected to the rest of the world. And that’s one of the neat things about Joplin, is we are connected to the rest of the world. MSSU and its international studies process,” Boss said.

Missouri Southern State University’s international student population played a significant role in the dedication ceremony. Mansour Alaql, an international student from Saudi Arabia who has lived in Joplin for five years, expressed the personal significance of seeing the peace pole in his adopted community.

“I consider myself a native to the city. I’ve been here for five years. Seeing it here now in Joplin, as they told us, it’s all around the world and not just the US and other countries. It started out in Japan, I believe. So seeing it here in our city and our place, especially in a time of conflict, seeing a sign of peace, is really peaceful,” Alaql said.

Alaql also highlighted the symbolism of uniting multiple languages under a single message.

“It’s really unique seeing different languages under like one umbrella and like one target, which is peace. May peace prevail on Earth. So that is an amazing idea. And I love the goal,” he said.

The peace pole joins the sculpture garden’s growing collection of public art installations. Boss noted that the garden currently features over 30 sculptures with more planned for the future. The peace pole complements the garden’s mission to inspire visitors and foster community connection.

“We want people to come here and feel good, have some fun. Feel good about what they’re doing. Look at the art. Feel inspired and be involved. This is another way of saying, let’s get people together and talk about people to people,” Boss said.

Rotary International’s commitment to cross-cultural dialogue extends beyond symbolic gestures. The organization facilitates youth exchanges and district-to-district exchanges that bring people from different countries together for direct conversation and collaboration.

“We do a lot of things in rotary. We have a youth exchange. We have a district and district exchange where we get people from other countries and us and talking with each other. And when we talk with each other, we find there’s a lot more commonality than otherwise,” Boss said.

The peace pole dedication underscores Joplin’s role as a community that values international connection and peaceful coexistence. As the city continues to grow its international presence through educational institutions and cultural initiatives, the pole serves as a visible reminder of shared values that transcend language and geography.

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