Port of Call LAST UPDATE December 2, 2008
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November 15, 2008 Caracas, Venezuela – Peace Boat Hibakusha Project Delegation Visit
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The Hikabusha in Venezuela, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mrs. Jennifer Gil (middle) at the Forum “United for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons”, organized by the People`s Power Ministry for Education.

While the Peace Boat itself will visit La Guaira, Venezuela in late November, a group of 4 representatives of the Hibakusha (Atomic bomb survivors) on board the ship visited the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in advance from November 1-13, with the goal of passing on their memories and experiences, as part of the Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World - Peace Boat Hibakusha Project.
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Ichiro Gutierrez from Peace Boat, standing with the Hibakusha delegation during their visit to Dr. Gilberto Rodriguez Ochoa Child Cardiology Hospital, where they shared their experiences.

Peace Boat organised a wide range of activities for the Hibakusha to share their first-hand experiences of the horror caused by nuclear weapons and other forms of weapons of mass destruction with the local Venezuelan populace. These activities also enjoyed the official support of the Venezuelan Government, being jointly coordinated by the People`s Power Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the People`s Power Ministry for Education, the People`s Power Ministry for Health, the La Guaira City Hall, the Port Authority “Puertos del Litoral Central”, the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research and the National Youth Institute.

During their two week stay in Venezuela, the Hibakusha took part in a series of forums and cultural exchanges, and also had the opportunity to visit hospitals, universities and national and regional media, including TeleSur. Here the delegation of Hibakusha told their stories of surviving the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, sharing their strong calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons to ensure that such a tragedy can never again be allowed to occur.
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La Guaira`s Mayor, Mr Alexis Toledo, posing next to Hibakusha representatives Tanaka Toshiko, Kawasaki Takehiko, Inokuchi Takeshi and Watanabe Junko.

On November 3 at the Forum “United for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons” held in Catia la Mar, the Mayor of La Guaira Alexis Toledo officially joined Mayors for Peace, showing his strong support for peace initiatives and commenting that the membership would be a further motivation to contribute to world peace, emphasising that war is no resolution of conflict. Both the Hibakusha and Mayor Toledo also reaffirmed the importance of the statement calling for a world free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in the South American Union of Nations (UNASUR) Constitutive Treaty.

Many signatures were also collected for the Mayors for Peace's “Cities are Not Targets” petition, which will be added to those collected in other ports throughout the voyage. During the ship itself's call to Venezuela in late November, further mayors are also expected to join this important initiative – please see this web site for further details in the coming days.
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The hibakusha delegation visiting La Guaira City Hall.
Even though the universal nature of the Hibakusha's message, and the need to preserve and make their voices heard in today's world, their memories, histories and hopes for the world of tomorrow are still widely ignored. This project thus offers a unique opportunity that might never present itself again, taking into consideration the Hibakusha`s average age of 75.6 years old.