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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE December 11, 2008
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| October 10, 2008 |
Massawa, Eritrea – The Onboard Atomic Bomb Museum |
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| Eritrean students meet the group of Hibakusha on board the ship |
After leaving Asia, the Peace Boat headed to Massawa, Eritrea – facing the Red Sea and known as the gateway to Africa. This relatively new country, which gained independence from its large neighbour Ethiopia only 15 years ago, still faces uncertainty as a result of the ongoing border conflict between the two countries. It was here that the third exchange programme for the 63rd voyage's Hibakusha Project was held.
In Eritrea, the Hibakusha met and exchanged with a group of 30 mostly high school students from the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students (NUEYS) on board the ship. The Hibakusha themselves prepared a display of various materials including photographs and remains of clothing from the time of the atomic bombings – as their own Atomic Bomb Museum - and shared their testimonies of experiencing the bombings directly with the students. |
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| Haben Estifanos of Massawa sharing her thoughts on the experience of meeting the Hibakusha |
The participants had been practising their limited English phrases on board the ship in preparation for their meeting with the Eritrean youth, and were able to communicate with a combination of their newly learned English and body language with the enthusiastic young Eritrean visitors. 15 year old participant from Massawa Haben Estifanos, after meeting the Hibakusha, shared that "it is very sad that the country was destroyed by the nuclear bombs. However, I thought it was wonderful to hear from my new friends that the area is now very developed. The displays were very good." |
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Coordinator of the Hibakusha Project Kawasaki Akira (left) presenting Mayor of Massawa, Fana Tesfamariam, with the official Mayors for Peace membership documents |
In a following speech, Mayor of Massawa Fana Tesfamariam officially joined the Mayors for Peace initiative. Following this, news footage showing the air raids on Massawa in 1990 during the War for Independence was screened, and youth from Massawa who had experienced the raids shared their own experiences with the Hibakusha. |
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Sako Seiju explaining the displays of information about the atomic bombs to the Eritrean guests |
Reflecting upon the very homemade exchange programme on board the ship, participating Hibakusha Sako Seiju commented that "by speaking directly even with our poor English, the feeling of distance between us shrunk immediately. Because we were able to show them lots of different materials also, I think the programme on board the ship was a great success. From now we have great hopes of them sharing their experience with other people around them, with waves and effects to follow." The youthful enthusiasm of the Eritrean students was appreciated by the Hibakusha, reenergised to continue sharing their anti-nuclear weapon message throughout the remainder of the voyage. |
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