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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE January 2, 2009
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| December 2, 2008 |
Special Report – Hibakusha Project in Venezuela |
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| “By connecting people, the citizens of the world can together move beyond nuclear weapons” said Kawasaki Akira |
As paper cranes in the colours of the Venezuelan national flag twinkled in the spotlight, Kawasaki Akira, Coordinator of Peace Boat’s Hibakusha Project, began a press conference that marked the start of two days of events honouring the arrival of the 63rd Peace Boat Global Voyage to the city of La Guairá, Venezuela. Mr Kawasaki highlighted La Guairá support, saying, “this chance to travel the globe and tell the world about the dangers of nuclear weapons is precious and your support is important and significant to us.” A representative of the Venezuelan Ministry for Education echoed Mr Kawasaki’s sentiments and explained his personal reason for wanting to be involved in the project. “I think this project is wonderful--it is a piece of living history, and in Venezuela we get very little opportunity to meet with atomic bomb survivors.” he said. “I feel like a Hibakusha myself,” he added, “because I was in Chernobyl when the fourth reactor exploded, so I sympathise with them very much.” |
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| The heartfelt and moving testimonies of the Hibakusha touched everyone in the audience |
Four members of the Hibakusha Project then proceeded to tell their stories to the Venezuelan audience. One spoke of how Hiroshima looked like a scene from hell, with peoples' skin stripped from their arms and hanging from their fingertips in a manner that made their arms look double in length. Another related how her 5-year old brother was killed on his way to school and was cremated with the embers from the family's fire destroyed house. And sixty-three year old Sakai Miyoko described how she was born bathed in radiation.“My mother was pregnant with me at the time the bomb was dropped, and she gave birth to me while suffering from the symptoms of radiation illness—her hair was falling out, her gums were bleeding, and her skin was covered with purple spots.” Ms Sakai came onboard the Peace Boat, she added, to share her testimony and tell people how fearful war is. |
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Local schoolchildren sang at the evening Peace Festival, which brought together Japanese and Venezuelans to dance the night away |
After the sombre press conference, it was time for a shift of mood as evening approached and events shifted to a festival organized in nearby park for local citizens and members of the 63rd Voyage. Under the moonlight, a choir of school children sang and a Venezuelan dance band got everyone to their feet on an impromptu dance floor, where Hibakusha and other Peace Boat participants enthusiastically learnt the intricate local dance steps. At the festival, Venezuelan children had a chance to experience traditional Japanese festival games and learn how to wear brightly colored kimonos with butterfly sashes. |
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The press descended en masse upon Mr Kawasaki and the Hibakusha project members as they climbed the steps of Caracas City Theatre to a warm welcome from the Bolivar Mayoral Network |
The next day, Hibakusha Project members headed to Caracas for a Peace Ceremony held by the Bolivar Mayoral Association, which counts two thirds of Venezuela’s mayors as members. Thirteen newly elected mayors were present, and 22 signatures were collected for the Mayors for Peace Hiroshima and Nagasaki Protocol, which calls for the total abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020. In demonstration of its support for nuclear disarmament, the association declared, “We the mayors of this region want to keep peace and abolish nuclear weapons. Such massacres must never be repeated. We promise to work for a world free of nuclear weapons” |
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| Taking to the stage in wave of red to make history, 22 Venezuelan mayors added their names to the Mayors for Peace campaign |
After giving very moving testimony, members of the Hibakusha project were then presented with honorary declarations from the mayors of the city, and Peace Boat was presented with a declaration of the highest honour from the city in recognition of its years of work towards peace. To end the ceremony, outgoing mayor of Libertador City, Freddy Bernal, animatedly spoke of his commitment to peace and nuclear abolition. “What happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki could happen anywhere,” he emphasized. “We must remember what happened in the past--war is not a solution; it is profit out of the death of innocent people.” he said. |
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To close two days of historic events, Hibakusha project members were treated to performances from the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra |
Once back on the ship, two historic and memorable days were brought to a close by a dramatic concert from the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra, to whom earlier that day Peace Boat had donated a collection of approximately 300 musicals instruments. Then, after two days of tears, reflection, and laughter, the ship slipped away in to a starlit night, taking with it the encouraging news that many in Venezuela firmly have their feet on the path to nuclear disarmament. |
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