Life Onboard LAST UPDATE  August 17, 2010
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July 13, 2010 The Testimony that Changes Hearts and Minds – Sasamori Shigeko
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Sasamori Shigeko (right) held a series of talks with fellow guest lecturer Kathleen Sullivan (left). The pair have campaigned for many years to improve awareness about the dangers of nuclear weapons.

It is truly inspiring to hear Sasamori Shigeko speak about how she survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. She was 13 years old when the bomb was dropped, severely burning her face and upper body. Ms Sasamori was left with severe scars, but despite these injuries, she has the courage to speak to thousands of people around the world about the huge threat to humanity that nuclear weapons pose. She travelled with the 69th Voyage from Jamaica to Mexico to give testimony of her experience as a Hibakusha, which is the Japanese term that describes the survivors of the atomic bombing. Her story is different to most because she moved to the United States when she was 23 to undergo reconstructive surgery on her scarred tissue. But despite receiving this medical treatment, Ms Sasamori remains extremely affected by the bombing, both physically and emotionally.

Ms Sasamori suffered temporary blindness and was unable to see for weeks after the bomb detonated on August 6, 1945. She was close to the hypocentre of the bombing, and found shelter in a school hall that hosted scores of other blast victims. Luckily, after five days of agony with no one coming to her aid, her parents managed to find her amongst the crowd of suffering people. "My face looked like burnt toast and my face was so swollen that they couldn't tell where my eyes were," Ms Sasamori said during one of her lectures. "All of this yellow ooze started pouring out when my father cut into my black skin and peeled it off."
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Ms Sasamori held workshops onboard with young students including members of Peace Boat's Global University and Guatemalan International Student Programme.
The graphic testimony had such a strong impact that many people in the audience were moved to tears. After relocating to the US, Ms Sasamori worked as a nurse and began campaigning for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Last year she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Winona State University in Minnesota for her peacebuilding efforts. Recently, Ms Sasamori joined a Peace Boat delegation to the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York, where she spoke to many people who had never met a Hibakusha before.

Her life story changed the perspectives of many people onboard the 69th Voyage. "As a woman, I am not sure whether I would be able to stand in front of so many people and talk with such a scarred face," said Murayama Miyako. The testimonies are not easy for Ms Sasamori, and their toll became apparent when she started crying while recounting the experience of the bombing. Ms Murayama asked her why she continues to give the testimonies which affect her so deeply on an emotional level. "Shigeko said she never thought of quitting because she feels privileged to have received so much support from people all over the world." Ms Murayama said that Ms Sasamori's courage should encourage people to be more compassionate to atomic bomb victims, who have suffered decades of discrimination in Japan. "We have to make it easier for Hibakusha to give testimonies by changing and learning more about the society at the time of the bombing."
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Ashley Houston (left) said that she felt like she was reliving Ms Sasamori's experience because the testimony was so detailed and heartfelt.

The power of Ms Sasamori's story and the energy with which she tells it, makes listening to the testimony an extremely personal experience. "Often we think of history as something that is purely educational, but to think about each small detail that can dramatically change someone's life, changes the way I want to live," said Ashleigh Houston. The 24-year-old American has mixed feelings about her country's attitude towards atomic bomb victims. "It seems like a huge hypocrisy to drop a bomb on these people and offer them medical care years later."

Ms Sasamori is featured in a film titled “White Light Black Rain: the Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” which has won international awards for outstanding nonfiction filmmaking. Ms Houston said that watching the film after meeting Ms Sasamori made her feel guilty. "It made me ashamed to be a beneficiary of that history," she said. But during Ms Sasamori's time onboard Peace Boat, she repetitively said that she felt no animosity towards people from the US because they were not directly responsible for the events which led to the atomic bombs being detonated over Japan. "I am very thankful that I was able to connect with her because her story was so personal and you could feel her warmth throughout the room," Ms Houston said.