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A-bomb Legacy Successors dispatch project
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At the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, the A-bomb Legacy Successors Dispatch Project was started in April 2018.
The aim of the project is to pass down the experience of the A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) and their desire for peace to the next generation.
In this project, A-bomb Legacy Successors, who have learned about the A-bomb experience directly from hibakusha, and A-Bomb Testimonial Recital Volunteers, who read out A-bomb testimonials and poetry written by hibakusha, are dispatched throughout Japan and overseas.
Those who are dispatched give talks to communicate the A-bomb experience or hold recitals of A-bomb testimonials at peace study sessions and other events organized by the organizations that apply.
There has been a major response to this project.
In 2018, 306 people were dispatched (270 for A-bomb testimonial talks, and 36 for A-bomb testimonial recitals), and through this activity the A-bomb experience has been communicated to approximately 50,000 young children and school students.
From October 22-27, 2018, A-bomb testimonial recitals were held in the port town Le Havre in the Normandy region in northern France, and from November 3-7 A-bomb testimonial recitals and A-bomb testimonial talks were held in the two cities of Manchester and Coventry in England.
The A-bomb testimonial recital volunteers held the recitals this time, having been invited to a symposium organized by Le Havre University for young students mainly majoring in social sciences and economics.
At the end of World War II in German-occupied Normandy, the largest land operation in history (the Invasion of Normandy) took place.
At that time, the major air raids by the Allied Forces against German troops completely destroyed the towns where people were living.
It is because Normandy has this history of war disaster and recovery that the students there have an extremely high level of interest in peace and human rights.
They were involved in the recital from the planning stage and actively participated in the recital of a-bomb poetry and the question and answer session.
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Explanation of black rain (Le Havre University)
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Together with children from an elementary school that
held an a-bomb testimonial talk and recital (Manchester)
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In Manchester and Coventry, three recitals and talks by A-bomb testimonial messengers were held for elementary school students, university students participating in anti-nuclear weapons campaigns, and others.
There were some challenges in preparing the venues for the events, but the recital volunteers and messengers made use of their experience of such activities in Japan, and worked hard to communicate the 'Spirit of Hiroshima' to the people of England.
There were also courtesy visits made to government heads in Manchester City, Oldham region nearby, and Coventry City, and discussions were held with people involved in governmental peace-related activities from both cities.
The mayor of Manchester expressed a strong wish to work together with the city residents and achieve diversity.
Calls for locations for dispatches in 2019 started from January 21, 2019.
Details of the content of the dispatch activities are posted on the homepage of the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims>>.
Overseas dispatches are sent to around one country each year, coordinating with the locations requesting dispatches.
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| (Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims) |
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