Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Exhibition and A-bomb testimonial reading in Ankara, Turkey
In September 2024, the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Turkey, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Exhibition, an A-bomb photo panel exhibition, was held at the Contemporary Art Center in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey.
The exhibition, co-hosted with Çankaya District, attracted about 550 visitors and provided a striking opportunity to emphasize to the younger generation the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the importance of nuclear abolition.
Thirty photo panels of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, displayed at the exhibition, were translated into Turkish in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in Turkey.
These panels were also exhibited in Istanbul after Ankara and are expected to be used for educational purposes throughout Turkey in the future.
In conjunction with the panel exhibition, we dispatched volunteer readers to the site to conduct A-bomb testimonial reading sessions on September 13 and 14.
Because of the language barrier in Turkey, where English is not widely spoken, the Embassy of Japan in Turkey introduced us to Associate Professor Filiz Yilmaz, a researcher of atomic bomb literature at Ankara University. Through her cooperation, we were able to hold a collaborative reading session in both Japanese and Turkish.
The participants' readings were full of emotion, with a Ukrainian from Georgia reading while thinking of his war-torn homeland, and a Turkish student studying Japanese reading in Japanese.
Since Dr. Yilmaz is eager to continue to volunteer as a testimonial reader, there is a possibility that A-bomb testimonial reading will be held in the country in the near future.
On the 14th, at the Turkish-Japanese Foundation Culture Center in Ankara, a lecture on peace and an A-bomb testimonial reading in Japanese were given to children from first grade to third grade who are studying at a Japanese supplementary school and their parents. The younger children were also very enthusiastic about the program. One of the parents who participated in the program commented, "It was a valuable experience for me because I rarely have the chance to learn about atomic bombing and peace while overseas."
Visitors reading the exhibition captions with interest
In conjunction with the panel exhibition, we dispatched volunteer readers to the site to conduct A-bomb testimonial reading sessions on September 13 and 14.
Because of the language barrier in Turkey, where English is not widely spoken, the Embassy of Japan in Turkey introduced us to Associate Professor Filiz Yilmaz, a researcher of atomic bomb literature at Ankara University. Through her cooperation, we were able to hold a collaborative reading session in both Japanese and Turkish.
The participants' readings were full of emotion, with a Ukrainian from Georgia reading while thinking of his war-torn homeland, and a Turkish student studying Japanese reading in Japanese.
A participant trying to read in Japanese
On the 14th, at the Turkish-Japanese Foundation Culture Center in Ankara, a lecture on peace and an A-bomb testimonial reading in Japanese were given to children from first grade to third grade who are studying at a Japanese supplementary school and their parents. The younger children were also very enthusiastic about the program. One of the parents who participated in the program commented, "It was a valuable experience for me because I rarely have the chance to learn about atomic bombing and peace while overseas."
Testimonial reading at the Turkish-Japanese Foundation Culture Center
(Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims and Peace Memorial Museum Outreach Division)