Visitors to A-bomb exhibition in New York are struck speechless
May 7, 2010
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer, dispatched from New York
All who learned about the tragedy of the atomic bombings that annihilated two cities and stole the lives of so many, pledged: "Nuclear weapons must be abolished."
An A-bomb exhibition, organized by the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations and held to coincide with the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, opened on May 3 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) shared their experiences of the bombings, and made strong and repeated calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Fifty panels are displayed in the main gallery on the first floor of the U.N. building. They depict such scenes as the area around the A-bomb Dome in Hiroshima before and after the blast as well as victims who have been severely burned. One panel displays the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Declaration of Nobel Peace Laureates, which was issued by 17 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and released through the Chugoku Shimbun in May 2009.
Another panel shows the photo of a man whose torso has been gouged of flesh due to the bombing. The man in the photo, Sumiteru Taniguchi, guided the hand of Nargiza Turapova, 27, an Uzbek staff member of the United Nations, to touch his lingering scar. "I'm speechless," said Ms. Turapova. "These cruel weapons must be eliminated right now."
Peter Herby, a staff member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who had been studying the panels, said, "The delegates should discuss nuclear issues with these panels posted in the conference venue." The organizers invited delegates of the participating governments by e-mail, but only a few visited the exhibition on the first day.
"The world knows so little about the horror of nuclear weapons," said Takashi Morita, 86, chairman of the Peace Association of Brazilian A-bomb Survivors, his voice raised. Responding to his appeal, Yukio Takasu, Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations, nodded deeply. Mr. Takasu left the gallery, saying, "We need for the participants of the review conference to learn more about the reality of the atomic bombings."
(Originally published on May 5, 2010)
All who learned about the tragedy of the atomic bombings that annihilated two cities and stole the lives of so many, pledged: "Nuclear weapons must be abolished."
An A-bomb exhibition, organized by the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations and held to coincide with the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, opened on May 3 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) shared their experiences of the bombings, and made strong and repeated calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Fifty panels are displayed in the main gallery on the first floor of the U.N. building. They depict such scenes as the area around the A-bomb Dome in Hiroshima before and after the blast as well as victims who have been severely burned. One panel displays the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Declaration of Nobel Peace Laureates, which was issued by 17 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and released through the Chugoku Shimbun in May 2009.
Another panel shows the photo of a man whose torso has been gouged of flesh due to the bombing. The man in the photo, Sumiteru Taniguchi, guided the hand of Nargiza Turapova, 27, an Uzbek staff member of the United Nations, to touch his lingering scar. "I'm speechless," said Ms. Turapova. "These cruel weapons must be eliminated right now."
Peter Herby, a staff member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who had been studying the panels, said, "The delegates should discuss nuclear issues with these panels posted in the conference venue." The organizers invited delegates of the participating governments by e-mail, but only a few visited the exhibition on the first day.
"The world knows so little about the horror of nuclear weapons," said Takashi Morita, 86, chairman of the Peace Association of Brazilian A-bomb Survivors, his voice raised. Responding to his appeal, Yukio Takasu, Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations, nodded deeply. Mr. Takasu left the gallery, saying, "We need for the participants of the review conference to learn more about the reality of the atomic bombings."
(Originally published on May 5, 2010)
