"Our Wish,"
an anthem for Peace Seeds
A song that unites the world
What would be a suitable anthem for Peace Seeds?
The junior writers of Peace Seeds have discovered a song, called "Our Wish," which began in a peace education class at a junior high school in Hiroshima. Since the original song was written, five years ago, many versions have been created and sung around the world. In fact, because of such strong enthusiasm for the song, there are now more than 600 verses.
We spoke with Motoharu Yokoyama, the teacher who conceived "Our Wish," and we asked others who are engaged in peace activities to write new verses for the song. Our own wish is that, like the song itself, the wishes of children everywhere can grow infinitely into the future.
A song with 622 verses
In 2001, Motoharu Yokoyama, a teacher at Ozu Junior High School (now working at Ujina Junior High School), decided to turn the "Children's Peace Declaration" into a song. He asked Ryuji Takada, of Hiroshima Chorus, to write the melody, and Takeshi Yamanoki to write the verses. By the end of February, the song, with four verses, was finished.
The next year, Mr. Yokoyama's presentation at a teachers' conference inspired an NPO called JEARN to start the "Negai Connection Project," a movement that gathers additional verses for the song. In fact, through the internet, this movement has grown to include 622 verses from 28 countries (as of January 28, 2007).
This website offers details on the "Negai Connection Project"
http://www.jearn.jp/2003conference/negai/index.html
(song by Hiroshima Chorus)
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We shall be liberated from ignorance and prejudice
And we shall stop fighting and live together in peace
We shall not be scared by terror and hatred
And we shall be able to sing the song of liberty
Landmines or the like but seeds of wheat and corn
We shall not be suffering from starvation and hurt
And we shall share everything and live together in peace
And make this whole world full of love and peace
Until our wish comes true
We shall be fighting
And we shall be marching for everyone in this world
A junior writer, Sadykova, sings "Our Wish" while wearing Kazakhstan's traditional dress (photo by Yuki Sakata, 13)
A student from Kazakhstan
Sadykova Madina Maratovna (junior writer)
Start with a small kindness, like offering your seat
Each song has its own story. As we listen to a song, we can imagine the story behind it, despite differences of nationality and language. Songs can be bridges between people. And I think the large circle of people who are writing new verses for "Our Wish" can continue to grow all over the world.
I came to Hiroshima last April after studying Japanese for two years in Kazakhstan and now I am studying at Sanyo Girls' High School. In my country, in the city of Semipalatinsk, the former Soviet Union once conducted nuclear tests. Many people in Hiroshima have visited Kazakhstan and offered medical support, such as health checks for radiation victims. They have also invited students like me to study in Hiroshima.
If we listen to each other,
If we understand each other,
We can stop fighting.
And if we do what we can do,
Now matter how small it seems,
We can make the world a better place.
When I was in Kazakhstan, I thought I knew a lot about Japan. However, after coming here, my ideas have deepened-not only about Japanese culture, but about people's lives and relationships. Moreover, my time in Hiroshima has strengthened my feelings about peace.
By meeting atomic bomb survivors and hearing their stories, I have grown to understand the horror of atomic bombs and the importance of peace. One of my most impressive experiences was attending the Hiroshima Peace Ceremony on August 6th last year. I was very moved when I saw a lot of people gathering together to pray for peace.
Let's work together for peace. Everyone can do that. I put this idea into my own verse for the song "Our Wish". The very first step is to believe you can do something for peace. You have to find what you can do, how you can help others, and then do it.
Although we are young, there are many things we can do. For instance, we can offer our seat to an elderly person on the train or on the bus. We should study hard at school and be open to the ideas of others. It might be a small thing to give your seat to someone else, but I believe that a small kindness like this can grow into a little more love. I am going back to my country in March and I want to make a new verse in my mother tongue. Why don't you try making a new verse, too? And we can sing the song together!
(Sadykova Madina Maratovna, 18)
Shigeru Suganami, the doctor who founded AMDA
International exchange with the word "thank you"
AMDA is an international organization that provides medical services to people in need. It is located in Okayama and has branches in 29 other countries. AMDA responds to the suffering of those affected by natural disaster or conflict. We asked Dr. Suganami to write a new verse for the song.
Once a disaster occurs, AMDA doctors seek to arrive in the area within 72 hours. Dr. Suganami put his feelings into the words he wrote for the song: "It is important to send victims the clear message that "we won't abandon you' because this encourages them to maintain hope despite the difficulty of their situation."
"Medical services are needed all around the world, regardless of language or religious background," Dr. Suganami said. And he added, "Whenever I ask children "What do you want to be in the future?' I find many of them say doctors, nurses, and teachers." For Japanese youth, it seems difficult to fully understand this interest in health and education, because these are things we take for granted.
Dr. Suganami suggests that, in any international activity, there are three important things: The first thing is to call other people by their names; the second thing is to use proper greetings; and the third thing is to say "thank you" to show your respect. Dr. Suganami closed our conversation with the advice, "Start by learning how to say "thank you' in the other language."
(Naru Nishida, 15)
"Peace means treasuring your family today and realizing the hopes of your family tomorrow." (photo by Sadykova Madina)
Even if you've lost everything due to disaster,
If you feel encouragement from friends around the world,
You can carry on with hopes and dreams, instead of anxiety and fear.
The importance of values
Motoharu Yokoyama, the teacher who conceived "Our Wish"
"It has grown much larger than I expected," said Mr. Yokoyama, unable to conceal his surprise. "A song like this can have great reach, because everyone can take part in their own way." This is the reason he wanted to create "Our Wish," which was born in his peace education class. As a child, Mr. Yokoyama said he didn't think much about peace, but after he became a Social Studies teacher, he grew more aware of peace issues.
Before the song was created, Mr. Yokoyama had asked his students, "If you had to go to war in the future, what would you do?" At that time, many students responded "I don't want to fight." However, after the terror attack of September 11, he asked the question again and the number of students who answered "I would fight" increased sharply. This gave Mr. Yokoyama a shock.
"Students have to think by themselves and form their own set of values," he said. "They shouldn't just follow the latest trend." This was the moment that prompted his inspiration for "Our Wish."
Mr. Yokoyama has met people from many countries, such as Kenya, and this has brought him new insights and ties of friendship. He feels a debt of gratitude to many people, including the Hiroshima Chorus members who composed the song and those who have shared the song through the internet.
He believes that peace involves the opportunity for everyone to freely express their own thoughts. And he hopes that making additional verses for the song will give people a chance to ponder the meaning of peace. In fact, because few verses have come from people in Hiroshima, Mr. Yokoyama encourages the youth in our city to submit their ideas.
"Our Wish" has transcended national and cultural borders. Mr. Yokoyama's current goal is to reach 1000 verses, a number connected to paper cranes, a symbol of peace. "The song has outgrown me," he said. "And it continues to grow." (Ryu Kanchika, 17)
Sung in a different language, "Our Wish" moves me in a new way. (photo by Aya Nakashige, 17)
Tatsuya Ishii, an artist
Composing a melody, too
"It's a good song-we can feel the wish for peace." Known as the vocalist of a popular rock band as well as an artist, Tatsuya Ishii, 47, offered his impression of "Our Wish." He also wanted to tell children in Hiroshima that "I respect you for studying about peace, the atomic bombing, and the survivors' stories. Please keep your passion for peace strong."
The September 11 attack led him to become an organizer of peace events. His message is often delivered through art because "it is the best way for many people to hear my voice." He began with performances in Yokohama and, in 2005, he gave a performance with sound and light in Peace Memorial Park. Last year, he teamed up with the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra for a concert.
At the end of our interview, we asked him to write a new verse for "Our Wish." Mr. Ishii replied with a smile, "I would like to write the words in English, so people around the world can understand it. And I want to try composing a new melody, too, and then sing it for you. Could you consider it my homework?"
(Yuki Sakata, 13)
Urszura Styczek, researcher of atomic bomb and Auschwitz literature
Believe in the power of hope
Urszura Styczek is originally from Poland and researches literature involving the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the Auschwitz concentration camp. She believes that the two tragedies have much in common. "Even in the most desperate setting, in which many people have died, human beings can still hope to overcome these conditions and go on living."
Her study of Japanese and her thesis on the atomic bomb literature brought her to Hiroshima University. At this point, she has lived in Japan for fifteen years. "Particularly for today's youth, the reality of the war and the atomic bomb feel distant," she said. While teaching part-time at a university, she pursues a project that involves building a Hiroshima literature museum, which would hold a collection of literature related to the atomic bomb.
"Peace will spread from simple actions-a greeting, a smile, compassion for others." She expressed these feelings in the new verse she wrote for "Our Wish." Ms. Styczek remarked, "Why don't you have the children of the world sing "Our Wish' together, in their own language at the same time?"
(Aya Nakashige, 17)
What is peace? Peace is loving those around you.
Smiling at a passing stranger. It starts with something small.
- Kazakhstan
A country located in Central Asia, it became independent after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The capital is Astana. The size of Kazakhstan is seven times as large as Japan and it is the second largest country in the region, after Russia. The population numbers about 15.1 million.
- Semipalatinsk
A city located in northeastern Kazakhstan. Beginning in 1949, for over 41 years, the former Soviet Union conducted approximately 470 nuclear tests in this area, both in the atmosphere and underground.
- AMDA
Founded in 1984, AMDA is a voluntary organization which provides medical services to people in need due to poverty, conflict, or natural disaster. AMDA doctors work mainly in Asia, Africa, and Central America. Its head office is located in Okayama, Japan.
- Auschwitz concentration camp
A site where a large number of people, many of them Jews, were massacred by the Nazis during World War II. It was established outside the city of Oswiecim in Poland in 1940. By 1945, when the camp was liberated by the Soviet Army, it is estimated that 1.1-1.5 million people had been killed in the Auschwitz gas chambers.
- The September 11 attack
On September 11, 2001, suicide attacks by terrorists flying four hijacked airplanes resulted in great destruction and loss of life. Two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York and those buildings collapsed. The third plane flew into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and the fourth one crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. More than 3,000 people were killed.
- Tatsuya Ishii
In 1985, he made his debut as the vocalist for the rock group "Komekome Club". In addition to music, he has enjoyed success in other fields, such as movies, art, and design.
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