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Hiroshima Nagasaki ZERO Project starts with young people depicting a peaceful world through art

by Yuji Yamamoto, Staff Writer

A new initiative called the “Hiroshima Nagasaki ZERO Project” kicked off in Naka Ward, Hiroshima on October 29. The project seeks to send out messages of peace from the A-bombed cities through art and encourages young people to take part in its activities. The project will continue until 2020, the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings.

The opening day began at Fukuromachi Elementary School, located just 460 meters from the hypocenter. Seitaro Kuroda, 78, an illustrator who is frequently involved in peace activities, and 21 students ranging in age from elementary school students to university students, expressed personal images of a world without war through drawings, then combined their individual drawings into one large piece of art. There were also art, music, and poetry workshops, the last of which featured musician Motoharu Sano, 61.

The Hiroshima Nagasaki ZERO Project, which is receiving financial support from the Hiroshima International Culture Foundation, was proposed by Cannon Hersey, 40, an artist and the head of “1Future,” a non-profit organization based in the United States. Cannon is the grandson of John Hersey, a journalist known for reporting to the world on the horror of the Hiroshima A-bombing, and he is following in his grandfather’s footsteps in his quest to promote peace.

(Originally published on October 30, 2017)

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