Latest news with #PeaceMuseum
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Peace Museum in Brazil to Rise from Ashes, Convey Survivor Stories Again
FREI ROGERIO, Brazil — The reconstruction of a peace museum in southern Brazil, established by an association of survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bombing and their descendants, is well underway about a decade after it was destroyed in a fire. The 'Museu da Paz' (Peace Museum) in the city of Frei Rogerio is seen as a poignant testament to the enduring hopes for peace carried by Japanese immigrants who survived the atomic bombing before making new lives in South America. The reconstruction of the facility that chronicles the tragedy of the atomic bombing clearly shows how the deep-seated desire for peace among survivors has taken root in Brazil. The work is a collaborative effort between Japanese-Brazilian immigrants and the local government with a completion target by the end of this year, which coincides with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The museum was built in 2010 with support from the Brazilian government and an association founded by three atomic bomb survivors and their families living in Frei Rogerio, including the now 96-year-old Wataru Ogawa. Ogawa's brother-in-law Kazumi Ogawa, who passed away in 2012 at 83, constructed a single-story building for the museum on unused land on the pear farm that he ran. He had moved to Brazil after surviving the bombing of Nagasaki and saw the museum as conveying the belief that 'we must never repeat the misfortune caused by war.' The group acquired 80 panels from Nagasaki of photographs of children with burn scars from the atomic bomb and other items for display in the 420-square-meter structure. The area around the museum was dubbed 'Peace Bell Park.' Wataru Ogawa shared his wartime experiences with about 5,000 visitors annually at the museum, with his third son Naoki, 54, serving as his Portuguese interpreter. In the summer of 1945, Ogawa was a student at the naval engineering school in Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture, where he witnessed the devastation caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. At war's end, he returned to his hometown of Nagasaki, which had suffered a similar fate. Shortly after, his hair began to fall out in clumps. Elementary and junior high school students would listen intently to Ogawa's emotional account of the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing some to tears. He vividly described the procession of bloated bodies floating down the river, and a childhood friend, reduced to little more than a skeleton, saying with his last breath, 'I can't go on anymore.'Following the fire that destroyed the museum in 2016, the local community quickly banded together to start planning the reconstruction. After a series of meetings with Frei Rogerio municipal officials and other parties, Naoki Ogawa and other second-generation Japanese-Brazilians finalized a project plan in 2020. The plan included financial support from the city and others for rebuilding the museum and constructing an adjoining international exchange facility. Construction was started in April with the goal of completing and reopening the museum by the end of this year. Efforts are currently underway to gather exhibits for display and to prepare materials with cooperation from local universities. 'At a time when there are ongoing wars [around the world], I hope that this will once again become a place where the plea for peace can be spread,' Wataru Ogawa said. Naoki Ogawa's oldest son, now 23, was born on Aug. 9 — the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki — and named Hirakazu using the kanji characters for 'peace,' most often read as 'heiwa.' 'It was my destiny to inherit the desire for peace from the atomic bomb survivors,' Hirakazu said. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, there were 66 survivors from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings residing in Brazil as of the end of March.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On this day in 2024: Peace Museum announces Salts Mill relocation plan
On this day in 2024, the Telegraph and Argus reported that a museum dedicated to peace was moving to a new home. The Peace Museum, billed as the only museum of its kind in the UK, announced that it was to reopen at Salts Mill in Saltaire in August 2024, following a relocation from its former upper floor space on Piece Hall Yard, which it had occupied since 1994. The new site, on the third floor of the historic mill, was anticipated to provide more space for exhibits and to be more accessible to visitors. As of the time of original reporting in 2024, the Peace Museum's exhibits included a collection of banners from peace marches from across the world. A spokesperson said at the time: "The National Lottery Heritage Fund's support, made possible by National Lottery players, has enabled the creation of a new, engaging, and accessible exhibition, and educational programmes. "Generous capital funding from Bradford 2025 and Bradford City Council has allowed us to turn an unused piece of the district's history back into life. "We would also like to thank Key Fund, Art Fund, Association of Independent Museums, Pilgrim Trust, Museum Development North, and Arts Council England, who have all helped to make our move and reopening possible. "The Peace Museum's reopening is just the beginning of what will be an exciting and ambitious next chapter." More information is available at
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local museum promotes Dayton's role in international peace
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — As the NATO Parliamentary Assembly kicks off Thursday downtown, local organizations are commemorating Dayton's role in advancing peace worldwide. The Dayton International Peace Museum has opened several exhibits to share Dayton's legacy with local residents and international visitors. 'Action starts here, and starts in Dayton,' said Alice Young-Basora, Dayton Peace Museum executive director. LIST: Public invited to forums during NATO Assembly The 2025 NATO Spring Assembly is the first to be held in the country in 20 years, and it's happening right here in Dayton. 'It's something that everybody here is very proud of, that we were a part of stopping a war,' said Young-Basora. 'We were a part of creating peace in a region.' It's been 30 years since the Dayton Peace Accords were signed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, effectively ending the Bosnian War. To commemorate the anniversary, Dayton was chosen to host this year's NATO Spring Assembly. 'We're hoping that they'll come to Dayton and be inspired by what we're doing here,' said Young-Basora. 'The messages that we have here in our walls and our rooms and our words, go home and share it.' The Peace Museum is running several exhibits this month to educate and inspire. 'We've got the exhibit on NATO, we've also got our new anti-war gallery just opened up, and then we've got a photojournalist from Sarajevo,' said Young-Basora. 'He gave us access to a ton of his photos, which really, he lived there before, during and after the war.' LIST: What is closing in Dayton during the NATO Assembly? The museum's goal is to change people's perspective on peace. Young-Basora says peace can be described as 'the absence of war,' but is much bigger than just that. 'Peace is knowing your neighbor and helping somebody and doing the things around us that other people maybe aren't doing, to make the world a better place,' said Young-Basora. The Peace Museum will be closed from May 18 through May 28 due to the NATO Village. But the exhibits will be available for the next few months, giving you plenty of time to check them out. Learn more by visiting the Peace Museum's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bradford museum fundraising to ensure entry remains free
A museum has launched efforts to raise enough money to ensure entry for visitors can remain Peace Museum in Bradford's Open the Doors to Peace campaign aims to generate £10,000 in donations during Big Give's Arts for Impact year the museum relocated from the city centre to a new site in Grade II-listed Salts Mill in has since enjoyed a significant increase in visitor numbers. The museum's marketing director, Aine McKenny, said: "We are a completely independent museum and charity, so donations are really important to us to help us to survive and to keep these doors open."The Big Give campaign is an excellent way to do that because it really maximises the impact your donation can make by doubling it." The Peace Museum moved from Piece Hall Yard to the third floor of the mill following grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and City of McKenny added that since the move, the museum had attracted 20,000 visitors compared to around 3,000 at the old has exhibits such as roof tiles salvaged from Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombings, and wire fencing from the Greenham Common peace camp. The museum reopens for the summer on 3 April and has a new exhibition theme which has yet to be added: "Our new hours for spring/summer are going to be Thursday to Sunday between 10am and 4pm."We've changed some of the objects so if you've been to see us when you come back you can see something else. "We'll have all-new peace banners on display, badges on display, and it's also going to be the last chance to see our temporary exhibition 'What Does Peace Mean?' "As well as higher visitor numbers, donations of potential display items from the public have Big Give Trust match funds amounts donated by the public and philanthropists, foundations and to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
