Momoka Narasaki (Japan) was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan. She is currently a student at the Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages. Dedicated to sharing Hiroshima¡¯s history and lessons with people from around the world, Ms. Narasaki joined Hiroshima International Youth Volunteers and received her certification as an official Hiroshima Prefectural Interpreter and Guide. In 2020, she began working at Peace Culture Village, guiding in-person and virtual tours for visitors of the Hiroshima Peace Park. Read Ms. Momoka Narasaki¡¯s statement on peace below:
Hello, everyone. My name is Momoka Narasaki. I am here representing the youth of Hiroshima. I am very honored and happy to be able to use this wonderful platform to send a message from Hiroshima to the world.
76 years ago, the city of Hiroshima, where I live, was hit by a single atomic bomb, and so many people died under that mushroom cloud, leaving nothing but a burnt plain. The city of Hiroshima, which was full of smiling people and bustling streets, lost all its colors in an instant.
Even those who were able to survive became sick from the after-effects of radiation, lost family members, or were discriminated against because they were thought to be infected by radiation. Many people continued to struggle and suffer, and this suffering sometimes extends to the second and third generations of the hibakusha. A single atomic bomb made it impossible for people to die or live as human beings.
But the people of Hiroshima continued to look forward. Three days after the bombing, the city's streetcars resumed service, and a month later, schools reopened, albeit without textbooks, desks, and roofs. For 75 years, it was believed that no plants or trees would grow, but as if ignoring this, flowers began to bloom again, and new buds began to appear on the trees that had been exposed to the bomb.
Today, Hiroshima is once again full of color, thanks to the incredible resilience of the hibakusha. The recovery of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and even Fukushima show us that humans can overcome even the most hopeless tragedies. I believe that these stories can provide hints about how to move forward as we recover from COVID-19 as a global family.
Some survivors compare COVID-19 to the radiation from the atomic bombing. Both are undetectable and yet have caused much physical and mental suffering.
During this corona disaster, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was issued. I think It is time for us to confront things in our world that threaten peoples¡¯ wellbeing and happiness.
A hibakusha whom I often cooperate with told me that looking at the blue, cloudless sky always encouraged her to keep going and convinced her that there would be a tomorrow, even in the darkest times.
I hope that we can look at the blue sky, realize how we are all connected, learn from stories of resilience and hope in our past, and move forward as a global family.
Inspired by the hibakusha, I believe that if we are all committed to cultivating peace within our own hearts, and to supporting each other through our collective suffering, to praying and acting for a peaceful world, we can realize the future we want to inherit.
I believe we can bring peoples¡¯ colors back to this city again.
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and ceasefire. This Youth Action for Peace series brings together voices of university students around the world sharing the same mission: to celebrate peace by standing up against acts of hate online and offline, and by spreading compassion, kindness, and hope in the face of the pandemic, and as we recover.
