Background Information
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Tūmanako is an annual exhibition of children's art supporting an inclusive Aotearoa where all lives are celebrated and supporting a nuclear-free world.
The first Tūmanako was held in Wellington in 2015 commemorating the anniversary Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attack in 1945, the exhibition has always supported an inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand where all lives are treasured.
Each year local children will express in art their hopes and dreams for a peaceful world to thrive in. The resulting exhibition will display artworks of children and youth aged 18 years old and under - exhibitions are now being held in locations all over New Zealand.
Why do we commemorate Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
On 6 August 1945, the United States detonated a nuclear uranium bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing more than 140,000 people within months. Many more later died from radiation-related illnesses. A second nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people by the end of 1945. On 24 January 1946 the United Nations General Assembly, in its first resolution, called for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. This was because the atomic bomb was such a destructive weapon, killing so many children and ordinary people rather than soldiers. NZ was one of the original 51 United Nations countries.
What’s the issue today?
There are 16,000 nuclear warheads in the world today, owned by only nine countries. The United States and Russia maintain roughly 1,800 of their nuclear weapons on high-alert status – ready to be launched within minutes of a warning. Most are many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. A single nuclear warhead, if detonated on a large city, could kill millions of people, with the effects persisting for decades. http://www.icanw.org/the-facts/nuclear-arsenals/
The main reason for making nuclear bombs seems to be that it is to ‘deter’ (or frighten or discourage) other countries using bombs against them.
Other Resources
Nuclear Abolition
SGI Action for Peace : The Continued Work of SGI’s “People’s Decade” Campaign
UN Peace and disarmament resources for teachers and students
Animated children's story Journey to Hiroshima by Daisaku Ikeda. Can a message Kazu brings back from his a-bomb survivor aunt in Hiroshima inspire his friend Hide to become a champion again? 26 minutes, explores the human spirit, courage and friendship against a backdrop of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Human Rights
UN guide on teaching Human Rights
How has Wellington stood up against nuclear weapons?
Wellington was one of the first cities in New Zealand to declare itself a ‘nuclear-free’. This was over 37 years ago.
After many towns, cities, schools and groups had declared themselves nuclear free the New Zealand Nuclear Free legislation was passed on 8 June 1987. Read about it here
What art projects could we do?
The ideas and voices of children are important. There are times when adults need to connect with children's perspectives and ideas to refresh their own determination to create a better and more peaceful world.
Read the story of Sadako and the 1000 paper cranes. Make paper cranes and attach your own peace quote.
Sadako Sasaki was two years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Ten years later, she was diagnosed with leukaemia, and informed that she had only one year to live.
Sadako’s friends reminded her of a Japanese legend: that if you make a thousand paper cranes, you get one wish. Sadako spent the remainder of her life folding paper cranes – but had only reached 644 when she died. After her death, her friends continued making her paper cranes, and raised the money to build a monument in her honour.
Now, children from all over the world fold paper cranes to be placed beneath her statue in commemoration of the atrocities suffered in Hiroshima.
Use symbols of peace like
Use your imagination, what does hope look like? What does a peaceful world look like? How to people appear in a peaceful world as opposed to a warful world?