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. Tūmanako exhibitions are now being held in locations all over New Zealand.

Each year local children will express inuse art to express 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. The exhibition supports an inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand where all creative expressions are treasured.

Why do we commemorate Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Towards the end of World War II, the United States used the first nuclear weapons. On 6 August 1945, the United States detonated a nuclear uranium bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later a second nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaka. These two killed approximately 120,000 people. A comparable number died later of burn and radiation injuries. It is estimated that 650,000 people survived the attacks.

Because of the unprecedented destructive capability of nuclear weapons, on 24 January 1946 the United Nations General Assembly, in its first resolution, called for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. Aotearoa New Zealand was one of the original 51 United Nations countries supporting this resolution.

In the 1950s the survivors of the bombings established an organisation, Nihon Hidankyo, to make sure that no one ever again experiences a nuclear bomb. This group was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 “for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” 

This year marks the 80th anniversary of these nuclear bombings. The number of people who experienced or remember the dropping of these bombs grows smaller and smaller as the years pass. However their personal stories humanise history and remind us that nuclear weapons must never be used again. They bridge the gap between “those who were there” and we others untouched by the violence of the past. They are living reminders of what is at stake.  

What’s the issue today?

While discussions surrounding nuclear disarmament may appear far removed from daily realities or assumed to be better left to experts and political leaders, everyday citizens have role to play in creating a groundswell of demand for nuclear abolition that will influence decision-makers. The ongoing The main reason forbuild-up of making  nuclear bombs is driven by nations wanting to seems to be that it is to ‘ deter’ (frighten or discourage) other countries using bombs against them.

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

Journey to Hiroshima is a 26-minute aAnimated children's story Journey to Hiroshima by Daisaku Ikeda. that 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.

History of New Zealand nuclear-free movement. 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.

• Human Rights

UN guide on teaching Human Rights

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. 

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 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?