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Lectured by Mr. Maki Sato, Secretary General of Japan Iraq Medical Network (JIM-NET)
Sponsored by Meguro Board of Education
Organized by NPO Meguro UNESCO Association
The lecture was held from 14:00 on October 25th (Sat) at the Kumin Gallery of the Meguro Museum of Art with some 30 people present. This was a second lecture, following the first one held in 2004, entitled, “Art Exhibition by Iraqi Children and a Story”. It has been five years since the Iraqi War was started. Looking back to ask to ourselves what the occupation of Iraq has achieved, we can see that the war has brought about refugees, displaced people, children suffering from cancer, and an unending war…. We suspect that the depleted uranium shells and chemical weapons used in the war constitute a major cause of cancer as well as environmental destruction. Sabreen Hafed had her cancer-affected eye removed. Aya Drid had to have her leg amputated at the groin. Salman Mohamed cannot keep his nose from bleeding. The appeal made in the paintings is No War! They are filled with “the feeling that could not be adequately expressed, even in the sheets of paper collected from all over the world.” Mr. Sato spoke while pointing at the exhibits that had been painted by children who are studying in a class in hospital. “Food aid is effective of course, but many lives also can be saved if medicines are available. What can Japanese people do? JIM-NET is running a chocolate fund-raising campaign to provide medicine that costs 400 yen per person a day” he said.
Meguro UNESCO Association hurriedly created postcards with paintings by Iraqi children in time for the art exhibition (* NFUAJ subsidy to promote grassroots activities was appropriated.) I hope the light toned cards can help to tell people the horrors of the war and to heal the minds and bodies of children in the class in hospital. Meguro UNESCO Association is considering further cooperation by printing additional cards, etc.
-reported by Fumiko Harada, PR Committee