By: Ahmed Fathi
New York: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots group representing atomic bomb survivors—Hibakusha—from Hiroshima and Nagasaki the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in a strong statement to a society still struggling with nuclear concerns. Declared on Friday, the award honors the group's decades-long campaign to outlaw nuclear weapons and its moving account of the terrible damage the two atomic bombs dropped in 1945 causes.
Members of Nihon Hidankyo are the live representation of that destruction. Along with the emotional weight of seeing their homes, families, and cities reduced to ash, many Hibakusha carry the marks of the radiation that tore at their bodies. Emphasizing that these weapons of mass destruction never should be used once more, their stories have helped to shape the worldwide debate on nuclear disarmament.
"The Hibakusha help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable, and to somehow grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons," the citation from the Nobel Committee said. The relentless campaigning of the organization acts as a living reminder of the terrible human cost nuclear weapons cause and acts as a moral compass in a society headed toward more conflict.
Speaking from Hiroshima, Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki battled control of his feeling. He said, pinching his cheek in incredulity, "I can't believe it's real." Having personally survived the atomic bombing, Mimaki hoped the award would help the group's message and initiatives toward a nuclear-free society be more prominent. Emphasizing the group's belief that enduring peace is within reach, he said, "nuclear weapons should absolutely be abolished."
This awareness is much needed right now. The Nobel Committee's choice reminds us sharply of the dangers mankind faces as countries like Russia and North Korea freely modernize and increase their nuclear arsenals and among growing geopolitical tensions. Joergen Watne Frydnes, the committee chairman, did not hold back in confronting these risks. "We wanted to emphasize the need of enhancing the international norm against the use of nuclear weapons in a world loaded with conflicts," he said.
Hibakusha have gone through the atrocities of nuclear war. Their fight has been for the dignity of next generations as much as for their survival. Originally shunned and mistreated in post-war Japan, these survivors evolved as the voice of opposition against nuclear armaments. Over 100,000 survivors still exist today; their average age is now 85.6, but their voices are just as important as they were years ago.
This is the second time a Japanese recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize has been honored in 123-year history. First was former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1974, acknowledged for his signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and efforts in Pacific Rim stability. Since Nihon Hidankyo's awareness comes almost 80 years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this event is a significant contemplation on historical lessons.
Nihon Hidankyo joins the ranks of past laureates including ICAN (the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) and Elie Wiesel, all of whom have raised their voices against weapons of mass destruction and the need of remembering the past to protect the future. She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. If we are to prevent nuclear catastrophe and create a future based on peace, the world community has to pay attention to the Hibakusha—people who have seen firsthand the worst of humanity's capacity for devastation.
Nihon Hidankyo will formally receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on December 10th, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, whose will set the prizes. This year's message is clear: the world has to start toward total abolition of nuclear weapons or risk repeating the darkest events of history.
With their unflinching spirit and resiliency, the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki inspire us that people can rise from the rubble. By means of their narratives, they impart to the globe the conviction to fight for what is right, the bravery to face unspeakable atrocities, and the compassion to guarantee that such suffering is never recurring.
Comentarios