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Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Kobe Earthquake in Japan
United Nations Public forum on Disaster Reduction
To
commemorate the anniversary of the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in Japan
on January 17, 1995, which destroyed the city of Kobe along with a vast
surrounding area, the United Nations, the Hyogo board of education and the
office of jEARN held a conference on January 18th, 2005 at Yume Butai
Conference Center on Awaji island, Kobe.
I was
invited as the Bam paint shop coordinator and the representative of the
Science and Arts Foundation to deliver the key note speech with
the title of Disaster Relief in the Information Age. An exhibition of Bam
children’s artworks along with a number of my photographs of life after the
earthquake in Bam were displayed in the conference hall.
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The conference started with greetings by Dr
Badaoui Rouhban, Chief of the Section for Disaster Reduction at UNESCO.
followed by other greetings from the conference committee members. Then
I presented the keynote speech explaining the one year collaboration
between Japan and Iran through iEARN forums resulting the initiation of
the paint shop in Bam, a project that brought hope and color into the
lives of many children. The presentation was concluded with the fact
that through ICT, disaster relief would be more effective and living in
the global village means that human beings are much closer in times of
trouble.
The conference continued with reports of disaster prevention studies
conducted by students and teachers of different schools in the region.
A video conference with the Bam paint shop students was organized and
they extended their greetings and gratitude to the Japanese school
children who supported them by helping to set up the paint shop. They
remained on the screen and online for the remaining time of the
conference and watched and listened to Japanese students and exchanged
messages with them.
The
Koro Minami primary school students who were among the first donors
presented a beautiful tapestry to the children in Bam as another symbol
of Friendship.
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The conference ended with a closing speech by Dr.Rajib
Shaw, a UN employee and Associate Professor at Kyoto University. During my
one week stay in Japan, the jEARN office organized a number of visits:
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The Kobe Earthquake Museum where the
Kobe and Awaji earthquake scenes were simulated with the latest sound and
image techniques, photographs and items from the first days of the disaster
were displayed, in general it was very moving and also educational - it
could inspire us to build a museum in the city of Bam.
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Primary schools and high schools in
Akashi, a couple of small cities and in Nagoya, the third big city in
Japan. I was greeted in every school by the principal, teachers and
students with a great deal of hospitality. I had the chance to dine with
them and take part in their school activities. During each visit I conveyed
Bam children’s sense of gratitude and the Japanese students showed a
profound interest in the Bam students daily life by asking many questions.
The paintings and photographs helped me to visualize their present situation
to the children in Japan.
We
discussed the importance of this simple and beautiful bond already
established between our students with Japanese teachers and we all agreed
that children at both ends could benefit greatly from the impact of this
project and it would hopefully end up as a long lasting relationship.
Mojgan Momeni
iEARN Iran Country Coordinator
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