Hiroshima exhibition at the Menzies Library
This week the ANU Japan Institute and the Menzies Library launched an exhibition, in collaboration with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
This powerful exhibit ‘Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Atomic Bomb’ will deepen your understanding of the damage caused by nuclear weapons. It includes 30 panels that through personal accounts and photographs tell the story of the atomic bombs, Hiroshima and Nagasaki before and after the war, and the devastating impact, rebuilding and survival.
Since 1995, Hiroshima City has collaborated with institutions in major cities around the world to organise exhibitions to deepen public knowledge of the realities behind the atomic bombs and to convey the cruelty and inhumanity of this weapon of mass destruction.
As it is now seventy-five years since the atomic bombs were dropped, the chance to hear from the aging survivors of this traumatic event are slipping away. It is becoming more and more important to convey their words and feelings to younger generations, the future leaders of the world. We were extremely honoured to have one such survivor, Ms Yoshiko Kajimoto, share her powerful eye-witness testimony of the bombing at the Exhibition launch event. When you visit the exhibition you can hear her speak and read her powerful words.
The launch included a welcome address by Professor Helen Sullivan (Dean of the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific).
"This remarkable exhibition showcases the devastation wreaked by the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 - one of the most significant historical episodes in the Asia-Pacific. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki introduced a new form of horror into the world and ushered in a nuclear age." said Professor Sullivan.
Former ANU Chancellor Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC provided the keynote address, titled 'Why the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be repeated" and he spoke passionately about the need for better policy approaches internationally to nuclear disarmament.
University Librarian Roxanne Missingham welcomed the exhibition to the Menzies Library.
“It is exceptionally important to remember the lessons from Hiroshima,” said Roxanne.
“For a National University created as part of post-war reconstruction, our role in helping to impart knowledge of the devastation of World War II and the need for a better approach to controlling nuclear bombs is vital.”
The exhibition features panels generously provided by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, supplemented by a display of publications from the ANU Library covering the impact of nuclear weapons, and a small exhibit of documents, photographs, posters and badges on peace activism and international disarmament movements from the trade union and personal papers collections of the ANU Archives. It provides an invaluable opportunity for ANU staff and students, as well as members of the wider public, government and diplomatic officials to bear witness to events of 1945 and to learn about their enduring impact and consequences.
The exhibition is on display in the Menzies Library until 30 November 2022 and is open to the public.
We strongly encourage ANU teaching staff to find an opportunity to bring their classes and students to visit this important exhibition.
Menzies Library opening hours - link.
Eye-witness testimony of A-bomb survivor, Ms Yoshiko Kajimoto - Transcript of the testimony by Ms Yoshiko Kajimoto at the opening of the Exhibition
Why the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be repeated - Transcript of the speech by Prof the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC at the opening of the Exhibition