Third anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons!

January 22, 2021, entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. How can we celebrate its third anniversary while more and more States continue to ratify it and we have already reached the second meeting/confrontation between them? Meanwhile, I receive a message from Luigi F. Bona, director of Wow, the Comic Museum in Milan: “We did it… we did the exhibition on “The Bomb.” The first time I heard about it was when, as World without Wars and Violence, we were preparing the 2021 Cyberfestival precisely to celebrate the TPAN.

Since back in 1945, the atomic bomb has also made its triumphant entry into our imagination. Countless works, from comics to cinema, have depicted what could happen in the event of a nuclear conflict, immersed us in a future in which atomic energy could improve everyone's lives, or revealed the ins and outs of fundamental events. the last century. The exhibition "The Bomb" tells us about the atomic phenomenon through the fantastic world of comics and imagery, presenting original plates, movie posters, magazines and newspapers of the time, videos and symbolic objects. "The objective of the event," Bona stressed, "is to provoke a reflection on the Bomb, which periodically returns to the news as a lethal threat, on the function of Science and the seductive power of horror and destruction."

After the visit, a pleasant morning was organized to celebrate such an important anniversary. We participated in a primary school of about 70 boys and girls in fourth and fifth grade. First stop, the Nagasaki kako in Galli Park. Surrounded by a large circle, we tell the story of this Hibakujumoku, son of the specimen that survived the atomic attack of 1945. While attending one of the ecological workshops organized within the framework of the social rehabilitation program, some children in the neighborhood had heard about the Tree of the Peace of Nagasaki. They had expressed their desire to have a copy in the garden of the apartment building once the remodeling was completed. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this was very far away. It was then decided to embark on a more complex, but also more committed, path. Through the Tenants Committee, an attempt was made to adopt a copy. I. Since October 2015, persimmon has been growing inside the park.

Second stop, with the fifth graders we went to the Museo del Fumetto, where Chiara Bazzoli, author of "C'è un albero in Giappone", illustrated by AntonGionata Ferrari (published by Sonda), was waiting for us. The boys and girls were divided into two groups, one visiting the exhibition, the other listening to the author. A brief introduction to World without Wars and Violence recalled how the Kaki Tree Project became known. During the first World March for Peace and Non-Violence (2/10/2009-2/1/2010), on a trip to the Brescia area, we learned that a specimen had been growing for years in the Santa Giulia Museum. From there many others followed in Italy. Chiara began to tell the story inspired by the Nagasaki persimmon. The life of a Japanese family revolved around the persimmon that grew in the small garden of their house. The fall of the atomic bomb brought death and destruction for everyone. The surviving persimmon tells the children about war and love, death and rebirth.

Another event dedicated to the anniversary of the TPNW was «Peace and nuclear disarmament. A true story in which you are the superhero', with Alessio Indraccolo (Senzatomica) and Francesco Vignarca (Italian Peace and Disarmament Network). Both pointed out that it is precisely thanks to the commitment of ordinary people that historic milestones have been achieved in the prohibition of nuclear weapons. A treaty that seemed like a utopia has become a reality. Like the World March for Peace and Non-Violence. Believing in it, the first edition was held. Ten years later the second was held and now we are moving towards the third, in which Italy has been involved for more than a year, despite the epilogue four years ago, when everything was prepared and the appearance of Covid compromised everything.

With the Museo del Fumetto, as the World March for Peace and Non-Violence, we are studying several initiatives, including an exhibition on comics dedicated to Non-Violence.

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Editor: Tiziana Volta