What: Friendship Force International 2012 World Conference in Hiroshima, the 35th world conference in Friendship Force history.
When: October 30 - November 2, 2012.
Registration will begin in January, 2012.
Where: Hiroshima, Japan
Theme: Hiroshima for Peace and Friendship
Contact: Debbie Powell
Conference Director/Special Projects
+1.404.496.6615
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Highlights:
- Cultural performances (dancers & drummers)
- Miyajima tour
- Hiroshima city tour: World Heritage Center, Peace Memorial Museum, Ground Zero of A Bomb
- Japanese cultural workshops
- FFI and volunteer workshops
- Dynamic keynote speakers
- Opportunities to meet and reconnect with friends from around the world.
Extra Info: Post-conference hosting will be available with several Japanese clubs.
Mr. James Morikawa, President of FF Hiroshima, gave an invitation at this year’s conference in Hamburg. Here is an excerpt of his speech:
Hiroshima is called Peace Memorial City, with a population of 1,117,000 people. It is the 10th largest leading municipality in Japan.
In the city and its environs are the Atomic Bomb Dome and beautiful Miyajima Island - both are UNESCO heritage sites - and many more sightseeing spots that are visited by more than ten million sightseers every year.
These visitors come to see both sides of the city: devastation and recovery. Hiroshima was deprived of everything and anything during World War II by the first atomic bombing in the history of humankind. On August 6, 2011, we observed the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, my hometown.
Just the one atomic bomb, which exploded over the city of Hiroshima, took the precious lives of innocent citizens, and the registration of atomic bomb victims by 6th of August this year accounted for more than 275,000 even 66 years later. Hiroshima is continuing to send off a strong message of the real state of nuclear disasters, together with a strong peace-building message advocating no nuclear weaponry on earth.
The participants are sure to learn much from the pilgrimage to Hiroshima Ground Zero for world peace. FFI has decided to adopt “Hiroshima for Peace and Friendship” as the official theme for the 2012 World Conference in Hiroshima, Japan. I understand this theme is created with a strong wish for true friendship that is to be realized by recognizing the value of peace here in this peace memorial city, Hiroshima.
FFI Founder Wayne Smith Founder left behind him a famous line: “A world of friend is a world of peace.” And he carried out a unique project, “World Pilgrimage.” It was a 10-day pilgrimage bus tour in Turkey by a group of 45 religious people which consisted of Christians, Jews and Muslims. The lesson learned from this pilgrimage was that friendship, the basis of peace, can be fostered regardless of religious differences.
I believe that paying a visit to Hiroshima, peace memorial city, will lead to joining in the “World Pilgrimage” seeking for world peace.
Besides, Japan is well-known to the rest of the world as a unique nation comprising many traditional and cultural components together with modern high-tech civilization. I really hope you will come to Japan and encounter our unique culture, and thus foster further friendship to promote world peace.
We look forward to your visit from the bottom of our heart.