Nagasaki-America Peace Project

Announcement from H-ASIA:

We are 2010 graduates Alex Sklyar and Carolina van der Mensbrugghe of Colgate University, and we will be making a video documentary on site in Nagasaki, Japan, as one of the Kathryn Davis Foundation's Projects for Peace for the summer of 2010. The Nagasaki-America Peace Project will consist of this documentary, an official website, and a text and video blog kept during the summer. We hope that these materials can be used in college, university, and high school classrooms across the US to give students and educators better access to the culture and history of Nagasaki, the contemporary peace activism of its citizens, and the stories of the atomic bombing survivors.

We will be on site in Nagasaki from July 2 until August 12 filming, interviewing, blogging, and observing. Our focus is two-fold: 1) the response of Nagasaki citizens in the wake of the atomic bombing; 2) Nagasaki history and culture beyond the atomic bombing. As such, one of our main focuses is the vibrant peace activism movement that has resulted in Nagasaki over the past 60 years. Secondly, we are focusing on the stories of post-bombing survival and recovery of the hibakusha and the city. Thirdly, we will be presenting the international history of Nagasaki and its contact with the West throughout the Edo period and before. As part of this third point, we will be presenting the Christian and hidden-Christian history of the Nagasaki area.

Our DVD, website, and blog will be a great resource for anyone teaching about the city of Nagasaki, the Edo period, the atomic bombings, and Japanese culture and history in general. We also hope that our efforts will inspire other students interested and invested in grassroots peace activism and cross-cultural communication to actively pursue opportunities that can make an impact on global peace culture. We hope that our efforts and the efforts of the Nagasaki peace activism community that we will capture on film can serve as an example of what these students can do themselves, whether it be through the establishment of peace groups at universities, colleges, and high schools across the US, by applying for foundation fellowships such as the Davis' 100 Projects for Peace, or connecting with other peace groups across the global.

Please contact us directly if you are interested in following our blog and/or receiving a DVD once it is made. You can email us at:

nagasakiamericapeaceproject@gmail.com AND/OR alexs659@gmail.com