Sharing thoughts on that day that must not be forgotten: the Chornobyl Anniversary

April 26, 1986 - the day of the catastrophic explosion at the Chornobyl (Chernobyl) Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The 38th anniversary of this disaster was marked on Peace Boat's 117th voyage in an event co-organised by both the Ukrainian Youth Ambassadors and the Hibakusha Project.

In the leadup to the day, a photographic exhibition was held onboard the ship by Ogawa Tadayoshi, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The exhibition had two themes: the first, displaying works part of the project he initiated to gather photographs taken at exactly 11:02 on August 9 each year, the timing the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The second was photographs of Chornobyl, which he visited in 2012 as part of Peace Boat's "Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project."

During the event, Ukrainian Youth Ambassador Antonina Korotenko from Kyiv shared the personal testimony of her grandfather, Korotenko Mykhailo, a nuclear physicist who worked as a liquidator in Chornobyl after the explosion of the 4th reactor. His job was to investigate possible chain reactions, and to design and install the concrete protective structure around the damaged reactor. 116,000 people were evacuated and resettled away from the 30 km radioactive zone around Chornobyl. "But the threat from radiation did not end there. To this day, the radiation level in a damaged reactor is dangerously high. Therefore, more than 20 years after the accident, a new generation of scientists began to deal with the consequences of this catastrophe," shared Antonina.

In fact, her father, also a nuclear physicist, was an engineer working on the development of a new protective structure to replace the original structure which was damaged so much it was no longer protective. The new sarcophagus he was involved in creating is the largest moving arched structure in the world. "As you can see, the effects of radioactive threats last for the more than one generation. That’s why we were all very alarmed when, in the first month of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chornobyl was under occupation," shared Antonina.

Fellow Youth Ambassador Tetiana Vazhynska told the audience the story of how her teacher in art school in Kharkiv, Veklenko Oleh, traveled to Chornobyl and spent time with the workers in the contaminated zone. He created portraits, posters and photos which were then displayed in an exhibition about their dangerous work. He went on to launch with colleagues the "4th Block," an International Triennial of environmental, social and eco-educational posters, which receives international attention and continues to this day. The exhibition and the role her teacher played in Chornobyl had a profound influence on Tetiana, now a graphic designer, and her understanding of engaged art.

Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear plant in Ukraine and indeed in the whole of Europe, is now controlled by the Russian army in occupied territory. Adelina Lysenko, who comes from this city, shared the constant worries of her family and friends there about the proper maintenance of the nuclear plant, regular armed clashes in surrounding areas, and possible accidental missile or grenade hits to one of Zaporizhzhia's 6 reactors, which would cause an unthinkable catastrophe.

Tanaka Toshiko, a nuclear survivor from Hiroshima, also took part in the anniversary event. She praised the decision of Ukraine to give up nuclear weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union, while also engaging in dialogue with the Ukrainian Youth Ambassadors on their thoughts on this issue. Tanaka san warned about the humanitarian consequences of any use of Weapons of Mass Destruction, as she personally experienced in Hiroshima. "The reality of the damage caused by nuclear weapons is still not fully conveyed, so we must continue to communicate this. As long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, threats and intimidation will also continue. We must therefore eliminate nuclear weapons as soon as possible," she emphasised. Ms Tanaka also appealed for a reconsideration of the use of nuclear power as an energy source, given the threat of disastrous accidents and the risks posed by inadequate maintenance.

Chernobyl and the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan are the only two nuclear accidents rated at seven on the International Nuclear Event scale, the maximum severity. This event shared the voices of people affected by both the threat and actual use of nuclear weapons, from different generations. As Tetiana told, "Japan and Ukraine are two countries that both have experienced nuclear suffering. It is very important for us to share this pain, and these experiences with each other."

The Hibakusha Project visits Chornobyl in 2012: featuring Tanaka Toshiko (back left), and Ogawa Tadayoshi (front, second from right).