Peace Boat Voyages for Peace

Thanks to an invitation from Colonel(Ret.)Ann Wright, a tireless advocate for peace, a small group of us were able to take a guided tour of Peace Boat when it docked in Honolulu recently. Our gracious and very knowledgeable guide, Sumiko Hatakeyama, Ph.D., thoughtfully walked us through the exhibition “A Message to Humanity” that celebrates the heroic work of the Japanese NGO, Nihon Hidankyo, which was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its decades long effort to educate the world about the threat posed by the effort of several countries to build nuclear arsenals.

There is small comfort in recognizing that the number of nuclear weapons has been reduced from over 70,000 in the mid 1980s to over 12,000 in 2024 because today’s weapons are far more powerful and will guarantee the extinction of life on the planet as we know it, she pointed out. That is why Peace Boat is actively engaged in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a coalition of 650 NGOs in 110 countries promoting the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons.

This warning was prominently displayed at the exhibition. The faces of some of the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings looked out on us as they bore witness to the horrors of nuclear strikes.

The exhibition, developed in partnership with the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, showcases the testimony of Hibakusha (survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings) as the fight continues to ban nuclear weapons altogether.In the current climate of heightened saber-rattling, genocide, civil wars and violence, Peace Boat’s voyages aim to create more connections between peoples. It advances the idea that those connections that transcend borders and cultures are what will save us from a repetition of horrific past behaviors with even more dire consequences.

Sumiko Hatakeyama explained that the message of Peace Boat was directed at all of humanity. There were Koreans and other Asians and prisoners of war among the victims of the bombings, she said. The call to work for peace is one that all nations must respond to.

Over the past 40 years, Peace Boat has organized over 100 voyages. More than 80,000 people have been to 200 ports in more than 80 countries. As Dr. Hatakeyama pointed out, Peace Boat has been witness to how encountering people from different places builds empathy and a desire to help. One example of this is the generosity of people on board the ship whenever the Peace Boat organizes a fundraising drive for places that have been hit by hurricanes or other climate disasters.

“We had just left Jamaica when the island was hit by a hurricane. People wanted to help, having just had a positive encounter with the place. They gave generously,” she said. There are numerous other examples of how the Peace Boat has engaged in disaster relief and humanitarian aid in places as far removed from each other as Ukraine and Sumatra.

Col (Ret.)Ann Wright, who has been a guest speaker on a couple of the voyages of Peace Boat, and who has led flotillas trying to break the siege and bring aid to Gaza, pointed out: “Peace Boat has organized many events to educate people about the Israeli genocide of Gaza and the complicity of many governments, including the US, in providing weapons to Israel. November 20, Peace Day, was dedicated to Gaza with many events about Gaza including a fundraiser among the boat participants that raised $17,000 to purchase tents for Gaza to be sent through the groups in Gaza that Peace Boat works with—Youth without Borders and Palestine Vision.” That speaks to the way the Peace Boat is slowly but surely getting through to people.

A determined warrior for peace, Col(Ret.)Ann Wright has been an invited speaker on Peace Boat, sharing her experiences of advocating for peace in several war-torn regions.

There is much to learn from visiting Peace Boat. More information about its voyages came be found in this release from the Nobel Peace Center in April of this year. That’s when the vessel first embarked on its voyages to bring the modified version of the Center’s exhibition in Oslo about the 2024 Nobel Prize-winning Nihon Hidankyo’s efforts to people around the world.

Peace Boat’s visit to Honolulu is especially timely, given Archbishop John Wester’s lecture at Chaminade a month earlier about the fact that the Doomsday Clock is inching ever closer to midnight.