Closing of the exhibition “Bomb Shadows: Hiroshima-Nagasaki” concludes with a round table
João Paulo II University Library (BUJPII) is approaching the end of the thematic exhibition “Bomb Shadows: Hiroshima-Nagasaki”, which has been open since June 11 and will be on display until October 10, 2025. This exhibition results from a partnership with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, in the year that marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 1945).
To commemorate the closing of the exhibition, there will be a round table discussion on Tuesday, October 7, from 4 pm to 5 pm in the lounge of BUJPII, which aims to reflect on the impacts of the atomic bomb and the challenges of fostering a culture of peace. Access to the exhibition is free and open to both the academic community and the general public, promoting inclusive access to art and culture.
The panel will comprise distinguished personalities from various fields of knowledge and intervention who will address the theme from complementary perspectives — from historical-political dimensions to bioethical reflection, including health and socio-cultural memory. Among the speakers will be Mr. Ota Makoto, Ambassador of Japan to Portugal; Prof. Dr. Peter Hanenberg, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation; Prof. Dr. Yuko Kase, a member of the Institute of Asian Studies; Prof. Dr. Mara de Sousa Freitas, Director of the Institute of Bioethics at UCP; and Prof. Dr. Zaida Charepe, Coordinator of the Master's program in Pediatric Health Nursing at the Nursing School (Lisbon) of UCP.
To mark the closing of the exhibition and inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki — the Japanese girl who, after the Hiroshima atomic bombing, sought to fold a thousand paper cranes as a symbol of hope and desire for healing — paper cranes were created during the exposition in workshops open to the community. As a symbolic gesture of sharing, a collection of origami cranes will be gifted by BUJPII to children in a pediatrics unit, reinforcing the message of peace and hope that the cranes represent. The offer will be made by BUJPII, in the presence of Nurse Maria José da Costa Dias, Director of the São José Local Health Unit, and Deputy Nursing Director of the Dona Estefânia Hospital, Nurse Ana Oliveira, representing the Pediatrics Unit.
The exhibition consists of two main sections: the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Photo Poster Set and A-Bomb Drawings by Survivors. It presents a collection of visual records and testimonies from survivors that document the devastation caused by nuclear weapons.
With the closure of this exhibition, BUJPII reaffirms its mission to raise awareness of historical memory, promote critical reflection, and encourage the construction of a future marked by peace.