Peace Song from Hiroshima to the World
an article by Suwako Nagata

I am a coordinator of iEARN NEGAI Connection. NEGAI(Japanese)means "Our Wish" in English. " NEGAI" is the title of a peace song born in Hiroshima in 2002. It was made by Ohzu Junior High School students in Hiroshima.

The verse is as follows:

1. If from above our heads, missiles are bombs

Were not being dropped, but rather books and notebooks

We would be liberated from ignorance and prejudice

We shall stop fighting and live together in peace.

I began to promote this song through the Internet as one of iEARN( International Education and Resource Network) projects.

The purpose is to promote peace through this song.

How to promote:

1 Collect as many translations of this song as possible. Now, we have 32 translations

2.Collect as many verses as possible, following the fifth verse after this original song.

We have collected 861 verses until now. It will soon reach 1000 verses! We are proud that it is the world longest song! though it can't be categorized in GUINNESS World Records.

3. There are 170 NEGAI members and we are exchanging our peace ideas daily. Members are from 40 countries.

So far actually we have held a lot of concerts and appealed peace to the audience and many schools and groups have submitted peace verses they made. This is the world biggest peace poem collection. I hope UN will use this song as some peace event.

Please refer to this website : www.jearn.jp/2003conference/negai/index.html

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