~ A Prayer for Peace from Northern Argentina, Hoping for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons ~
Report by Ms. Tomoko Aikawa, Executive Advisor of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
In January 2025, some beautiful 1,000 origami cranes made in the City of San Salvador de Jujuy were delivered to Fundación Sadako to be offered in Hiroshima in August.
This peace education initiative began on January 24, 2024, in San Salvador de Jujuy, the capital of Jujuy Province, with the exhibition A Thousand Cranes for Peace at the Municipal Gallery. The event featured works by local artist Nido Guillermo and the cultural group Luz del Barrio Cuyaya.
The City of Jujuy, together with the Jujuy Japanese Association and supported by Fundación Sadako, has actively promoted this project as a way to encourage the culture of peace and civic responsibility. Due to the limited availability of origami paper, the cranes were made from recycled sheets cut into 15 x 15 cm squares—making the initiative not only symbolic but also environmentally conscious.
The activity has been developed primarily in public institutions and schools throughout the city and is expected to expand to neighboring towns and rural areas.
The recycled-paper “senbazuru” (a collection of one thousand paper cranes) were brought to Buenos Aires at the end of January by Mr. Pedro Sato, president of the Jujuy Japanese Association and cultural coordinator for the city. While awaiting its offering during Hiroshima’s 80th anniversary ceremony in August, the cranes are on display at Kawaii Club Café, a Japanese-style café popular among fans of Japanese culture. For many, it is the first time seeing a full “senbazuru“.
Since 2017, under the leadership of Mayor Raúl “Chuli” Jorge, the City of Jujuy has been a member of Mayors for Peace, a global organization advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons based on the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Photos: courtesy of Ms. Aikawa, Executive Advisor