Report by Mr. Francis Benoit, Mayor of Kuurne, Belgium
During my trip to Japan, I had the privilege, as Mayor of Kuurne and a member of the international network #MayorsForPeace, of placing three paper cranes from Kuurne at the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima.
For the International Day of Peace, dozens of volunteers here made 1,000 paper cranes. A beautiful initiative by the Global Council in cooperation with the Municipality of Kuurne.
After the terrible atomic bombing of Hiroshima 80 years ago, a young girl named Sadako folded 1,000 paper cranes. She firmly believed that doing so would save her life. Sadly, she passed away. Since then, the paper crane has become a universal symbol of peace and hope.
Millions of people visit the monument, the museum and the remains of the former Atomic Bomb Dome. A place that leaves you speechless and makes you reflect deeply.
N’oublions jamais. Let us never forget.
As Mayor, I also had the honour of writing a message in the Peace Book in Hiroshima, on behalf of all the people of Kuurne.
On 10 November, together with the Royal Leieslag Committee of Kuurne, we will commemorate the veterans and all those who lost their lives in the two World Wars at our local cemetery.
Three little cranes. One message. A world that must never forget.
Copyright: City of Kuurne