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Details: Written by: Kamran Mofid; Published: 06 August 2020; Hits: 1895

VOGUE, Sept 2020, ACTIVISM NOW- THE FACES OF HOPE

Photography © Misan Harriman for British Vogue

Marcus Rashford & Adwoa Aboah Lead An Inspiring Army Of Activists On Vogue’s September Cover*

“British Vogue’s interpretation is an ode to the extraordinary voices, the majority of whom are women,

who have been critical to driving change forward.”

British Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, said: “At its core, British Vogue’s September issue is our show of thanks, as well as a rallying cry for the future. When all is said and done, it’s clear that 2020 will be remembered as a tough year, but also as a moment of necessary change. One thing is for certain. The future starts now.”

“At 22, Marcus Rashford is a shining example of how to harness influence for good. When, earlier this year, the Manchester United and England footballer leveraged his enormous popularity to lobby the government to fund free school meals for vulnerable children during lockdown and beyond, he not only brought about a policy U-turn but united a country. Adwoa Aboah, model and leading mental health activist, travelled to Marcus’s garden in Manchester for their cover shot, and, in The Time Is Now, on page 218, the pair feature alongside 37 other phenomenal campaigners – photographed in 13 cities on four continents – who are shaping our times. At its core, this story is our show of thanks, as well as a rallying cry for the future. As writer Afua Hirsch puts it in her accompanying report, “It is a year that has elevated the visibility of legendary figures from those past battles, and ushered in a new generation.”

The “Faces of Hope”

The 20 Remarkable Activists On Vogue’s September Cover Are Ready To Change The World

Photography © Misan Harriman, Philip-Daniel, Texas Isaiah, Eddie Hernandez for British Vogue

‘In the weeks following the killing of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement gave voice to a global cry for change. From systemic racism to disability discrimination and domestic abuse, gender inequality to the climate crisis, in the cover story, Afua Hirsch meets the activists determined to make a difference the world over.’- SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE

Photography © Misan Harriman, Texas Isaiah, Chrisean Rose, Reginald Cunningham for British Vogue

* VOGUE, Sept 2020, ACTIVISM NOW- THE FACES OF HOPE

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Do you wish to see the difference between Europe and the US?

Look at their VOGUES!!

Beyoncé's mother criticises US Vogue for lack of diversity

Tina Knowles-Lawson has praised British Vogue’s editor Edward Enninful for editorial choices

‘Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, has criticised US Vogue for its lack of black photographers.

In an Instagram post that praised British Vogue’s editor, Edward Enninful, for his editorial choices, Knowles-Lawson asked why the American edition did not have the same level of diversity on its pages.

She applauded Enninful for British Vogue’s September issue, which features black activists on the cover including the footballer Marcus Rashford and the model Adwoa Aboah. The picture was taken by Misan Harriman, making him the first black male photographer to have shot the cover in the magazine’s 104-year history.

Beneath a photo of Enninful, Knowles-Lawson wrote: “Kudos to this wonderful man … for boldly putting out beautiful activists on the cover. When will American Vogue step up and hire more black photographers for cover shoots? We’re waiting…”- Continue to read

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Activism – An Ultimate Expression of Hope

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It is hope and activism that can give meaning to life and which will give us the courage to continue on our way into the future together.

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Marcus Rashford: 'This is not about politics, it's about humanity'

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The Youth of the World: Their voices will be heard

In Praise of Volunteerism: If you want to change yourself and the world for better, think of volunteerism

Healing Our Way to a more Caring, Kinder and Fairer Society: A View from a CEO and a Recovered Economist

Kindness to Heal the World- Kindness to Make the World Great Again

Why Love, Trust, Respect and Gratitude Trumps Economics

Details: Written by: Kamran Mofid; Published: 05 August 2020; Hits: 1207

The Western World and Japan.

Understanding Other Countries: The Heart and Soul of Japan

H. E. Hiroaki Fujii, St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, 1995

H. E. Hiroaki Fujii

Nota bene

On the day that we remember the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima And Nagasaki, I would also very much like to remember Japan’s Ambassador’s visit to Coventry, 25 Years On.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation: The Keystones of Human Values

"We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate --- thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising."- Maya Angelou

Ambassadors’ Lecture Series: A bird’s eye view

In 1986 I was awarded my PhD in Economics at University of Birmingham and soon after I was appointed full-time senior lecturer at the Department of Economics at Coventry Polytechnic (now University).

At an international conference in London in 1986 I met the then director of the Anglo-Japanese Economic Institute, Mr. George Bull. We became very good friends. Indeed, George was like a father figure to me- a source of wisdom and inspiration. He introduced me to Japan and to many Japanese friends and facilitated some of my trips to Japan. We did many national and international conferences together, including: Japan and the U.K. Economy; Forgiveness and Reconciliation; NAFTA and the EU; Japan and the Global Economy; and Iran and the Emerging Global Order, all held at Coventry University.

We also together - in association with and supported of the University, the Cathedral and the City Council - instigated and co-founded the Centre for the Study of Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Coventry University and as part of its work, in association with the Ambassadors’ Lecture Series, which we had co- founded already, invited international speakers including the former presidents of Ireland and South Africa, namely, Mrs. Mary Robinson, and F.W. de Klerk to deliver lectures at Coventry Cathedral. Moreover, we also invited other international speakers including Ambassadors of Japan, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Mexico and the High Commissioner of Canada to deliver lectures on the need for dialogue and mutual respect amongst different cultures and civilisations at Coventry’s St. Mary’s Guildhall.

The Ambassadors’ Lecture Series aimed at enabling the ambassadors a frank exposition of their respective countries’ policies to a far wider audience in search of better understanding of why particular nations and peoples have acted in certain ways and what changes are desirable and feasible in different nations’ aims and attitudes.

The anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Pacific War, made the decision of the Ambassador of Japan to accept our invitation to give the very first Ambassador’s Lecture especially significant and timely.

The Western World and Japan by His Excellency Hiroaki Fujii, Coventry, 1995

‘Father Forgive’: Coventry Cathedral and my life's journey of discovery

Details: Written by: Kamran Mofid; Published: 04 August 2020; Hits: 2508

Hibakujumoku: Hiroshima's trees of hope

One of the trees which survived the atomic bomb

‘Eucalypt at the site of Hiroshima Castle, 740 m from hypocenter. The tree survived the atomic bombing, while the castle was destroyed.’-

Caption and Photo:Wikipedia

75 years ago the US dropped an atomic bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, on Hiroshima, killing 140,000 of its 350,000 citizens. Three days later, a second bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people.

Sunrise at the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, 6 August 2019. Photo: The Guardian

Remembering the lives that were lost and the cities that were destroyed in egregious acts against humanity

The trees that survived the bombing of Hiroshima

Photo:Green Legacy Hiroshima

How a message of hope and peace is being spread by trees that everybody believed were dead, but survived and became beacons of hope.

After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6th August 1945 it was thought that nothing would grow in the city for 75 years. However, the following spring new seedlings were seen springing up amongst the debris of the city. They provided a powerful message to the survivors and gave them hope that they could rebuild their city.

Today Hiroshima is a green and vibrant city. Many of the trees that were planted in the city after the war were gifts from overseas donors and donors from other parts of Japan.

Hibakujumoku

However, 170 of the trees that we can enjoy in the city today had actually been in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped and survived the bombing and the devastation that followed. After the war, many of those trees were replanted or preserved in 55 locations within a 2km radius of the hypocenter. Today, they are officially registered as A-bombed trees. Each A-bombed tree is called a hibakujumoku and is identified by a name plate.-ANT- Hiroshima News

Green Legacy Hiroshima (GLH) Initiative

The GLH Initiative is a global volunteer campaign, aiming to disseminate the universal message of trees that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Created in 2011 by two friends, Nassrine Azimi and Tomoko Watanabe, GLH shares worldwide the double message of caution and hope that the unique survivor trees of Hiroshima (and ultimately Nagasaki) represent, recalling on the one hand the dangers of arms of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in particular, and on the other hand the sacred character of mankind and the resilience of nature. Currently seeds and saplings from the A-bombed trees are growing in more than 30 countries - in a sustained, long-term (1000-year) campaign, joining other efforts for a nuclear-free and more ecological planet.

Learn more about GLH Initiative

Introduction video Green Legacy Hiroshima

The trees that survived the bombing of Hiroshima: A Video on the Trees of Hope in Hiroshima

Read more about Trees, Mother Nature and Hope