July 27, 2006
Stephen and Katy Sotor in Viet Nam
Participants have been charmed by one of the youngest guest speakers to have been invited onboard Peace Boat. At 14 years old, Stephen Sotor (onboard until Singapore) has impressed many with his cool confidence onstage, as well as his short and direct answers to questions ranging from nuclear disarmament to intercultural relations in peacebuilding.
At the age of 12, Stephen and his friend Trace Gaynor were disappointed with the lack of information their elementary school in Chicago was providing them concerning the atomic bomb the US government had dropped on Hiroshima and the hydrogen bomb dropped on Nagasaki in August of 1945. During summer vacation of their 6th grade year, Stephen proposed that they make a documentary on the subject for other young people. The product is internationally acclaimed and award-winning “Genie in a Bottle: Unleashed”.
Through the introduction of Stephen’s mother Katy (also onboard) they met Martyl (an artist who created the Doomsday Clock) and through Martyl, many others including Steven Shwartz (former editor for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) and Al Wattenberg (a scientist who helped develop the nuclear weapon); all whom appear in the film. Depicting the secretive nature of the Manhattan Project, the devastating effect the bomb has had on Hibakusha (victims of radiation) and following generations, and a touch of comic relief in the form of a personified Genie who likes cats, the 16-minute film is not only accessible to children, but to adults as well. The title refers to an analogy that many people used to express an urgent warning about the development of the nuclear weapon; something that once created could not be undone.
Having befriended 75-year-old guest educator Fumiko Amano, who is onboard to speak about her personal experiences as a Hibakusha, Stephen also held a more casual discussion session with Fuuchan (a nickname she prefers). As Fuuchan embraced Stephen she told the audience that he heals her and gives her hope because it was when she was his age that the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima.
Aside from the screening of his film and lectures, Stephen has been actively involved with life onboard through a variety of activities including a 30-person card game “Mafia” (organized by Stephen), the creation of a peace flag, and the filming of his latest project – a documentary about Peace Boat. Katy and Stephen can often be seen on deck reading, chatting with participants, and playing card games.
It was on one such afternoon at Sunshine Bar that I asked Stephen why he thought war existed. While stirring his nonalcoholic “kiddy cocktail” he answered simply, “Because people want power.” Then he grinned his still-child smile and said, “If only humans weren’t divided by countries but unified as Earth.”
Stephen and Trace (who unfortunately could not join us for the voyage) are in the final editing stages of a second documentary titled, “Final Frontier: Explorers or Warriors”, which addresses the U.S. development of a space defense system, more commonly known as “Star Wars”. You can contact Stephen and Trace at ssotor@aol.com.
“This is our cry.
This is our prayer.
To create peace in the world.”
- The inscription on the children’s memorial at Hiroshima Peace Park
For more information, please click on the following links:
Doomsday Clock:
I just took a look at the curious "Doomsday Clock". Seven minutes, two minutes, ten minutes, five minutes. How many minutes away are we now in 2006 with businessmen dressed as leaders at the control panel? Don't these scientists know that it IS midnight and that the dawn is now on its way? Listen. You can almost hear its approach.
Posted by: | 03 August 2006 at 03:12 PM