THE Children of the Gulf War Australian Tour Project, a major exhibition of photographs depicting the effects of depleted uranium on the children of the Iraq, will open at a special media launch at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) on Thursday April 10. The Vice President of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (Australia) Dr Harry Cohen will speak at the opening, commencing at 12 noon. The exhibition consists of 58 photographs by acclaimed Japanese photojournalist Takashi Morizumi. The powerful collection includes images of children suffering a legacy of radioactive pollution from the last Gulf war. It shows babies born with hideous birth defects and children dieing of leukemia and other cancers.
More than 300 tons of depleted uranium machine gun bullets and artillery penetrators were fired on Iraq by the multilateral forces in the 1991 Gulf war. The coalition forces are expected to use more than five times that amount this time around.
The exhibition is being sponsored by the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and is being hosted in Perth by the Fremantle Anti Nuclear Group (FANG).
FANG spokesperson Jane Hammond said the exhibition would leave no doubt in the minds of those who viewed it that the use of depleted uranium munitions was a crime against humanity.
"It is a must see exhibition that will profoundly effect all who view it," Ms Hammond said.
Takashi Morizumi is a photojournalist who covers topics in Japan and overseas such as the effects of US military bases and environmental problems. In particular, since the later half of the 90s, he has covered the damages caused by nuclear mining, testing, power plants, and the use of depleteted uranium and other nuclear weapons.
Takashi has been documenting the children of Iraq since 1998. He has observed the effects of the U.S. government blockade: no medical supplies, malnourished children, weakened children dying in large numbers, and the alarming increase in leukemia, cancer, and physical deformities.
Takashi has combined approximately 50 of his photos of Iraq into an exhibition that is being shown around the world.
"I hope to show to many people a view of the things happening around the world that I have been investigating. In the 21st century, where is the world heading? Can mankind's intelligence lead us to a bright future? I want you to keep thinking positively."
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