"Waga Kokoro No Hiroshima"

Source: - VHS, 44 minutes; SD., Colour, in Japanese Language, 4 August 1988
By: Synopsis

(Hiroshima in My Heart)

Waga Kokoro No Hiroshima or "Hiroshima in My Heart" is a documentary film of about 45 minutes produced by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). It was screened throughout Japan last year, to mark the 43rd annivesary of the Atomic Bomb Tragedy of the August, 6th 1945.

This documentary revolves around the experience of a young Malaysian student from Penang. He is, none other that, Haji Abdul Razak bin Abdul Hamid, then studying at the University of Hiroshima.

The story begins in Malacca, where Abdul Razak studied the Japanese Language under the military; and continues on to Hiroshima, where he later went to further his education. The documentary graphically depicts the devastating experience Abdul Razak had when the Atomic Bomb was exploded over Hiroshima. It captured enumerable episodes that vividly reminded us of the frightening reality of an Atomic explosion. One could even share the grief and sorrow when Abdul Razak potrayed how he lost a close friend, Allahyarham Syed Omar, in Kyoto. The frequent tears shed, when these episodes were screened in Japan, were indeed inevitable, a testimony to a new awareness about War, the misery and cruelty that it epitomises.

Through the making of this historic film, we feel proud that Abdul Razak is given the honour, as a Malaysian citizen, to speak on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of innocent victims scourged by Atomic bomb. The lession it carries is one, that none of us should ever forget.

The film, being entirely produced in Japanese, merits to be translated or subtitled into other languages, particulaly in Bahasa Malaysia. In this regard, Tuan Haji Abdul Razak has also penned his experience in a book "Debu Hiroshima". We could only wish that, with cooperation of RTM or TV3, Waga Kokoro No Hiroshima would soon be made available in Bahasa Malaysia for a wider audience in this country.

It gives me great pleasure, to call upon Tuan Haji Razak to come forward and present a copy of the video "Waga Kokoro No Hiroshima" and the book "Debu Hiroshima" to Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

VHS, 44 minutes; SD., Colour, in Japanese Language Available at Universiti Sains Malaysia Library
Call No: D767.25
             H6H669