Please look at these peace paintings created by your friends in different places of our planet. You will find differences as well as similarities. Each painting shows a different image of peace as each child's face is not the same. This diversity is the richness of our planet. It is my wish that this exhibition will give you a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the diversity of the participating children's cultural background as well as their strong wish for peace. To understand and accept differences is the first step to creating peaceful world. If you have friends, you will appreciate their differences.

The recent terror and war shocked the world. Could you imagine where these KIDS' GUERNICA paintings go after one hundred years? Please imagine the world after one hundred years. Someone may find ragged huge canvases used for the tents of refugees escaping from violence. Nobody knows those canvases were painted for KIDS' GUERNICA one hundred years ago and nobody knows even the meaning of peace itself. On the contrary, after one hundred years, people may celebrate the memory of KIDS' GUERNICA with the old colorful huge paintings which show the proof of our efforts for peace in the beginning of the 21st century. The world may become more peaceful or still full of violence. It totally depends on all of you, young people. I believe that all who are once involved in this project will think about peace more seriously and never hate other cultures.

At last I would like to emphasize that these beautiful peace paintings are not individual works but collaborative works. Without working together we could not achieve the success we have enjoyed in such a wonderful project. KIDS' GUERNICA is a symbol of working together toward the peaceful world. I believe that if we have a hope for peace and work together, it will surely come true. I wish all of you to share this dream and to support its realization.

Takuya Kaneda

Representative
KIDS' GUERNICA International Committee