Awarded to Takako Barker

The Wilson/Hinkes Award was established by the Week of Prayer for World Peace (WPWP) to honour two former WPWP Chairs (also Chairs of APF).  It is awarded annually and recognises significant contributions by individuals, organisations or projects in furthering peace, justice and reconciliation.  In 2015, five nominations were received.

 The Award recipient for 2015 is Takako Barker. She was nominated by the Chorleywood Quaker Meeting. Takako is Japanese and has lived in the UK for over 20 years.  Described in the nomination as ‘a lone, quiet worker for peace’, at school she says that she was taught that war is wrong and she has always believed this in herself.  Working with the organisation Hope in the Heart, which has collected many of the stories of the Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombs), Takako brought a large exhibition from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to the UK and used it with the Hibakusha stories in various places, including the School of Oriental and African Studies. This action led Takako to her next piece of work which has been as a lone figure standing outside the Japanese embassy for one whole day a week for many months. ‘Stand with a banner and it makes people curious’ she said. She has been protesting the plans of the Japanese Government to change  Article 9 of the Constitution, which prevents Japan from maintaining or using any military force.  She has been approached by many people over the months.  Takako has said she will use the Award to further enhance the Hiroshima exhibition.

Further details of Takako and the other nomination will be in the next edition of the Anglican Peacemaker Newsletter.

APF was the founder of the Week for World Peace, now an independent organisation), which had its 40th anniversary last year.

Named in honour of Revd. Gordon Wilson and Revd. Sidney Hinkes, both former Chairs of the WPWP, the Award is usually made annually. This year it was sponsored by the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship. The Award for £500 focuses on grass root initiatives. It enables otherwise often untold stories to be published and honoured and seeks to inspire others.