RM honoree explains cultural preservation to Manila students -3

Everyone’s business

Hirayama explained to the students that it is indeed everyone’s business to protect cultural heritage, whether the heritage in question is physical (works of art, statues, buildings, neighborhoods, and parks) or heritage for the mind (religion, literature, cultural values).

Hirayama concluded by saying "as a Japanese, I feel sorry for the people of Asia who suffered from the atrocities caused by the Second World War when Japanese troops battled in the fields of Asian countries. To think that a great number of Asian people as well as Japanese were the victims of the war deeply hurts me."

His final message to his audience was "I hope that we Japanese take the war as a historical precept and show our peaceful stance clearly by the promotion of the cultural movements along with the contributions of our economy and technology to the world."

The focus of 2001 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and Understanding on cultural heritage sends a strong signal to countries like ours where heritage does not receive the serious attention that it deserves.

To those working in the field of cultural heritage preservation, the significance of the award given to Ikuo Hirayama is that it finally shows public appreciation for what many have felt is a thankless task. Hirayama provides the inspiration for the younger generation to take up the task of heritage preservation.