..December 2014.. ..Nagasaki, Dresden, Leipzig..
Sadly, 2014 saw the passing of three people who I photographed for From Above and the Berlin Wall project.
Mrs. Hiroshi Matsuzoe, Mrs. Lieselotte Jakob and Pastor Christian Führer were some of the most memorable people who I have ever photographed. I have a great deal of respect for what they have endured and stood for later in their lives. I never understood why they thanked me so much for being interested in their lives because they naturally seemed like extraordinary people to me. They lived every moment demonstrating that peace begins with your actions then it can be spread exponentially.
I never had doubts about what they fought for. I need to thank them because they had more trust in me at times than I had in myself. I hope that my photographs will continue to carry on their message even though their voices have gone silent.
Mr. Matsuzoe was one the first hibakusha, atomic bomb survivor, I photographed and interviewed for From Above. He was 14 years old when the atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki.
Mr. Matsuzoe dedicated his life to informing students about the importance of abolishing nuclear weapons. Last year he lost his voice to cancer but still spread his message when doctor’s restored his voice by installing an electronic device in his voice box.
Mrs. Lieselotte Jakob was one of the oldest survivors of the Dresden firebombings that I photographed. She lived in Dresden all her life and each year she attended the commemoration ceremonies to make sure the survivors message of peace and reconciliation weren’t not drowned out by the misguided ideology of vengeance. Mrs. Jakob is a testament that the softest voices can have a lasting impression over the sophomoric who are shouting.
Pastor Christian Führer was the organizer of the Monday Demonstrations at the Nikolakirche in Leipzig, East Germany. During the autumn of 1989, the demonstrations were a catalyst for the fall of the socialist East German regime which ruled since the end of WWII.
Pastor Führer galvanized millions of people to speak out for greater civil liberties in a country where dissent and criticism of the “system” was not tolerated. What started out as a movement consisting of a handful of people swept through an entire population over the course of a decade. He is an example of the power one person’s actions can have, not only on a country, but history. He was one of the most under appreciated figures, who I consider a real person (not some bureaucratic or politician), who brought a crashing end to the Cold War. Even thought I don’t believe he is given enough credit for his role in history, Pastor Führer’s modesty wouldn’t permit it. He probably saw what he contributed to as his responsibility to society.
Tags: DDR, Dresden, From Above, Hibakusha, Hiroshi Matsuzoe, Leipzig, Lieselotte Jakob, Monday Demonstrations, Nagasaki, Nikolakirche, Pastor Christian Fuhrer