..February 2011.. ..Dresden..
The text from my speech given at the Dreikönigskirche in Dresden on February 11, 2011.
I was asked to speak about the From Above project while it was exhibited in Dresden for the commemorations of the fire bombings. The Dreikönigskirche was completely destroyed during the fire bombings. But was rebuilt. The surviving and heavy damaged altar is inside the rebuilt church.
Paule Saviano, February 11, 2011……
In a time when it seems people have not learned that war is not a rational way to resolve disagreements, I’m proud to be in Dresden to support the survivors of the Dresden fire bombings and to inform my generation that war only causes suffering.
My name is Paule Saviano. I’m a photographer New York. My journey to Dresden started with my photography project about atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Tokyo fire bombing survivors. In Japan, I have met 40 atomic bomb survivors in 3 years.
Around his time last year, I wrote a letter to Nora Lang asking to come to Dresden to extend my project. In May 2010, I traveled to Dresden and met 12 fire bombing Survivors. Many are in the audience today.
I’m very pleased to be back in Dresden. My experience in Dresden and Japan has been an education. Every time I met a war survivor, I realize how fortunate I’ve been not to have experienced war.
I realize how fragile life is. Each person I met in Dresden and Japan has been welcoming and inspiring. They demonstrate incredible courage and honesty speaking about experiences that changed their lives forever. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with each one of these people. These conversations have been the foundations for new friendships that transcend generational and ethnic differences. It has put a voice and face to words in history books. Most people view war with statistics and dates. They forget war affects real people. The voices and faces of ordinary people are neglected in history books. I have been able to find these voices with my project.
Each day I think about everyone I‘ve photographed in Dresden and Japan. They have encouraged me to continue my education. Life is about experiences and continuing to learn. I will soon travel to Gernika and Coventry to listen to their voices. It demonstrates suffering from war is universal. It affects people of all cultures and nationality.
For my generation this is the last opportunity to travel to places like Dresden to learn directly from the war survivors that war is not beneficial to any humans.
I hope today we will not forget those who lost their lives on February 13th, 1945 or the survivors who had their lives changed forever. It is important we learn from the past. The consequences of making the same mistakes today are even greater for every one of us living under the same sky.
