From Nagasaki to Morosolo, the persimmon is 10 years old

First, a small plant survived the Nagasaki atomic bomb, then, an artist had an innovative idea, and a school embraced the project and carries it on. Ten years ago, the school in Morosolo adopted a persimmon tree, they planted it in front of the old Church of San Giovanni, in Casciago, and took care of it. Although it is only small, it has great meaning, and on Sunday 2 May, it will be surrounded once more by children from the “Manzoni” Primary School, teachers, mothers and the whole community, for a big party.

The project to grow a persimmon tree began in 2000, when the children of Morosolo joined the “Kaki Tree Project”, an initiative started in Japan, in 1994, when Dr Ebinuma succeeded in getting plants to grow from the seeds of the first fruits of the only tree that survived the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki; the plants have become a symbol of peace. Later, the Japanese artist, Tatsuo Miyajima, who will be attending the event, created an art project for children. The community of Morosolo was one of the first to join this initiative, and every year, they have put on events to celebrate the anniversary of the planting of the persimmon, which took place on 18 March, 2000.

“It’s an event that will go down in history,” said Beniamino Maroni, the mayor of Casciago. “The aim of this initiative is pass on the meaning of peace and brotherhood to our young people.”

The real stars of the event are the one hundred and twenty three young children from the “Manzoni” School, who, with the help of their teachers and of the project coordinator, Anniva Anzi, have worked again this year to promote the event. They will be presenting a special solar clock inspired by the persimmon, which has been made with Roberto Baggio, an expert on sundials, and regional head of the cultural association “Horologium”. A Japanese delegation, “The Harvest of Kaki”, will also be attending the event, together with the Japanese Consul and various artists that have shared in the project over the years. At 11.15 am, the event will be inaugurated, and art workshops will be held during the day, when collective works will be produced. During the morning, there will also be the inauguration of the exhibition “In memory of our friend, Luigi Aimo Cerati, an artist from Varese, who died recently, who worked on the project in 2008. At 1 pm, there will be refreshments, and in the afternoon, until 5 pm, the exhibition “Ten years with the Kaki” will open in the public library in Casciago, in Largo De Gasperi.