This exhibit runs from December 1, 2005 - December 31, 2005 Destruction, Reconstruction and Prevention is an exhibition of photographs and a series of public programs dedicated to those individuals who have suffered and withstood the forces of nature and man-made disasters. This exhibition celebrates their resilience and mourns their losses. It also honors the World Bank -- the institution and its staff -- as the largest provider of reconstruction and development assistance. Our institution has borne the responsibility to support recovery and to mitigate the impacts of the disasters in more than 600 projects. As individuals, Bank staff have shown over and over their commitment to offering their expertise and time to those in need. Destruction, Reconstruction and Prevention was conceived and organized by the Institutional Art Program of the World Bank in cooperation with the Regional Offices of Africa, East Asia & the Pacific, and South Asia; the Hazard Management Unit; the World Bank Photo Collection; the World Bank Group Archives & Libraries; the BBC; the National Geographic Channel; the National Geographic Magazine; and the International Child Art Foundation. Without their passionate, professional, and generous support this exhibition would not exist. The World Bank has been directly involved in providing assistance to support regions of the world affected by many catastrophes. To learn from these experiences, we needed to make a fair selection. After long evaluation, the decision came to present three symbolic cases: - The first loan by the World Bank for a reconstruction project was given to France in 1946 after World War II.
- The December 26, 2004, tsunami: one of the major natural disasters in modern times which caused the death of more than 200,000 people and deprived more than 1.5 million people of their homes and in many cases their livelihoods.
- The more recent catastrophe, October 8, 2005, the massive earthquake in Pakistan and India, which the United Nations declared “a logistical nightmare that has surpassed the needs of last December”.
The exhibition and public programs are composed of a photographic display which documents the destruction and reconstruction efforts led by the Bank as an institution, its staff as volunteers, and other local and international donors. Videos provided by various communities in Asia and Latin America, show both reconstruction and prevention projects from the point of view of the beneficiaries; two documentaries -- one by the BBC and National Geographic Channel features the Tsunami, and the second by the UN on the October 2005 Indo-Pakistani earthquake. Finally, drawings by children who have undergone art therapy programs in India, Sri Lanka, and the United States (after the Katrina hurricane) will constitute a dedicated section of the exhibition. A series of parallel events will enhance the experience with events that will be open to the general public and partially broadcast on the Intranet. One of the main lessons learned by the Bank over the years is that reconstruction programs take many years and may have a devastating effect on parts of the population in the affected countries. Many of these populations may never recover from the devastation. It is, therefore, critical to maintain momentum, especially considering that prevention is essential for avoiding future devastating losses. To that aim, the World Bank Institutional Art Program seeks to contribute to awareness of experiences on the important issues on Destruction, Reconstruction and Prevention. Through the discussion we will try to education the public, encouraging efforts of all international actors to maintain the focus on long-term commitment with transparency, and community-involvement. Triggers of catastrophes may be natural, but the impacts these events have on communities are our shared responsibility. Calendar of Events. 
After its closing in Washington, D.C., the exhibition will be seen at the Jakarta Office of the World Bank
|
RSS