The United Nations’ International Mother Language Day has been celebrated annually on February 21st, the anniversary of the Bengali Language Movement, since 2000. It is a time when people across the world join efforts to remember the power of language to preserve our cultures, and to raise awareness of the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity and multilingual education.
Organized for the occasion of this year’s IMLD, and in the framework of the 2010 International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, an International Symposium on Translation and Cultural Mediation is happening today and tomorrow at the UNESCO House in Paris, covering themes such as “Bridging Global and Local Languages”, “Translation and Cultural Mediation” and “Translation, Mutual Understanding and Stereotypes”. Information sessions on languages and multilingualism will include one on the New Atlas of Endangered Languages, and a presentation entitled “Technology and the Mother Tongue: Friend or Foe?”.
In her official message as Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova speaks about the importance of language to create inclusion and promote peace:
Languages are the best vehicles of mutual understanding and tolerance. Respect for all languages is a key factor for ensuring peaceful coexistence, without exclusion, of societies and all of
their members.
Multilingualism, the learning of foreign languages and translation are three strategic axes for the language policies of tomorrow. On the occasion of this 11th International Mother Language Day, I am appealing to the international community to give the mother language, in each of these three axes, its rightful, fundamental place, in a spirit of respect and tolerance which paves the way for peace.
As IMLD grows in importance each year, more and more countries organize educational and cultural events related to mother languages, such as Endangered Languages Week, in the UK. Another example of a country that is embracing IMLD’s goals is Serbia, which, according to UNESCO’s website, will be marking the occasion this week by devoting one lesson in every school to mother languages.
For an an overview of UNESCO’s work on languages in all its areas of competencies, click here.
Today is World Poetry Day. Declared by UNESCO in 1999, the purpose of the day is to promote the reading, writing, teaching and publishing of poetry throughout the world. Check out this UNESCO website for ways you can celebrate poetry for the day. Are there any events you know of in your area that are celebrating the occasion? Do let us know! At PaperTigers, we often feature children’s poetry on Friday blog posts where we interact with a community of bloggers that contribute to the phenomenon known as Poetry Friday. Do check out one of our Poetry Friday posts to link in with this community of bloggers who all share a love and interest in poetry. PaperTigers will be hosting Poetry Friday on April 9.
