International Mother Language Day 2022
International Mother Language Day, a commemorative event to promote awareness of linguistic diversity and cultural diversity was held on Monday at Independence Square under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane and State Minister for Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya.
The event was organised by the High Commission of Bangladesh and the Education Ministry on the theme of “Mother, Mother Language, Motherland.”
The show opened with Indian Cultural Centre students flawlessly performing “Ami Banglay Gaan Gai,” a patriotic Bengali song written by Partul Mukhopadhyay and originally sung by Mahmuduzzaman Babu. The next event, was the Sinhala language song ‘Obath Mamath’ sung by Jagath Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan Musician and the current Chairman of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). His performance was followed by the Tamil song ‘Tamizhukku Amudhendru Peyr’ sung by Thenuka Karunakaran.
Students from the Maldivan Cultural Centre in Colombo educated the audience by demonstrating five different dialects of their national language Dhivehi and performed a cultural dance. The focus then switched to Europe, with a performance by a group of students from the Russian Cultural Centre, who performed a powerful Russian folk dance. This was followed by a recitation of ‘Birch Tree,’ a poem by Russian poet Sergi Yesenin, to offer an idea of the sound of the language and rural life in Russia.
Concluding the cultural events at the ceremony, Divya Serasinge performed a French song and a speech was given by Kasunya de Silva.
Bangladesh has always been a global proponent of mother tongue preservation, and in 1999, UNESCO unanimously declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day, inspired by the tremendous sacrifice given by language martyrs to protect their mother tongue, ‘Bangla.’
Addressing the gathering, Bangladesh High Commissioner Tareq Md. Ariful Islam said while there are many mother languages around the world, the spirit of language is that it allows people to come together and celebrate one common goal: the fraternity of languages while also celebrating unity and diversity.
He went on to explain why the focus of the celebrations should be on the youth. “It is critical for the kids to receive education in their mother tongue in order to learn and develop their personalities,” he said.
Mr. Ariful Islam believes that a strategy of teaching in the mother tongue will ensure that all children attend school.
He went on to say that now, 40 percent of people around the world lack access to school, owing to the fact that education is not provided in their mother tongue.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education Dinesh Gunawardena said Sri Lanka provides education in the country’s three official languages: Sinhala, Tamil, and English.
“Throughout his political and state careers around the world, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has consistently carried the message of the mother tongue. Simultaneously, he will speak at global conferences in Tamil to demonstrate the country’s inclusive attitude to language preservation,” he said.
Linguistic diversity is a common good and the protection of linguistic diversity is a duty, said International Labour Organisation Country Director Simran Singh, on behalf of the UN.
“Another factor we haven’t discussed yet is technology, which gives new means for preserving language diversity. However, because the internet poses a risk of linguistic uniformisation, we must equally be cognisant of technological advancement in terms of language preservation,” she warned.
At the end of the programme, prizes were presented to schoolchildren who had won creative writing and art competitions on the theme of “Mother, Mother Language, Motherland.”