Celebrating Language

“Being exposed to the existence of other languages increases the perception that the world is populated by people who not only speak differently from oneself but whose cultures and philosophies are other than one’s own. Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try to understand each other, we may even become friends.”

In 1993, African American writer and poet Maya Angelou published her first book of essays, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now. It has often been referred to as her “wisdom” book, containing her advice, opinions and musings on various things, including language.

The above passage comes from Angelou’s essay, “Passport to Understanding.” In it, she expresses the importance of experiencing other cultures and languages, especially for Americans who “living in this vast country and able to traverse three thousand miles east to west using the same language, needs to hear languages as they collide in Europe, Africa, and Asia.”

In 1999, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to launch International Mother Language Day to recognize the importance of multilingualism and linguistic and cultural diversity.

On Feb. 21, 2000, the first annual International Mother Language Day took place. It has been held on that day every year since as an international extension of Language Movement Day, which was established in Bangladesh in 1952.

On Feb. 21 of that year, several Dhaka university students were killed by the Pakistani police and army while demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of two national languages of then-Pakistan. Today, the Language Martyr’s Monument stands in Dhaka University, Bangladesh honoring these students and every year, hundreds of thousands of people leave flowers in their memory.

In honor of International Mother Language Day, countless organizations and countries across the globe host events honoring the language that has helped form their cultures. Each year has a theme, with 2015 focusing on “Inclusion In and Through Education: Language Counts.”

Write On, Door County will honor International Mother Language Day with a multilingual poetry reading from 1 – 2 pm on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Miller Art Museum, 107 S. 4th Ave. in Sturgeon Bay. Up to a dozen presenters will speak and languages will include Spanish, French, German, Russian and Bulgarian.