Celebration of International Mother Language Day
Celebration of International Mother Language Day
Inauguration of the Art Exhibition
“Bangladesh through the Eyes of Sudanese Artists”
21 February: Language Martyrs’ Day
In August 1947, a new state called Pakistan, comprising two far-flung wings in the west and east, separated by 1600 kilometers of foreign territory, emerged on the world map.
The ideological basis of that strange phenomenon was the absurd and pernicious two nation theory ignored such basic elements as language and culture and considered religion as a bond strong and sufficient enough to transform a people into a nation.
The language of the people of eastern wing of Pakistan (currently Bangladesh), and they were the majority, was Bangla. It had a rich tradition of literature of over a thousand years. The Bangalees also had a highly developed culture that had little in common with the culture of the people of western wing of Pakistan. The Bangalees love for and attachment to their language and culture were great and when in 1952 the rulers of Pakistan declared that “Urdu and only Urdu” would be the state language of Pakistan, they sowed the seed of its future disintegration.
The people of the then East Pakistan, particularly the students, rose in angry protest against the decision of the government. The government decided to quell protests by brute force. The police opened fire on 21st February 1952 on unarmed peaceful protesters, most of whom were students, resulting in the death, among others, of Rafiq, Barkat, Jabbar and Salam. As the news of those deaths spread, the entire people of the eastern wing felt greatly involved emotionally. Those who lost their lives to uphold the prestige defend the rights of their mother-language became hallowed martyrs. Bangla got its recognition of one of the two state languages in 1954.
They had far reaching effect. 21st February became a symbol and attained mythic properties; it nourished the concepts of democracy and secularism. It also contributed significantly to the flowering of Bangalee nationalism. It led to the dawning of the realization in the minds of the Bangalees that they constituted a separate nation and their destiny lay not with Pakistan but elsewhere as an independent country. The subsequent democratic mass movements of the late fifties, throughout the sixties and the seventies, and finally the struggle for independence and the war of liberation owed a great deal to 21st February.
From 1953 onwards, starting from 21st February 1953, the 21 February has been observed as “Language Martyrs’ Day”- a great national event all over Bangladesh, and also beyond the frontiers of Bangladesh: in several places of India, UK, USA, Canada and elsewhere, wherever there is a sizeable concentration of Bangla speaking people.
21 February: International Mother Language Day
The UNESCO declared the 21 February as the International Mother Language Day in November 1999. The declaration has transcended the national borders of Bangladesh and acquired an international significance and a global dimension. It has placed Bangladesh on the cultural map of the world with a highly positive image. The fact that in last twenty-three years, the spirit of calling it “International Mother Language Day” has not reached to all corners of the world as it should have been. Indigenous languages around the world continue to disappear at an alarming rate. The UNESCO in 2023 is observing the 24th edition of International Mother Language Day on the theme ‘multilingual education – a necessity to transform education’.
Multilingual education based on mother-tongue facilitates access to and inclusion in learning for population groups that speak non-dominant languages, languages of minority groups and indigenous languages. The discussion will feature the potentials of multilingualism to transform education from a lifelong learning perspective and in different contexts and it will be based around the following three inter-connected themes:
– Enhancing multilingual education as a necessity to transform education in multilingual contexts from early childhood education and well beyond;
– Supporting learning through multilingual education and multilingualism in our fast-changing global contexts and in crisis situations including emergencies contexts;
– Revitalizing languages that are disappearing or are threatened with extinction.
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Khartoum as well as Bangladesh Embassies around the world endeavors to disseminate the core philosophy of the International Mother Language Day to the world citizens.
Art Exhibition: Bangladesh Through the Eyes of Sudanese Artists
Two prominent Sudanese Artists Mr. Amir Sahfig Shawgi Ali and Ms. Laila Mukhtar Ahmed Adam participated in the 19th Asian Art Biennale held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in December 2022. They successfully represented Sudan in the international event where Artists from more than 100 countries participated. They lived in Bangladesh and took the opportunity to learn about Bangladesh and its culture. The Art Exhibition will feature theirs works on Bangladesh. Being inaugurated on 21 February 2023, the Exhibition will remain open for visitors till 27 February 2023. The Embassy of Bangladesh in Khartoum is grateful to the Hon’ble Minister for Culture and Information of Sudan H.E. Mr. Girham Abdelqadir Dmein and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan H.E. Mr. Daffa-Alla. E. A Osman who have kindly consented to grace the celebration of the International Mother Language Day on 21 February 2023 at the Embassy premises as the “Chief Guest” and the “Guest of Honour”, respectively inaugurated the Art Exhibition.