10 Things You Can Do on International Mother Language Day
Today, February 21, is International Mother Language Day! It was first proclaimed in 1952 as "Language Movement Day" by Dhaka University students in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) who protested the suppression of their Bengali language. Police and military forces opened fire, killing many young people in attendance.
Cultural Survival supports and promotes place-based, Indigenous-controlled community media and language revitalization efforts aimed at training new generations of fluent speakers. At least 43 percent of the estimated 7000 languages spoken in the world are endangered, and so many of these languages hold traditional knowledge and the solutions for how we care for our environments. We work to address this crisis and we partner locally and internationally to bring these rich perspectives on Indigenous language loss and revitalization to a global audience through our Indigenous Rights Radio program.
On this International Mother Language Day, stand with Cultural Survival and our partners in supporting of our efforts to promote and contribute to the revitalization of the world's knowledge base--our mother tongues.
1. Listen to and share our Indigenous Rights Radio programs
Cultural Survival is producing and distributing radio programs worldwide on topics related to Indigenous rights and most recently COVID-19. With the help of volunteers from all over the world, we have translated programs and recorded audio in over 130 Indigenous languages. Our Indigenous Rights Radio producers released over 432 Public Service Announcements to over 1,200 stations in 69 countries in 2020.
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UNDRIP Article 13: Right to Language
Article 13 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states: "Indigenous Peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons..."
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Radio Promotes Diversity
Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity. For Indigenous Peoples in many countries, radio is the most accessible platform to express themselves in the languages that they speak and understand. Radio therefore is a fundamental means of communication for Indigenous Peoples to maintain their languages and to exercise and defend their rights.
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Derecho a Asistencia Legal en Idiomas Indígenas. Idiomas: Tsotsil , Tepehua
La asistencia Legal es un derecho que los Pueblo Originarios han exigido en México y que han alcanzado materializar en la constitución, sin embargo, son muchos los casos en los que dicho derecho es violentado, así lo expone Rubina Flores Indígena Na Savi, de Guerrero, México, quien en su artículo “La falta de intérpretes y traductores de lenguas Indígenas en el sistema de justicia en México”, expone algunas fallas del sistema de justicia y consecuencias para quienes no hablan español.
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2. Learn about the Sustainable Development Goals in Ayuuk,
K´iche', Afrikaans, and Sunuwar
3. Listen to our series on Indigenous languages in English and Spanish
To commemorate the International Year of Indigenous Languages, in 2019, we produced a whole series on efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages.
4. Download and Share our COVID-19 Prevention Manuals for Radio Stations Available in 85 Indigenous Languages
5. Learn about the Khoe and Ñu languages in South Africa
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Through our Keepers of the Earth Fund, Cultural Survival funded Munanai, an Indigenous grassroots organization based in ||Hui !Gais (original name of Cape Town), South Africa. Denver Breda, a Khoe cultural and language activist and the founder of Munanai, is working hard to ensure Indigenous youth have access to learning Khoekhoegowab, their Indigenous language. |
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Watch Grandmother Katrina Esau speak about the importance of the N/uuki language in South Africa and COVID-19 prevention through Indigenous Rights Radio.
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6. Learn How our Indigenous Community Media Youth Fellows are Promoting Indigenous Languages
Luis Enrique Amador Tlatilolpa (Náhuatl) from Mexico is teaching the Nahuatl language at schools as well as creating audiovisual content in Náhuatl revitalizing Náhuatl traditions. Check out Luis' work here.
7. Read Our Cultural Survival Quarterly Issues on Indigenous Language Revitalization and Community Radio's Role in Indigenous Language Promotion
Indigenous language loss is occurring all over the world. Concerned communities are using many methods including community radio as an effective tool in revitalizing their languages.
8. Get Ready for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages
On December 18, 2019, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. This decade will bring more knowledge and support of Indigenous languages and cultures. Learn about the Los Pinos Plan of Action.
9. Attend the Mother Tongue Film Festival Online
The Smithsonian’s Mother Tongue Film Festival celebrates cultural and linguistic diversity by showcasing films and filmmakers from around the world over four days of free screenings in Washington, D.C. Since 2016, the annual festival has celebrated International Mother Language Day on February 21. The sixth annual festival will take place February 21–May, 2021.
10. Make a gift today to support Cultural Survival's efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages!
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Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972. We envision a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.
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