International Mother Language day has great significance all around the world. However, very few know the story of bloodshed and sacrifices that people made to earn this day. The day is now celebrated across the globe and every person in the world has the right to speak and learn in their mother tongue. The initiative was even commiserated by UNESCO later in 1999. Ever since then, 21st February is celebrated as International Mother Language Day throughout the world.
International Mother Language Day: History
The history comprises a battle led by the people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) for their mother language back in 1948. It all started in 1947 when Pakistan was divided into two parts East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (Pakistan). Pakistan declared “Urdu” as the sole mother tongue for both parts of Pakistan. However, the people of East Pakistan frequently spoke “Bangla” and demanded to have it as their mother language.
Bangladesh Initiated the Movement
Dhirendranath Datta, Lawyer from Bangladesh first raised the voice to claim Bengali as their mother language on 23 February 1948. Pakistan tried to demolish their initiative but the protest received great support from the people of Bangladesh. Students from the University of Dhaka also widely supported the protest that fueled the movement.
Sad Day for Bangladesh
On 21 February 1952, Police open fired on the rallies with thousands of people. The incident converted into a massacre that caused several deaths and injuries. The ruthless fight for mother tongue led to the deaths of Abdus Salam, Abul Barkat, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar, and Shafiur Rahman and the injuries of hundreds of people.
International Mother Language Day is celebrated as a national holiday by the people of Bangladesh. People of Bangladesh visit Shaheed Minar, a monument built in honor of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for their mother language.
Source: Wikipedia
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UNESCO’s Recognition
UNESCO understood the importance of the initiative led by Bangladesh. They knew that the problem is not limited to just one nation as many other small countries and communities suffered to achieve acknowledgment for their mother language. International Mother Language Day was recognized by UNESCO at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and the day was later recognized by the world in 2000.
UNESCO’s Aim for International Mother Language Day 2023: “celebrating these ways of expressing the world in its multiplicity, committing to the preservation of the diversity of languages as a common heritage, and working for quality education – in mother tongues – for all.”
2023 Celebration on the Occasion
UNESCO has organized an event on 21 February from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (CET). This will be the 24th edition of International Mother Language Day and the theme for the event is “multilingual education – a necessity to transform education“.
The event organized by UNESCO will include debates on the potential of multilingualism that would transform education in different contexts. The discussions will be based on three inter-connected themes:
- Importance and advancement of multilingual education;
- Supporting learning through multilingual education;
- Reviving languages that are threatened to go extinct.
More than 6,700 languages are spoken worldwide but at least 40% are threatened with extinction.
The classroom has a vital role to play in keeping them alive!@UNESCO is calling on countries to implement mother language-based education: https://t.co/8IndXt4Tsx #MotherLanguageDay pic.twitter.com/DvBEYzZZzl
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) February 20, 2023
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