UNESCO proclaimed International Mother Language Day (IMLD) in 1999 to celebrate and protect the diverse languages of the world. IMLD represents an effort to honor people’s right to speak their mother tongues, to preserve their culture and identity, and to safeguard the many endangered languages of the world. In more specific terms, it is also a tribute to the sacrifices of many in the movement for the preservation of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. Since 2000, IMLD has been celebrated around the world as well as in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Every year IMLD is celebrated at CISAR with multilingual presentations, performances, and multicultural festivities, representing diverse languages from around the world. 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the International Mother Language Day, and the Fourth Annual International Mother Language Day celebrations at CISAR.
A 5.00pm to 7.00pm program followed by a light dinner from 7.00pm to 8.00pm.
The program featured:
- The History of IMLD by the UBC Bangladesh Students Association
- Keynote address by Bonnie Norton
- Community guest: Halchigul Pattar (Uyghur Community Member and Activist)
- Various cultural performances
