UNESCO proclaimed International Mother Language Day (IMLD) in 1999 to celebrate and protect the diverse languages of the world. IMLD represents an effort to honour 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. This year, CISAR will be holding its fifth annual celebration of International Mother Language Day virtually, with multilingual presentations, performances, and festivities representing diverse languages from around the world.