Bangladesh embassy celebrates International Mother Language Day

AMMAN — The Bangladeshi embassy in Amman on Tuesday organised a day-long discussion and a cultural programme to commemorate the Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day 2022.

During the ceremony, attended by Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Amman Governor Yasser Adwan, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the language martyrs, while the ambassadors and diplomats laid floral wreaths to the Monument of Language Martyrs, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In his keynote address, Asaduzzaman said that February 21 is “a memorable day with deep significance in the field of socioeconomic, literary, civilisation and culture of Bangladesh, as it was the day to establish the political and social rights of the Bengali society”.

“As a historically ancient language, Bengali is one of the languages of the world today. With more than 300 million people speak in this language, Bengali has been continuously enriched by the combination of Arabic and other languages. The combination of language and culture has created excellent links between the people of Bengali and Jordanians,” he said.

Assistant Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture Ahmed Rashed said that Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and it is one of the official languages of the UN, noting that the International Mother Language Day has created an opportunity to show respect and opportunity to preserve all the languages of the world.

Ambassador Nahida Sobhan paid homage to the language martyrs, noting that Bengali was recognised by UNESCO in 1999, based on the application of Bangladesh by the late Ambassador Syed Moazzem Ali for the recognition of February 21 as the International Mother Language Day.

“Mother tongue is one of the elements of peace through which we can build a world of mutual understanding and inclusive society,” she said.

At the end of the discussion, artists from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Jordan participated in a cultural programme, where dance and music performances were conducted with the participation of Jordanian Music Conservatory, Bangladesh embassy officials and the Bangladeshi community in the Kingdom.