Erbil celebrates International Mother Language Day: Promoting Kurdish language and cultural diversity

Shafaq News/ Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, celebrated the International Mother Language Day with the presence of the regional and local authorities, and a large crowd of intellectuals, academics, and enthusiasts.

The Kurdish anthem "Ey Reqib" and a short film on the Kurdish language opened the ceremony. Then, Hama Said, the Minister of Culture and Youth, hosted a discussion by Dr. Fariad Fadhil, the founder and president of the Kurdish Institute for Education in Berlin, attended by Shafaq News Agency.

Dr. Fariad Fadhil, honored the importance of the mother tongue and said, “language protects and develops the human heritage.”

Fadhil also said, “preserving, developing, using, and teaching the mother tongue to the children and the future generations will ensure the cultural development of the nation and the world.” He added that “the mother tongue is the key point in the education systems to keep, sustain, and improve it.”

Nechirvan Barzani, the President of Kurdistan, emphasized the importance to protect and enhance the Kurdish language and the cultural diversity in the region.

Barzani said in a post on his official media platform, "We protect and enhance the Kurdish language and the mother tongue of all groups.” On the International Mother Language Day “we promote the diversity of languages and cultures in Kurdistan, and the right to education and freedom of the mother tongue everywhere."

He further said: "We value those who served the Kurdish language and the mother tongue of all factions in Kurdistan, and we praise those who maintain this sacred service to secure the most important and the base of the national and cultural identity, which is the mother tongue."

Notably, the International Mother Language Day is celebrated on February 21 every year to raise awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

UNESCO announced this occasion for the first time on November 17, 1999, and then the United Nations General Assembly adopted it officially, and decided to establish an international year for languages in 2008.

The International Mother Language Day has been celebrated since 2000 to promote peace and multilingualism around the world and protect all mother tongues.