From February 10th to March 11th, the thematic book exhibition “The mother tongue, the source of inspiration” timed to the International Mother Language Day runs in the Documents of international organizations No. 207g.

This Day was established at the UNESCO General Assembly 30th session in November 1999, and since 2000 it is observed annually on 21 February.

This date was chosen in memory of the event on 21 February 1952, when in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, the police shot down the student demonstration in defense of their mother tongue, the Bengali, which they claimed to recognize as one of the state languages of the country.

In February 2002, the UN General Assembly during its 56th session emphasized the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity by endorsing the decision of the UNESCO to declare the International Mother Language Day (Resolution № Α/RES/56/262), and called upon all the states to contribute to the protection and preservation of the world languages.

Language is the most powerful tool for the preservation and development of our cultural heritage in its tangible and intangible forms. Any action to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will assist not only the linguistic diversity and multilingualism, but also a better understanding of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world, as well as the solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

Languages play an important role for the identity of a person, groups of people and their peaceful coexistence. They serve as a strategic factor of progress towards sustainable development and a harmonious relationship between the global and local conditions. Only full acceptance of multilingualism gives an opportunity to all languages to find their place in the world beset by the globalization.

Today in the world there are about 7000 languages, and more than half of them could die out within a few generations, and 96% of these languages are spoken by only 4% of the world population. Only a few hundred languages play an important role in the education system and in the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world.

On the International Mother Language Day, all languages are recognized as equal, because each of them uniquely meets the destination of a person, and every language is a living heritage that should be protected.

The mother tongue puts a unique mark on each of us from birth. It needs a lot of attention, because it is a tool of communication, thinking and perception describing our vision of the world. In addition, the language is also able to reflect the link between the past, present and future, being the mean of art expression. Any steps to spread native languages promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education.

The offered exhibition acquaints the reader with the efforts being made by the Government, the United Nations agencies and civil society organizations to preserve, respect, promote and protect languages, particularly those that are endangered.

More than 80 publications in Russian, Belarusian and English are on display: books, periodicals, brochures, booklets and mimeographed papers.

The exposition includes the following thematic sections:

languages and their role in the preservation and development of the tangible and intangible heritage;
international regulations that encourage linguistic diversity;
language, society, education and the problems of intercultural communication;
language and multilingualism in the age of globalization and global communication networks;
language policy and the prospects for the development of the Belarusian language in Belarus.

The exhibition is designed for linguists, philologists, cultural workers and art historians, as well as a wide range of readers interested in the linguistic and cultural diversity.

Useful links