Native language – the spiritual heritage of the people

From February 16 to March 28, the Official Documents Service Department (room 207) opened a thematic exhibition "Native language – the spiritual heritage of the people", dedicated to the International Mother Language Day.

This Day was established by the decision of the 30th session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 1999 (30C/62) and has been celebrated annually on February 21 since 2000. In February 2002, at its 56th session, the UN General Assembly supported UNESCO's decision to proclaim the International Mother Language Day (Resolution A/RES/56/262) and emphasised the significance of cultural and linguistic diversity. It also called on all States to support and strengthen initiatives aimed at promoting respect for, promotion of, and protection of all languages used by the world's peoples, linguistic diversity, and multilingualism.

The exhibition will introduce readers to the diversity of the world's languages, as well as to the efforts that Governments, United Nations agencies, and civil society organizations are making to preserve, respect, promote, and protect languages, especially endangered ones. A separate section presents literature on the policy of our state to support and develop the Belarusian language.

The exhibition features about 100 publications in Russian, Belarusian, English and German: books, periodicals, brochures, booklets, mimeographed materials.

Among the documents on display are encyclopedias and reference books on the languages of the peoples of the world, international legal acts aimed at protecting national languages and languages of national minorities, materials of scientific conferences and research, monographs that consider the role of language in preserving and developing the material and spiritual heritage of the people.

The exhibition includes the following thematic sections:

• One world – diversity of languages
  
• The origin of language, language and its role in preserving spiritual heritage
  
• Language and consciousness. Philosophy of language
• International legal acts on languages
  
• Language, society, education and problems of intercultural communication
  
• Language and multilingualism in the age of globalization and global communication networks
  
• Language policy and prospects for the development of the Belarusian language in the Republic of Belarus
  

The exhibition will be of interest to linguists, philologists, employees of cultural and art institutions, historians, as well as a wide range of readers interested in the Belarusian language, as well as linguistic and cultural diversity.

The annual celebration of International Mother Language Day is particularly important and provides an opportunity to launch initiatives to promote and protect all languages, especially those that are threatened with extinction. Any activity to promote the dissemination of the mother tongue will contribute not only to linguistic diversity and multilingualism, but also to a better understanding of linguistic and cultural traditions around the world, as well as solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

Useful links:

• International Mother Language Day (UNESCO)
  
• International Mother Language Day (UN)
  
• The importance of multilingualism for the UN
  
• Coordination of multilingualism issues
  
• International Day of Education (January 24)
  
• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (21 May)
  
• Russian Language Day (June 6)
  
• International Day of the World's Indigenous People (9 August)
  
• International Literacy Day (September 8)
  
• International Sign Language Day (September 23)
  
• International Translation Day (September 30)
  

Documents:

• GA resolution on the establishment of the International Year of Languages (A/RES /61/266)
  
• Convention for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
  
• Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
  
• Convention against Discrimination in Education
  
• UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity
  
• Recommendation on the development and use of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace
  
• Multilingualism (A/RES/56/262)
  
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
  
• Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities
  
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  

The opening hours of the exhibition corresponds to the library’s opening hours.
Entrance to the exhibition is available by the library ticket or ticket of the library's social and cultural center.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 34.