Iziko Museums of South Africa will host an International Mother Language Day panel discussion, the “Towards sustainable futures through multilingual education” tomorrow Saturday February 18, from 11am to 2.30pm, at the Iziko Slave Lodge.
The event intends to provide a forum for critical discourse about the importance, promotion and preservation of indigenous languages.
It will be held in collaboration with the Pan South African Languages Board, the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport and the Cape Town Festival.
A series of short presentations about: The preservation of the isiXhosa linguistic heritage through stage performance; The preservation of the Nama Language and Culture; Afrikaaps, and Decolonising South African literature, will form the basis of this facilitated discussion. Performances will include traditional dances and poetry readings.
International Mother Language Day is a UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) initiative that is celebrated annually on February 21.
The founding purpose of this global initiative is to promote mother tongue and create awareness of the preservation of the diverse linguistic heritage across the world.
This public engagement draws its inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s observation that, “Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savour their songs.”
For more information, log on to www.iziko.org.za
