In Pakistan, people urged to take pride in mother tongues
Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival opens with calls for childhood schooling in regional languages
Writers and activists demand Punjabi as medium of teaching in a walk held to mark Mother Languages Day. PHOTO: ONLINE
ISLAMABAD:
The fifth Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival kicked off Friday evening at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in the presence of over 100 intellectuals, writers and poets along with a jam-packed hall audience from different parts of the country.
“The first responsibility of parents is to teach their language to their children,” PNCA Director-General Dr Fouzia Saeed said in her welcome speech.
Languages identify people and their cultural heritage, she said at the festival organised by the Indus Cultural Forum in collaboration with PNCA and Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI), Friedrich Naumann Foundation Pakistan (FNF), Alternative Research Initiative (ARI), Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC), Sindh Culture Department, ECO Science Foundation, Pakistan Science Foundation, Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR) and other organisations.
PNCA director general said this festival provides a platform for celebrating all 70-plus languages of Pakistan and encourages communities to take action for saving these languages from extinction.
Eminent writer Zubeda Mustafa in her keynote address said language develops the community of people and a basic source of communication among the people.
Researches have shown that children learn much better in their mother languages, she said citing many examples of the developed countries that have successfully implemented the learning of their children in their mother languages.
The festival coincides with international mother languages day that falls on February 21, highlights the potential of Pakistan’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
More than 150 writers, intellectuals, artists and activists from up to 20 Pakistani languages will take part in this year’s festival.
Around 11 books in Urdu, Punjabi, Balochi, Sindhi, Jaangli, Brahui, Pushto and Saraiki will be launched at the festival.
Briefing the media, Indus Cultural Forum Chairman Niaz Nadeem said that there will be 20 diverse sessions in the festival which will comprise of discussions, book launches, poetry recitations, music performances and theatrical performances.
“We are striving for equal dignity and respect for all Pakistani languages as they represent rich heritage and folk wisdom of millions of Pakistanis” said Nadeem.
FOSI Representative Nargis Sultana said: “respect for linguistic rights is critical for empowering communities and reducing discrimination.” The festival is to cultural diversity by fostering critical thinking, learning, and creative expression in mother languages.
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom-Pakistan’s Head Muhammad Anwar said his institution works with partners to bring out real potential of Pakistani languages so that people of Pakistan are aware of their rich heritage and culture.
Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR) Chief Executive Mazhar Arif said recognition and appreciation of lingual diversity guarantee strength and prosperity of the country.
Books are calligraphy exhibitions were also inaugurated while the inaugural ceremony was also enriched by the folk dance music performances.
PAL hosts seminar
“We have to take regional languages along with national languages to maintain national solidarity,” said Government College University Lahore Urdu Professor Dr Saadat Saeed while presiding over a seminar titled Modern Literary Scenario and Mother Languages organised by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on the occasion of Mother Language Day.
Writers representing different languages, including Wafa Chishti, Yawar Azim, Hakim Ali Berdo, Dr Siddique Malik, Akhtar Raza Salimi, Dr Manzoor Waisaryo, Dr Saadiya Kamal, Nurul Ain Saadiya, Raziq Fahim, Zafar Hussain Zafar, Dr Abdullah Jan Abid, Dr Hanif Khalil and Muhammad Hassan Hassrat expressed their views. Tariq Shahid was moderator of the seminar.
Zafar said that Kashmir languages are at risk from Western cultural aggression. Dr Hanif Khalil advised that regional languages should be strengthened as per public aspirations and positive thinking, “we should not feel any inferiority complex regarding our regional languages.”
Abid emphasised that government patronage and better strategy is needed for the survival of the mother tongue. Bardo said that local languages have been identity of people for centuries. “Languages are a source of love, tolerance and communication,” said Dr Waisriyo.
Fahim suggested connecting culture and literature through languages. Wafa Chishti said that our local languages are our assets in form of literature and our national pride.
Dr Siddique Malik said that regional languages are a source of creative expression and all languages should be given their due rights.
Akhtar Raza Salimi demanded that the government needs to make policy in order to keep the languages alive and vibrant.
We should do work ourselves for promotion of our languages. "We need to bring all Pakistani languages closer through translations, so that people of one region could appreciate literature of other parts of the country," Nurulian Saadiya said.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2020.
The fifth Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival kicked off Friday evening at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in the presence of over 100 intellectuals, writers and poets along with a jam-packed hall audience from different parts of the country.
“The first responsibility of parents is to teach their language to their children,” PNCA Director-General Dr Fouzia Saeed said in her welcome speech.
Languages identify people and their cultural heritage, she said at the festival organised by the Indus Cultural Forum in collaboration with PNCA and Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI), Friedrich Naumann Foundation Pakistan (FNF), Alternative Research Initiative (ARI), Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC), Sindh Culture Department, ECO Science Foundation, Pakistan Science Foundation, Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR) and other organisations.
PNCA director general said this festival provides a platform for celebrating all 70-plus languages of Pakistan and encourages communities to take action for saving these languages from extinction.
Eminent writer Zubeda Mustafa in her keynote address said language develops the community of people and a basic source of communication among the people.
Researches have shown that children learn much better in their mother languages, she said citing many examples of the developed countries that have successfully implemented the learning of their children in their mother languages.
The festival coincides with international mother languages day that falls on February 21, highlights the potential of Pakistan’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
More than 150 writers, intellectuals, artists and activists from up to 20 Pakistani languages will take part in this year’s festival.
Around 11 books in Urdu, Punjabi, Balochi, Sindhi, Jaangli, Brahui, Pushto and Saraiki will be launched at the festival.
Briefing the media, Indus Cultural Forum Chairman Niaz Nadeem said that there will be 20 diverse sessions in the festival which will comprise of discussions, book launches, poetry recitations, music performances and theatrical performances.
“We are striving for equal dignity and respect for all Pakistani languages as they represent rich heritage and folk wisdom of millions of Pakistanis” said Nadeem.
FOSI Representative Nargis Sultana said: “respect for linguistic rights is critical for empowering communities and reducing discrimination.” The festival is to cultural diversity by fostering critical thinking, learning, and creative expression in mother languages.
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom-Pakistan’s Head Muhammad Anwar said his institution works with partners to bring out real potential of Pakistani languages so that people of Pakistan are aware of their rich heritage and culture.
Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR) Chief Executive Mazhar Arif said recognition and appreciation of lingual diversity guarantee strength and prosperity of the country.
Books are calligraphy exhibitions were also inaugurated while the inaugural ceremony was also enriched by the folk dance music performances.
PAL hosts seminar
“We have to take regional languages along with national languages to maintain national solidarity,” said Government College University Lahore Urdu Professor Dr Saadat Saeed while presiding over a seminar titled Modern Literary Scenario and Mother Languages organised by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on the occasion of Mother Language Day.
Writers representing different languages, including Wafa Chishti, Yawar Azim, Hakim Ali Berdo, Dr Siddique Malik, Akhtar Raza Salimi, Dr Manzoor Waisaryo, Dr Saadiya Kamal, Nurul Ain Saadiya, Raziq Fahim, Zafar Hussain Zafar, Dr Abdullah Jan Abid, Dr Hanif Khalil and Muhammad Hassan Hassrat expressed their views. Tariq Shahid was moderator of the seminar.
Zafar said that Kashmir languages are at risk from Western cultural aggression. Dr Hanif Khalil advised that regional languages should be strengthened as per public aspirations and positive thinking, “we should not feel any inferiority complex regarding our regional languages.”
Abid emphasised that government patronage and better strategy is needed for the survival of the mother tongue. Bardo said that local languages have been identity of people for centuries. “Languages are a source of love, tolerance and communication,” said Dr Waisriyo.
Fahim suggested connecting culture and literature through languages. Wafa Chishti said that our local languages are our assets in form of literature and our national pride.
Dr Siddique Malik said that regional languages are a source of creative expression and all languages should be given their due rights.
Akhtar Raza Salimi demanded that the government needs to make policy in order to keep the languages alive and vibrant.
We should do work ourselves for promotion of our languages. "We need to bring all Pakistani languages closer through translations, so that people of one region could appreciate literature of other parts of the country," Nurulian Saadiya said.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2020.