Responding after the International Mother Language Day 2023 event hosted by the Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), Foysol Choudhury MSP said:
“It was my great honour to speak at the City Chambers in Edinburgh today in celebration of International Mother Language Day 2023 and to promote linguistic and cultural diversity.
“It is a true honour for me to observe International Mother Language Day in my role as Shadow Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and also as the first Bangladeshi Member of the Scottish Parliament.
“International Mother Language Day was first proposed by Bangladesh in 1999, being approved by UNESCO that same year.
“As a national day in Bangladesh, the Head of State and Head of Government lay a floral wreath at the Language Martyrs Monument, as I did today at the Quadrangle with the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, the Rt. Honourable Councillor Robert Aldridge.
“This event gives us a vital reminder about the importance of preserving more than 6000 languages – 23% of which are endangered- and promoting tolerance and understanding.
“This year’s theme is “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education”. As 40% of the global population cannot access education in a language they speak or understand, it is not hard to understand why this has been chosen.
“Much of the internet is only available in 12 languages. As we use the internet for education more and more, it is important that multilingualism online is promoted so that all can access and learn from online content.
“Otherwise, those who use minority languages may unfortunately face a threat to their education and access to information.
“The internet can be a force for education and strengthening disappearing minority languages, both through preservation and revitalisation. Apps and resources can be shared to help educate learners, both young and old, to enrich their understanding of their mother tongue.
“By normalising multilingualism in education, we can also improve access to it and promote language learning.
“Multilingual education can teach us understanding and tolerance from youth, allowing for better social cohesion throughout life.
“Our mother tongue, whether it is English, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Bengali, Urdu, French, Brazilian-Portuguese, Ukrainian, Chichewa, Polish or Mandarin, is the linguistic device that shapes our personal, social and cultural identities.
“It is the vital tool that helps us transmit, preserve and maintain our different traditions, the sayings, jokes, songs, poems that make all our lives much more vibrant and interesting.
“A speech by a Ukrainian woman at the event today resonated strongly with me, when she spoke about the importance of the Ukrainian language to her, her devastation at its censorship and why it’s preservation is so important during the conflict in Ukraine.
“Language is the cultural tool that allows us to share different knowledge to better understand one another, where we come from and what makes us all unique, and to foster tolerance among different groups of people.
“It is vitally important that languages are preserved and multilingualism is promoted, for the reasons shared by distinguished speakers at today’s event.
“Thank you to ELREC for organising the event at the City Chambers today and for all the distinguished guests, speakers and performers for helping us to celebrate this important topic.
“I have lodged a motion at the Scottish Parliament supporting the achievements of International Mother Language Day and I hope we can remember this day as a day to celebrate our differences, whether it is our languages, cultures, or identities that make us who we are.
“I encourage everybody today to approach our peers and share information about our different languages and cultures, so that we can be enriched by each others’ differences.”
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