International Mother Language Day
Language Martyrs' Day in Bangladesh
21st February
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“Following a proposal made by Bangladesh, UNESCO
created International Mother Language Day in
1999. The date chosen was 21st February in commemoration of the movement
in which five students died in on this date in 1952 defending recognition
of Bangla as a state language of the former Pakistan, the eastern part
of which became Bangladesh after the war of liberation.
Bangladesh ITI members, led by President Ramendu Majumdar and
Secretary General Ataur Rahman, Mr Mofidul Hoq and Mr Debaprosad Debnath,
were joined in Dhaka by delegates from a number of other ITI National Centres
present in Bangladesh at the invitation of the Bangladesh Centre,
to pay homage to the Martyrs of the Language Movement..
Foreign delegates participating in the commemoration of the Bangladesh Language Martyrs Day and the celebration of International Mother Language Day on 21st February in Dhaka included Mr Heino Byrgesen (Denmark) Member of the ITI Executive Board, Ms Roku Hasegawa, Member of the ITI International Dance Committee and JOU, both from Japan, as well as Prof. Abhi Subedi from Nepal. They were joined by Dr Mukhul Bandopadhyay and Mr Nripendra Saha (India).
Ms Jennifer Walpole, ITI Assistant Executive, represented the
ITI Secretariat, UNESCO, France.
Together with ITI representatives from China, Cyprus,
Germany and Korea, all those present had participated in
the International Festival and International Seminar
on Indigenous Theatre "Roots and Blossoms" 14 -20th February,
a major ITI event organized by the Bangladesh Centre of ITI.
The ITI members from various parts of the world took part in the long
procession which had begun just after midnight on the 20th February, in
order to lay a floral tribute before the Language Martyrs Monument.
Teams of young people worked all day using the flowers from the wreaths
laid to inscribe slogans in praise of the martyrs in the space in front
of the monument and to decorate it with floral designs in honour of
those who had died at what was to be the beginning of their country's struggle
for liberation.
(CLICK on the PHOTOs below for an enlargement)
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- Information :Bangladesh Centre of the ITI, 144 New Bailey Road,
DHAKA 1000, BANGLADESH TEL: 880/2/956 23 80, 880/2/956 83 26, FAX: 880/2/956
08 82 email : iti@adexpressions.com
iti@unesco.org