26 February 2014 – The Philippine Embassy took pleasure in joining the celebration of the International Mother Language Day in Dhaka on February 20 and 21.
Embassy personnel and members of the Filipino community participated in the colorful procession organized by the Bangladesh Sangskirtikkormee Shangha (Bangladesh Cultural Workers Association), a non-political forum of cultural activists on February 20. The procession started at Dhaka University campus and made its walk to Shilpakala Academy. Participants included members of the Association, students, concerned civilians and some members of the international community. National flags of different countries and placards of alphabets in different languages were carried during the procession. Mr. Khondokar Shah Alam, General Secretary of the Association was so pleased by the presence of the Philippine Embassy representatives and members of the Filipino community and expressed his appreciation for their support. Mr. Alam and officers of the Association invited one of the Philippine Embassy representatives to join them in laying a wreath at the Shaheed Minar (Martyrs Monument), a historical location in the city that gives tribute to the development of Bengali language and culture.
On February 21, Shilpakala Academy, the national institute for fine and performing arts of Bangladesh held its annual cultural program to commemorate the International Mother Language Day. The event was participated in by a number of foreign missions such as the Embassies of the Philippines, Japan, China and Russia.
The Philippines presented a song-dance interpretation of Pasayawa Ko Day, a popular folk song in the Visayan region about courtship between a man and a woman. It was performed by members of the Filipino community. The Philippine Embassy, led by Philippine Ambassador to Bangladesh Vicente Vivencio T. Bandillo accompanied the performers at the event. The presentation, though performed in a language foreign to the Bangladeshis, received loud cheers from the audience.
Ekushey February (21st February) is a momentous day in the history of Bangladesh as it reminds of the Bangladeshi youth who sacrificed their lives to attain recognition of their right to speak and express themselves in their mother tongue when Pakistani rulers declared in 1948 that Urdu should be the only official language of the state of Pakistan. Bangla-speaking natives, who comprised the majority of Pakistan population, disagreed with the declaration, and fought on the barricades. They organized a language movement until in 1956, the government officially declared Bengali and Urdu as the state languages of the country.
21st February was declared as the official day of observance of the International Mother Language Day as proposed by Bangladesh during the 30th General Conference of the UNESCO on 17 November 1999 which the Philippines, together with other countries, seconded. END
