Community News Desk: Bangladesh High Commission in Brunei Darussalam observed the Historic Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day by paying deep homage to the memories of Language martyrs.
The Bangladesh High Commission also held another online programme amid rapidly deteriorating Covid-19 scenario in Brunei.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Language and Literature Bureau, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended cooperation and all-out support to the High Commission in arranging the programme.
Dr Shamsiah Zuraini Kanchanawati binti Haji Tajuddin, Permanent Secretary (Core Education), Ministry of Education of Brunei Darussalam graced the occasion as the ‘Guest of Honour’. The programme started with positioning the national flag at half-mast.
The main programme then continued with observing once minute silence, placing floral wreath at the Shaheed Minar located in the chancery premises, recitation from the Holy Quran, special prayer for the salvation of the departed souls of language martyrs.
The programme proceeded with reading out of the messages from the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh High Commissioner Nahida Rahman Shumona spoke about the contribution of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the language movement of 1952 that eventually led to the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
Through a vivid description of the historical significance of the inimitable sacrifice and love demonstrated by the language martyrs in 1952, she explained how the language movement in 1952 served as the foundational ideas and inspiration on which the recognition of 21 February as the International Mother Language Day is based.
She also referred to the theme of the 2022 International Mother Language Day fixed by UNESCO as “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities’.
She also touched upon the undeniable reality of the need to accept the cultural and linguistic diversity in this era of globalization while acknowledging the necessity of preservation of one’s own mother language.
The online segment of the program was chaired by the Bangladesh High Commissioner. It started with recitation of the Surah Al-Fatihah, and a commemorative song on the immortal language movement of 1952 in Bangladesh.
The Guest of Honour, Permanent Secretary (Core Education) expressed her satisfaction over being able to attend the programme organized for an event as important as International Mother Language Day.
She was also gratified to enjoy the compilation of short video messages contributed by Foreign Ambassadors in Brunei Darussalam on the importance of Multilingual Education and the potential role of technology to support it, in keeping with the UNESCO theme.
There were representations from all three leading universities in Brunei (UBD, UTB, UNISSA) in the seminar session on the UNESCO theme moderated by Dr Malai Zeiti Sheikh Abdul Hamid, Assistant Professor at the Universiti and Teknologi Brunei and the President of Reading and Literary Association of Brunei (ReLA). Speakers were Prof. James Mclellan from the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Ms. Suciyati Sulaiman, Deputy Director, Office of Language Centre, UBD, Dr. Norashikin Yusof, Assistant Professor, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Dr. Jaya Priah Kasinathan, Specialist (Management), SEAMEO VOCTECH, Regional Training Centre, Brunei, Mr. Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, Secretary (West), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka, and noted academic Kishwar Kamal. Among the performances in this special segment were poetry recital by Dayang Hanny Bahriyah binti Haji Awang from ReLA, cultural dance performed by Yajnasri Karri who is an Indian national, the reading of the Graphic Novel “Mujib” which is a novel based on the life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation, performed by Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan (MSPSBS) students, musical performance by the Brunei Music Society and finally another performance by students from La Vida.
