21 February 2023, Bandar Seri Begawan:

On the occasion of the Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day, Bangladesh High Commission in Brunei Darussalam organized a program at the Bangladesh High Commission. The Bangladesh community members and a few members of the diplomatic core attended the program which started with positioning the national flag at half-mast. The main program then continued with observing one minute silence, placing floral wreath at the Shaheed Minar located in the chancery premises, followed by recitation from the Holy Quran, and special prayer for the salvation of the departed souls of language martyrs. The program proceeded with reading out of the messages from the Hon’ble President, the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister, and the Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh. Thereafter, a video documentary was screened to present the history and significance of the Language Martyrs’ Day as well as International Mother Language Day.

Mr. Tanmoy Majumder, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Bangladesh High Commission spoke about the unmatched 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, he 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. He also referred to the theme of the 2023 International Mother Language Day fixed by UNESCO as “Multilingual Education - A Necessity to Transform Education”. Mr. Andrei MAMAEV, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Russian Embassy in Brunei talked about his profound love for his own mother language, i.e. Russian Language, and stressed on the need for promotion and preservation of all mother languages in the world. Mrs. Carmelita Soares, Third Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Timor-Leste in Brunei was also present at the event and underscored 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.