British MPs, Commonwealth secretary-general join Language Movement Day events in London

The Bangladesh High Commission in London has celebrated the International Mother Language Day focusing “diversity and multiculturalism” in the bilateral relations.

The high commission for the first time partnered with the UK National Commission for UNESCO and received active support from 11 other embassies, high commissions, UK institutions and the Commonwealth to commemorate the day.

“This was the first of its kind, a joint collaboration truly upholding the spirit of Bangladesh-UK bilateral cultural cooperation as well as diversity and multiculturalism in London,” the high commission said in a statement.

Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chair Tom Tugendhat, Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions Stephen Timms, Member of Parliament Keith Vaz, Member of the European Parliament for London Jean Lambert, Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization Kitack Lim, and Chief Executive and Secretary General of the UK National Commission for UNESCO James Bridge spoke at the event.

Lyricist of the theme song for Amar Ekushey Abdul Gaffar Choudhury, Professor of Linguistics of University of Oxford Aditi Lahiri, UK representatives from the British-Bangladeshi Community Sultan Mahmud Sharif and representative from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Daniel Pasha also spoke on the occasion.

The speakers highlighted the history and the spirit of the Bangla language movement and observed that coordinated approach and efforts would strengthen further the cultural relations across nationalities.

High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem in her speech said ‘‘Bangabandhu was the first Bangalee who made history by delivering the first Bangla speech at the United Nations and thus internationalising Bangla Language’’.

“It was also the historic 7th March speech of Bangabandhu in Bangla, not in English, that was included as a document heritage in the Memory of the World International Register of UNESCO,” she said.

The day's programme began with hoisting the national flag at half-mast by the high commissioner at the chancery premises in the presence of the mission officials and senior community members.

Messages from President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam were read out.

Special prayers in memory of the language martyrs, Bangabandhu and his family members who were brutally killed in 1975 and Hasina was offered.

A documentary on the Language Movement was screened at the event and artists from different nationalities performed songs and dances in a multi-lingual cultural soirée.

Earlier, at one minute past midnight on Feb 21, the high commissioner along with Tower Hamlet Mayor John Biggs laid the wreaths at the Shaheed Minar at the Shaheed Altab Ali Park in East London.

They were followed by different organisations, institutions, leaders, and members of the British-Bangladesh community.