Language is identity, culture, and connection. Celebrate this beautiful diversity by being a part of the Goethe-Institut’s International Mother Language Day celebration on Saturday, 8 March 2025 in Joburg. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s in store for the International Mother Language Day celebration
The International Mother Language Day celebration will be filled with interactive workshops, inspiring discussions, and cultural performances that highlight the importance of mother tongues. Take this opportunity to come together to honour and promote linguistic and cultural diversity.
This event is made possible through a collaborative partnership of the Goethe-Institut with Società Dante Alighieri and other esteemed institutes, including Consolato Generale d’Italia Johannesburg, Alliance Française Johannesburg, Korean Cultural Center, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V., Consulat Général de France à Johannesburg, and Camões Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua Portugal.
Cost: FREE entry
When: Saturday, 8 March 2025 from 10am to 9pm
Where: Società Dante Alighieri, 62 Houghton Dr, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg
What is International Mother Language Day?
Falling annually on 21 February, International Mother Language Day celebrates the beauty of linguistic diversity and the power of mother languages. The day commemorates a fatal protest staged on 21 February 1952 by students in Bangladesh to have Bengali recognised as an official language.
The commemorative day was established many years later in 1999 by UNESCO, and has been officially observed since February 2000 on the anniversary of the protests, marking the year 2025 as the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day. This milestone highlights a quarter-century of dedicated efforts to preserve linguistic diversity and promote the use of mother tongues.
More about the Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut aims to cultivate international and local cultural exchange through the arts, sciences and languages. With over 100 institutes worldwide, and 14 in the sub-Saharan region, including the one in Johannesburg, the Goethe-Institut is committed to fostering transnational diversity, understanding and trust.
Their Cultural Programmes Department focuses on a variety of different artistic approaches from the visual arts to drama, dance, literature, film, and others to support the local cultural scenes and strengthen pan-African dialogue through the arts.
Website: goethe.de/ins/za
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 011 442 3232
Instagram: @goetheinstitut_southafrica
Facebook: @goethe.joburg
See more heritage events and activities in Joburg
