The Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples’ Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity (BIPNet-CCBD) has urged the authorities concerned to protect and develop all the country’s languages.
BIPNet held a press conference in this regard at the National Press Club, in the capital, on Monday.
“Language is a vital and fundamental expression of a culture. It stores our history and knowledge. When we lose a language, we also lose the history,” said Mathura Bikash Tripura; convener of the committee celebrating 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
“To ensure diversity in the country, we need to promote all the languages that we have. People of all communities have to come forward to protect indigenous languages,” he added.
Other speakers at the conference said there are around 7,000 languages in the world. Among them, only 100 languages are used extensively. Effective efforts are need to save and revitalize indigenous languages— locally, nationally, and globally.
Speakers also emphasized that native languages must be learned and protected as they help individuals connect to their ancestors and culture.
