February 21, 2019 at the Vihara Maha Devi Park was highlighted by celebrations of the Motherland language day - an event organized by the the High Commission for Bangladesh, in which the Russian Centre in Colombo took part representing Russia.

The Chief Guest of the event was Hon. Speaker of the Parliament Mr. Karu Jayasuriya alongside with other dignitaries as Governor of the Western Province Mr. M. Azath S. Salley, Chairman of the Election Commission Mr. Mahinda Deshapriya, numerous foreign Ambassadors and High Commissioners as well as diplomats of such countries as Italy, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Koren Republic and others.

Further on, the participants of the festival were invited to write something in their native language on small art tablets, from which the organizers then  arranged a colorful installation.

As part of the cultural program, a graduate of the Russian Music School at the Russian Centre in Colombo Mr. Anuk Munasinhe played beautiful violin fusion.

In addition, a mobile blood donor center was organized, where teh participants of the event could donate blood for the further gratuitous provision to patients from among the needy segments of the Sri Lankan population.

Graduate of the Russian Music School at the Russian Centre in Colombo Mr. Anuk Munasinhe

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) to raise awareness of the crucial role languages play in people’s daily lives.

Ethnologue states that a little over 7000 languages are spoken in the world today. Around a third of these are endangered, with less than 1000 remaining speakers. More than half of the world's population speak only 23 languages.

According to UNESCO, approximately 600 languages have disappeared in the last century, and they continue to disappear at a rate of one language every two weeks. Up to 90 percent of the world’s languages are likely to disappear before the end of this century if current trends are allowed to continue.

The aim is to “draw attention to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages and to take further urgent steps at the national and international levels.”

In the same document, the UN expresses “deep concern about the vast number of endangered languages, in particular, indigenous languages, and stressing that, despite the continuing efforts, there is an urgent need to preserve, promote and revitalize endangered languages.”

In the resolution, the UN stresses the need to strengthen the commitment of the UN's Member States to mainstream the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples into development policies and programmes at the national, regional and international levels.

Source https://www.timeanddate.com/year/2019/indigenous-languages.html