The second-grade students at Benteen Elementary School were treated to a special presentation from the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs (MOIIA) to celebrate International Mother Language Day.
International Mother Language Day is observed annually on February 21 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. This year, the MOIIA team brought volunteers representing a variety of cultures to share their native languages with the students at Benteen Elementary School.
“We’re very lucky to have the Mayor’s Office of International Immigrant Affairs come to Benteen Elementary School and showcase some of the languages that the students may not have been exposed to before,” Atlanta Public Schools (APS) multilingual college and career readiness coordinator Isabel Marsh said. “This is incredibly important because even though we do have a dual immersion program in APS and the students are exposed to Spanish, Atlanta is an incredibly international city, as is our district.”
The students learned about the native languages from Haiti (Kreyol/ French), Bangladesh (Bangla), Peru (Quechua/ Spanish), and Nigeria (Igbo and Yoruba). Volunteers shared facts about the languages’ country of origin and taught the kids a few words in their respective languages.
Redowan Kaushik led the Bangla activities and shared a brief history of Bangladesh with the students before showing them a hand-embroidered blanket.
Ruth Prophete led the Haiti activities and read a bilingual book to the students. She also brought a few examples of Haitian craftsmanship to show the students.
Alejandra Ximena Paz Ramos, representing the Peruvian consulate, gave an overview of the Incan empire and brought another volunteer to help the children learn some words in Quechua. They also had the students join them in dancing to the song “Valicha.”
Cornelius Ani led the Igbo activity and showed the students the different types of clothes traditionally worn in different cultures in Nigeria. Captain Tajhiek Anwar Baoll, Enoch Demar, and Dilla Jackson, led the Yoruba activities and taught the students basic greetings. They also put on a drum performance for the students.
“It’s important that our students are exposed to those languages and cultures, and recognize the strength that we have in the diversity of having those languages represented,” Marsh said.