Mother Language Day Celebration - 25 February 2012

[Беларус на чужыне | Belarusian Abroad]

ANGLO-BELARUSIAN SOCIETY

Saturday 25 February 2012, 2pm

Sipovich Hall, Marian House

corner of Holden Avenue and Holden Road, London N12 8HS

A CELEBRATION OF THE BELARUSIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES

but other languages will be welcome!!

[in memoriam Vera Rich]

An event to mark the UNESCO Mother Language Day [21 February]

2pm – for the children (up to the age of 13) [organised by Karalina Maćkievič]. Short poems, chat, whatever they would like to do in Belarusian. A small present for all the children who participate.

3pm – for the adults (13 and upwards) [organised by Alena Edwards]. Read your favourite Belarusian or English [or, indeed, any other language] poem (no need to learn it by heart!). The judges will award prizes, on the basis of a strictly scrutinised voting procedure with no possibility of ballot rigging, for the best readings: first - £25, second - £15, third - £10. The awards are named after Dr Alexander Lutsko.

I hope that poets from Vera’s Manifold Voices team will be present to read their own poems, as well as translations made by Vera of Belarusian poems. The Manifold magazine of new poetry was one of Vera's creations.

It would be really good if a party atmosphere could be created throughout the proceedings. Contributions of food and drink will be very welcome! It will help if you can let me know whether you will be participating and what you would like to read, but it really does not matter very much – expect an atmosphere of amiable chaos!

Thanks to the generosity of the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain, the two prominent human rights lawyers, Hary Padhaniajla and Aleh Vouchak, may be able to attend a conference on the preceding Friday, and so be present at this event.

For information on the background to the UNESCO Mother Language Day go to:
http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=19644&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html.

Dr Alexander Lutsko was Rector of the International Sakharov College of Radioecology in Minsk until his death in 1997. See http://www.iseu.by/eng/memoria/lutsko/index.html.

Jim Dingley
Chairman of the Anglo-Belarusian Society