On 11 March 2021, a research associate of the museum and education department of Bolgar Museum-Reserve Krivosheyeva S. V. held an interactive event on “Mother tongue, you are my life” for the students of Bolgar sanatorium-type residential school.
At the event, kids knew the history of emergence of the holiday International Mother Language Day proclaimed in November 1999 at the 30th General Conference of UNESCO. It is celebrated annually on 21 February since 2000 in order to protect linguistic and cultural diversity. The date was chosen as a gesture of memory of the events that took place on 21 February 1952 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On that day, police officers killed students – participants of the demonstration in support of their native language Bengali. They required its recognition as one of the official languages of the country.
Language is the most powerful instrument for the preservation and development of the world cultural heritage in both its tangible and intangible forms. Any activity on promoting the dissemination of the mother tongue will encourage not only linguistic diversity and multilingualism but also a better understanding of linguistic, cultural traditions around the world and solidarity based on an understanding, tolerance and dialogue. By introducing Mother Language Day in the international calendar, UNESCO called on countries to develop, support and intensify events focused on the promotion of respect, on protection of all languages, linguistic diversity and multilingualism.
Children became acquainted with some interesting peculiarities of the Russian language. At the end of the event, kids played the game “Translator” – they translated words from Old Russian into the modern language.

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