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CHIPAWO celebrates International Mother Language Day 2012
CHIPAWO
February 24, 2011

Venue: Zimbabwe College of Music
Time: 9am - 2pm
Date: 25 February 2012

Our mother languages, being the first that we familiarize with whilst growing up, play a pivotal role in defining us. Being proud of who we are, languages instill high self esteem in us. Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage.

Each year, on the 21st February nations hold celebrations to mark the International Mother Language Day which serves to promote unity in diversity and international understanding through multi-lingualism and multiculturalism. For Zimbabwe this day is also the President's birthday and a commemoration of the 21st Movement being Mother Language Day only makes it the more important and special. This date was set aside by United Nations to commemorate the importance of the mother language in human development.

Each and every year, children from different CHIPAWO centres come together share the different languages they know, through presentation of plays, dances, songs, poems and short stories. This year CHIPAWO hopes to make this event truly international. Different embassies will be given opportunities to display their different flags as well as making short presentations in one of the major languages of their countries. There will also be an exhibition by the United Nations Information Centre.

CHIPAWO Children's Council is being supported by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in organizing the celebration to mark the International Mother Language Day. Mrs. Tafadzwa Mwale the Officer in Charge of the United Nations Information Centre will be the Guest of Honour at the celebrations. Youths from different schools wishing the present poems in their mother languages are encouraged to contact CHIPAWO.

Visit the CHIPAWO fact sheet

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