Every year, International Mother Language Day is celebrated on 21 February. This UNESCO initiative highlights the world's linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The Faculty of Arts celebrates along this year with an extensive programme on mother tongues and multilingualism, in poems and research stories.

Programme

12:30 - 14:00: Faculty of Arts Poetry Day

Already a tradition at our faculty: students and teachers recite their favourite (or self-written) poems. This year, we encourage everyone to read a poem in their mother tongue, which can of course also be Dutch or a local dialect. In this way, we want to highlight the beauty of our faculty's multilingualism.

You can submit your proposal via this link.

Do you just want to come and listen? That is also possible and there is no need to register. The faculty will provide sandwiches.

15:00 - 16:30: Seminar

Students and PhD students present their research on multilingualism in different contexts. OPEN Expertise Centre will also share their research. More information will follow soon.

17:00 - 18:30: Conversation with Prof. Yaron Matras

Prof  Yaron Matras is a linguist specialising in Romani, Kurdish and other Middle Eastern languages. During his academic career, he initiated several projects on multilingualism. In 2010, for instance, he launched the Multilingual Manchester project, which ran until 2021. This project aimed to promote awareness of language diversity in the Manchester city region and beyond. We will have a discussion with Prof Matras following his most recent book Speech and the City (2024).

After the talk, you are welcome to attend the reception in the corridor adjacent to room S.KS. 104.

Ongoing: Chair vive / Levend vlees

Be sure to visit the brand new translation exhibition Chair vive / Levend vlees in the foyer of the Brantijser. To mark the twentieth anniversary of the death of Swiss poet Grisélidis Réal (1929-2005), students from the Master's in Translation, led by Philippe Vanhoof, have translated several poems into Dutch to give the Dutch-speaking target audience access to a previously unpublished literary voice that whispers to us her turbulent life.

​More info can be found here (Dutch/French)

for Accessible Media and Culture

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Practical information

21 February 2025

Room S.KS.104: Poetry Day FLW, Seminar, Conversation Yaron Matras and reception

Foyer Brantijser (S.SJ): Translation exhibition Chair Vive / Levend Vlees