Natives of Gilgit-Baltistan celebrate Mother Language Day in New York
NYC: New York based natives of Gilgit-Baltistan participated in an event organized by the Endangered Languages Alliance in connection with Mother Language Day.
Balti, Burushaski, Shina and Wakhi language were represented during the event.
Ms. Safida Begum, through a powerpoint presentation, briefed the audience about the various languages spoken in Gilgit-Blatistan, while also explaining the challenges they face.
Irfan Ali performed songs in Burushaski and Wakhi, while Yasmin and Rozina sang Wakhi songs. Muhammad Hussain from Baltistan presented a poetry in Balti language.
A portion of a documentary about Wakhi folktales, produced by Pamir Times, was also screened during the event.
Performers, activists and researchers from other parts of the world also represented their languages, and spoke about the threats they face in the wake of rapid globalization, and other socio-political and economic challenges.
